Countdown to Passover Week 3: We’re Almost There!

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

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Passover is a week away. These tips and recipes will have you ready with time to spare.

I know what you’re thinking, that Passover cruise is looking pretty good right now. Well, buck up because we have another week’s worth of super tips from Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin and recipes from little ole me.

Here’s the round up:

Tip #13: Clean your cars
Recipe #13: London Broil

Tip: #14: Create Passover meal plans
Recipe #14: Potato Kugel Cups

Tip #15: Shop for kosher-for-Passover perishables
Recipe #15: Savory Eggplant

Tip #16: Clean your kitchen
Recipe #16: Broccoli Kugel

Tip #17: Make your kitchen kosher for Passover
Recipe #17: Warm Salmon Salad

Tip #18: Cook and freeze meals
Recipe #18: Brisket in Wine Sauce

See you next week for the final tips on our countdown to the most organized Passover ever!

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Countdown to Passover Tip #18: Ready, Set, Cook!

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

Your kitchen is ready for Passover; now is the time to cook ahead for the holiday.

Wow, we’re already at tip #18 (l’chaim!). This countdown is going a little too fast, if you ask me. And, if you are like me, you’re still facing A LOT of Passover preparations. Thank goodness we have Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin’s great advice to get us through. Yesterday, Rivka suggested that the time had come to make our kitchen’s kosher for Passover. Now, we get the fun of cooking up a storm!

Tip #18: Cook whatever meals you plan to store in the freezer.

For the recipe portion, I’ve picked a great cook-ahead holiday favorite:

Recipe #18: Brisket in Wine Sauce

Nothing compares to the rich, comforting flavors of brisket, plus this brisket really holds up well to reheating. Other freezer faves include Veal Stew with Apricots and Prunes, Potato Kugel Cups and Broccoli Kugel. For tips on freezing check out our article on the best methods for freezing foods.

Check back next week for more tips. We’re in the homestretch, now!

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Easy to Make Parve Passover Desserts

Posted in Passover

Parve desserts are a must on Passover since so many meals are meat heavy.

If you are like me, dessert is the most important meal of the day. Passover desserts don’t have to be store-bought or difficult to make in order to be fabulous. Here are 7 non-dairy desserts that are sure to please.

NON-DAIRY PASSOVER DESSERTS

Ambrosia Soup (omit the canned sliced mango)

Chocolate-Covered Matzohs

Chocolate Mousse with EVOO

Homemade Chocolate Fondue

“Forgotten” Macaroons

Lemon Bars

Lemon Ice

What is your favorite Passover dessert? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Passover Fish Recipes Your Family Will Love

Posted in Passover

Fish is perfect for Passover and year round.

In my house, fish is a touchy subject because my husband and I don’t see eye to eye. I like it—hubby, not so much. Still, fish is a generally low fat, high-protein, heart-healthy food source. Experts recommend about two servings of fish per week. And, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, any mercury risks associated with fish are outweighed by the benefits of eating fish regularly. So to help you get your fill of fish this Passover, here are 10 recipes to try:

PASSOVER FISH RECIPES

Classic Gefilte Fish

Cod in a Light Lime Sauce (omit brown rice)

Cold Smoked Fish Salad (substitute matzah for flatbreads or rye)

Crispy Rainbow Trout

Horseradish-Crusted Salmon Fillets

Parmesan and Sun-Dried Tomato Crusted Tilapia (dairy)

Poached Halibut in Olive Oil

Salmon Gefilte Fish

Smoked Salmon Rolls (dairy; omit capers and substitute matzah for flatbreads)

Sweet and Sour Salmon (omit the crushed red pepper flakes if unavailable)

What is your favorite Passover fish recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Countdown to Passover Tip #17: Make Your Kitchen a Passover-Only Zone

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

The time has come to make your kitchen kosher for Passover.

Yesterday’s tip from Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin was about cleaning our kitchens for Passover. That’s a tough job, let me tell you. Today, we go the next step and turn our kitchens into Passover-only zones. So, without further ado, here is Rivka’s tip …

Tip #17: Begin making your kitchen kosher for Passover by covering your counters, cleaning your oven, lining your shelving and putting out your Pesach dishes.

You are going to be hungry after all that work, but the kitchen will be kosher for Passover so a sandwich is definitely off the menu. How about a nice “super” salad?

Recipe #17: Warm Salmon Salad

Salmon is one of those “superfoods” we all read about and don’t eat enough of. It is high in protein, filled with heart-healthy omega fatty acids and one serving provides a daily dose of vitamin D as well as a host of other vitamins and minerals. Plus most people, even non-fish lovers, like salmon. In this recipe, salmon combines with fresh spinach—another nutrient-rich superfood. If you can’t find kosher-for-Passover pine nuts; leave them out

Tune in tomorrow for tip 18 (chai!) and a new recipe.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Gifts of the Jews: Corned Beef for St. Paddy’s

Posted in National Holidays

Did Irish American immigrants learn about corned beef from their Jewish immigrant neighbors?

Corned beef and cabbage is practically synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States but relatively unknown in Ireland. Like many American ethnic customs, this “Irish” classic is a product of the American experience.

As the story goes Irish immigrants to the U.S. were looking for the bacon joints they were familiar with from home. (Beef and salt were expensive in Ireland in the 19th century, so corned or salted beef was uncommon.) Finding no bacon joints, they chose the more readily available corned beef and cooked it in a fashion familiar to them, simmered with cabbage and root vegetables.

Where might Irish immigrants have learned about this savory beef brisket? Well, if Georgia State University nutritional anthropologist and regular Good Eats contributor, Deborah Duchon, is to be believed, Irish-Americans picked up corned beef from their Jewish immigrant neighbors and made it their own.

Whether you get your corned beef fix on March 17th or all year round, we  have the goods.

Slainte!

Passover Soups, Salads and Side Dishes Your Family Will Love

Posted in Passover

Make Passover menu planning easy! Here are 18 recipes to brighten up all your holiday meals.

Passover meals don’t have to be boring and menu planning doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are 18 mix and match recipes you can use to make each Passover meal an event to remember.

PASSOVER SOUPS

Classic Chicken Soup

Leek, Potato and Tarragon Soup (dairy; substitute fresh herbs for dried)

Mango Strawberry Soup

Un-Stuffed Cabbage Soup

PASSOVER SALADS

Baby Spinach and Portobello Mushroom Salad (substitute fresh or frozen garlic powder for prepared crushed garlic)

Israeli Salad

Israeli Cabbage Salad

Italian Tomato Salad

Mozzarella and Tomato Stacks (dairy)

Sweet Carrot Salad (substitute extra light olive oil for canola oil)

Warm Salmon Salad

PASSOVER SIDE DISHES

Broccoli Kugel

Crispy Potato Latkes

Garlicky Broccoli (substitute fresh rosemary for dried)

Herb-Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes

Italian Zucchini

Potato Kugel Cups

Savory Eggplant

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Countdown to Passover Tip #16: The Big Clean

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

Your fridge is clean; now it is time to clean the rest of your kitchen for Passover.

We are back with our next tip from Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin on how to prepare for Passover. This one’s a big job, I’m afraid …

Tip #16: Clean your kitchen including appliances, cabinets, chairs, countertops, floor, garbage cans, highchairs, oven, phone, sink, stovetop, table and windows. As with all cleaning projects, starting from high places and moving down makes cleaning easier.

For my recipe, I’ve got a kugel, because, let’s face it, you can never have too many  kugels on Passover.

Recipe #16: Broccoli Kugel

You can throw this kugel together in 5 minutes and then just stick it in the oven. I use frozen chopped broccoli in this dish but you could substitute fresh. That will up the prep time significantly as you would have to par cook the broccoli. Either way, though, this is a tasty way to get your veggie fix.

Tip #17 drops tomorrow along with another recipe. Please join us.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Passover Cooking: Kosher Meat

Posted in Passover

With bread and grains off the menu, proteins play a starring role on Passover. These surefire kosher for Passover meat recipes will keep your family and guests well-fed this holiday.

Countdown to Passover Tip #15: Buy Passover Perishables

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

Stick to your meal plans when shopping for Passover perishables.

It seems like it was only yesterday when we last checked in with Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin for a tip on how to prepare for Passover. If you’ve got your meal plans together, it’s time to get the rest of your ingredients.

Tip #15: Shop for Kosher-for-Passover perishables using the meal plans and lists you created and store everything in your newly-cleaned refrigerator.

For my recipe, I’ve chosen a versatile vegetable side that’s easy to make and that goes with just about everything.

Recipe #15: Savory Eggplant

Please check back tomorrow for tip #16 and another recipe.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping