S/O - Shavuos menu

Ema of 5

Wed, May 09 2018, 9:48 am

As for your question OP, I work 9-4 and I have 4 kids, and my youngest school aged child (I have one younger than him as well) comes home before I finish working. I do a lot of cooking ahead, but I’m very organized about it. I write out what I’m cooking or baking on which day, and really try to stick to it. I’m going to make and freeze some of the meat/chicken things today.
We are a family of 6 and we usually have lots of company, so 15-20 people per meal is normal here. I make a lot of different things for each meal. My husband and kids like meat, I only like chicken and specific meats. He wants potatoes at every meal, I prefer green vegetables and colorful, yummy salads. So we have meat, chicken, a vegetable side or two, potatoes, and salad. I don’t generally make salad, but if I find something that looks yummy I’ll make for a meal or two.

lfab

Wed, May 09 2018, 9:50 am

allthingsblue wrote:

I only do make ahead recipes. I don't "patchke." No idea how these women do it, but it's not my idea of simchas yom tov. Not even as a Stay at home mom.

Here are some ideas.
Meats:
Corned beef
Veal roast
Brisket
Ribs

Poultry:
Any chicken on the bone- freeze raw, cook on yom tov
Schnitzel
Sesame chicken bites

Sides:
Lo mein
Rice
Couscous
Potato knishes
Puff pastry something or other
Broccoli kugel
Mushroom kugel
Cauliflower kugel
Eggplant (storebought breaded kind) in tomato sauce

Soups:
Any!

Fish: prep and freeze raw. Cook on yom tov.

Desserts:
Brownies
Compote
Fruit pie/crumble
Store bought ice cream or sorbet

Can you please share your cauliflower and broccoli kugel recipes? Thank you!

SixOfWands

Wed, May 09 2018, 10:32 am

amother wrote:

I am sitting here reading all your Shavuos menus and literally feel like crying. When do you have time to cook all this? And clean up?
I am a big proponent of cooking ahead and freezing, but there is still only so much I can do. And lots of these things sound like food you can't even prep much ahead.
I usually make no starter, one main, one starchy side and one veggie side per meal and then reuse leftovers for at least another meal. After reading that thread I feel like such a bad mother/wife
Do you not work, not have kids...? Am I missing something here?

I work long hours, and have kids.

Some weeks I go crazy cooking. Some weeks we have meatball, rice and a salad. Some weeks, we have takeout.

Shavuot is a weekday, so I can cook on the chag -- and fully intend to make just about everything fresh, on the chag.

keym

Wed, May 09 2018, 11:13 am

For yom tov I found that certain things seem fancy but are not.
Puff pastry dough filled with anything- potatoes, chicken, meat, vegies, cold cuts. I use it as appetizer a lot and it seems fancy but not complicated.
Also il make and freeze lots of simple meat and schnitzel and then make a sauce on yom tov. So my plain schnitzel will get cut up with sweet and sour sauce- voila sesame chicken with orzo. Seems so fancy. But not much more work than basic schnitzel.
And if im tired on yt ill leave it as plain schnitzel.

SixOfWands

Wed, May 09 2018, 11:18 am

Mommyg8 wrote:

Six, this is totally off topic - but isn't meatballs a huge patchke? Do you have recipe that's easy to make and doesn't take forever to cook? Or is there a secret here I'm missing? Thanks!

Mix ground beef, about 1/2 cup of rice, some tomato paste and any spices you'd like. Form into meatballs. Place into pressure cooker with whatever sauce and veggies you like, plus water to thin sauce. Cook for 12 minutes on high pressure. Natural pressure release.

Mommyg8

Wed, May 09 2018, 11:28 am

SixOfWands wrote:

Oh, wow, do they still sell pressure cookers? I vaguely remember this pot from my grandmother... wonder why it went out of style...

observer

Wed, May 09 2018, 12:37 pm

Those of us with more elaborate menus are probably those that enjoy cooking! Everyone has different strengths and activities we enjoy.

I work full time and have k'ah a houseful of young children. I can't do anything until around 9 pm, being busy with the kids, toddler, baby bh. However, I love cooking for my family, and I try to make especially nice meals for Yom Tov. So I start a few weeks before YT and whatever nights I can, I make one thing and freeze. I don't have extra time for things, but I enjoy this, so it happens. I don't make crazy patchke things, but I do make a respectable menu.

No need to feel bad. Everyone has different areas of strength. There's no pressure, it's all about your talents and what you enjoy.

amother

Natural

Wed, May 09 2018, 3:38 pm

I too work full time and bh we have kids. I try to make 1or 2 things every few nights (when I have energy) in the wks leading up to chag. have made cheesecakes (3 basics will make them "different" with sauce or fruit bf serving). I made cookoes and a double batch of brownies. so that's pretty much deserts. will buy ice cream and kids can make jello.
will aim to bake and freeze some challahs tomorrow eve and supplement with bought. will use some challah dough to make some kind of onipm rolls or cheese and spinach loaf for a milky meal. hope to freeze lasagne (pre baked) and maybe quiche or blintzes.
rest will be done erev or on. salmon takes a minute to prep (I do a side with panko crumbs). veg comes from freezer for ex cauliflower throw olive oil and zatar and bake or green beans throw on tomatoe sauce and fry. salads I try buy veg to make it easy like bag of spinach leaves, grated carrots and cherry tomatoe is a1min salad. tin of hearts of palm corn and avacado also a minute.
please don't stress over fancy menus....u do whats good for u!!!
hope above ideas helped a bit.

cbg

Wed, May 09 2018, 6:12 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

Can you tell me how you make these? I'm always looking for easy good vegetable side dishes. Thanks!

String beans- cut stems and wash.
I take a sautée pan and let it heat up really hot.
Then I put the string beans in, NO OIL, yes salt to taste.
I shake the pan often and let it heat until the stringbeans start getting a little brown. Just keep shaking. This can take 4-5 minutes, maybe less if you have gas stove.
Then with the fire still on high put 4 TBSP of water and cover tightly.
Let it steam for 2 minutes.
Uncover, shut the fire off.
I then add finely chopped garlic, 1-2TBSP oil ( if you like sesame oil, even better), and 1-2TBSP sesame. Shake vigorously in the pan. I serve room temp.

Roasted zucchini- cut zucchini like fingers (1/4 cut the long and then cut into 2 inch pieces) to this add oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and any other spices you like. Roast in a 450 oven. Reheat when ready to serve.
Sometimes I mix in yellow squash cut the same and baby carrots.

Creamed Spinach- Thaw frozen spinach. Squeeze water out. Place in a sautée pan. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, nothing too overwhelming. I cook it a bit.
Then, I add can of coconut cream. Bring up to a boil. Adjust seasoning. Reheat when ready to serve.

I also make a roasted veggie platter, easy, but looks fancy.
In Seperate cookie sheets, line with parchment paper.
All the veggies I season with a little oil and salt.
Peppers cut in thick strips
Mushrooms cut in 1/2, 1/4 if they are big
Zucchini cut in fingers like above
Onions thick 1/2 moons
Japanese eggplant cut in circles
I roast each veggie in Seperate pans, at 450.

When I'm ready to serve I take a Pyrex and I serve lines of each veggie.
All the colors look so pretty.

All these veggies dishes stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.

thunderstorm

Wed, May 09 2018, 6:40 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

Six, this is totally off topic - but isn't meatballs a huge patchke? Do you have recipe that's easy to make and doesn't take forever to cook? Or is there a secret here I'm missing? Thanks!

Meatballs is one of my quickest dinners. Nothing complicated.
Ground beef
Seasoned bread crumbs
Egg
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Pinch of salt
Mix by hand

While you are prepping the meat mixture, you should have the sauce cooking.

Either marinara sauce and water
Or tomatoe sauce
Equal amounts of water to sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Basil
Oregano
Drop brown sugar( optional)
Bring sauce to boil, form meat mixture into small meatballs and drop into sauce. Cover , lower flame and simmer for half hour, uncover and simmer 10 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.

While meatballs are cooking, boil water and cook the spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta.

Mommyg8

Wed, May 09 2018, 7:19 pm

thunderstorm, the hard part - for me - is mixing the ground beef mixture well, and then making the little balls. It takes me a while to make all those little balls.

I have a different recipe for meatballs using grated onions and rice, and a tomato juice/ tomato sauce mixture for the sauce, but that's not the really the hard part.

thunderstorm

Wed, May 09 2018, 7:22 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

I do it very speedy I roll and drop into the pot. It takes less than five minutes to make about 25 small balls

Mommyg8

Wed, May 09 2018, 7:24 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

I do it very speedy I roll and drop into the pot. It takes less than five minutes to make about 25 small balls

I guess I'm slower than you. I also usually make four pounds at once, so I can freeze half. But it takes me at least 30 minutes - so maybe I'm doing something wrong.

ETA: And I cook my meatballs for about two hours. I think I'm going to look into Six's pressure cooker suggestion.