Post Purim Detox

Wow! Purim was fun! The Superfamily enjoyed seeing everyone and truly relished the day. Superman and Superbubbe flew all over the place with one another. Superbaby sucked on her fingers (a superpower SO top secret that even I, Supermommy, have no clue what it does). Clark Kent, aka Superdaddy, even had the afternoon off to spend with us! We were so excited to have the family time. But the best part about the whole thing: the Chatzos Challenge is starting to influence holidays outside of Shabbos! This year, costumes were ready (complete with custom bows for me and mini-me) and m'shaloch manos were mostly put together BEFORE Purim! That is a first in these parts! Even though being ready early help us all enjoy the day more, it did not help with the post-Purim detox.

Every year, I feel like I spend about a week getting back to baseline after Purim. All of the sugar, running around, sugar, dressing up, sugar, partying, and sugar throws me for a loop. When Purim is on a Sunday, like it was this year, I feel like the detox period extends past a week. Add in a nasty cold and the fact that we are leaving for Israel in about a week and a half, and, well, you can imagine how disoriented (um… hung over?) I am. This week, I am going to have to pare down my Shabbos prep to the bare essentials or else I will never make chatzos AND be ready to leave on our trip (laundry, hold the mail, clean out the fridge, clean the house, unplug appliances, pre-pay bills, pack… I could keep going). I am getting panicky just thinking about it. Maybe that is just the sugar wearing off.

Okay, let's regroup. Queen Lieberfolk, the very cute downstairs neighbor, has invited us to her for Shabbos lunch. Phew. That is one down. And I still have a few things in the freezer that I can put together for dinner. I will throw in some salads and we will be set. Repeat after me, folks, "It is going to be okay. We are going to make chatzos this week."

Whether we will make it to the plane with everything done? That is another story…

The "we really need to get you a freezer" menu

My wonderful husband called me from the hospital tonight.

"Guess what?!" Cheerful husband?  On call?  What is wrong?

"What?" Apprehensive about the cheerfulness.

"Favorite Friend is in from Israel!  If I invite him for lunch, will that be too much for you?"

This is why I love my husband.  We really aren't having so many people for lunch.  And this person is a very special friend (that never comes to visit).  Even if it were a lot, I would insist on having him.  But DH will always make sure that it won't be too much.  Now you know why I am putting up with residency.  And it gets better:

"No worries.  Everything is basically made-- just needs to go in the oven straight from the freezer."  I detailed my plans for this Shabbos. 

"Wow.  We really need to get you a real freezer."  Sigh.  I feel understood!  I feel validated!  I feel like I am going to get a freezer!

And so we have the "we really need to get you a freezer" Shabbos menu.  This menu, if successful, will prove that a freezer will be a wise investment-- saving my sanity, making this experiment doable, solving the debt crisis, and achieving world peace. 

We will be having dinner at shul.  For lunch, we will be around 8 and 2 3-year olds.  The menu is pretty standard Shabbos fare, but I am not REALLY making anything.  To quote DS's wonderful teacher, "You are cheating."  Maybe.  But I will be so chilled out doing it, that I really won't care. 

Here it goes (and yeah, there is a lot of food.  I am sure some will be cut.):

• Challah-- DONE
•  Queen Lieberfolk (the best downstairs neighbor ever) is donating challah her mother in law made while here post-baby
• Gefilte Fish
• Hummus
• Guacamole-- DONE
• Egg Salad
• -----
• Cholent-- throw together before school on Friday. 
• Debating whether I should put a kishka in.
• I know I said I don't do cholent after January, but I need to make DD some more baby food and she LOVES the stuff.
• Deli Roll-- DONE-- Assembled and ready to bake straight from freezer
• Broccoli Kugel--DONE-- Prepped and ready to bake straight from freezer
• From Spice & Spirit-- Broccoli Kugel #2 with fried onions on top
• Lieberkugel--DONE
• Queen Lieberfolk's MIL was VERY busy cooking when she was here.  They have a lot of potato kugel to eat before Pesach.  Glad to help with the effort (especially because this is VERY SPECIAL potato kugel).
• Broccoli Salad
• Corn & avocado salad
• From Quick & Kosher-- the one with the ume vinegar

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Brownies with berries and whipped cream

We are going to have a great crowd this week.  I can't wait!

When good freezers go bad

Everyone is going to get sick of me discussing my freezer situation.  But it is BAD, people.  All it takes is one batch of challah, a partial KC Kosher Coop order, and a few extras and the freezer freaks out. 

Take last night, for example.  I made an extra batch of meatballs and assembled an extra deli roll in an attempt to be prepared for upcoming weeks.  I knew that it was going to be a tight fit, but with my new "make it flat and thin" strategy, I was pretty sure that I could fit everything.  My freezer did not agree.  In fact, my freezer was very upset that I would even THINK that I could fit so many things in it.  My freezer was SO upset that it vomited up everything that it could on to the kitchen floor. 

I was minding my own business and cleaning the kitchen when, all of the sudden, I heard the loudest crash, Bang, BOOM, CLANG!  I turned in time to see the last of the items I tried to make ahead of time crash unto the kitchen floor.  As if to taunt me, the freezer then spit out one last challah. 

"Look lady," it was saying, "I don't need all of your extra food!  I have enough space for a box of frozen pizza and maybe a tub of ice cream.  The next time you try something like this, I will make sure that you have more than frozen food in closed containers all over the floor!"

My freezer has serious attitude.  It needs to get over it, though.  My frozen double layer kugel looks great.  And it was pretty awesome being able to just pull something out and stick it in the oven.  Knowing that part of my meal was already cooked helped me get over the "I have too much to do, so I won't do anything" inertia that plagues me.  In my view, the more I can freeze, the better! 

Watch out, Mr. Freezer! 

Menu Menu Menu

I was singing that title to a nice tune suited to a conga line, but you couldn't tell.

As promised, a simple menu this week.  I had planned to have most of the cooking done at this point (I even bought everything that I needed).  Unfortunately, my freezer became full again before I was able to cook much.  Thanks to a mix up at the Nature's Own bakery, next week's batch will not be kosher (check out the HKA website).  I have some extra sandwich bread taking up the space reserved for my meatballs and deli roll.  I also made challah this week so there went all of the extra space.  The picture above is my freezer in its natural state (stuffed to the gills, barely able to stay shut).  Maybe the simple menu will allow me to get to bed at a decent hour tonight?

A Simple Shabbos

Challah-- DONE
Gefilte fish (both meals... it is hot in Houston again... no soup for awhile)
-----
Meatballs-- Quick & Kosher (dinner)/deli roll (lunch)
Quinoa (dinner)/quinoa salad (lunch)
Double Layer Kugel-- components DONE and frozen
Sweet Potato Mash w/ caramelized leeks and apples-- 2008-2009 Jewish Woman's Weekly Planner-- DONE and frozen, but need to caramelize apples and leeks
Broccoli Salad
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Strawberry Shortcake

Grocery deals and match-ups will be posted at by FB page shortly.

It is Tuesday already?!

Where did the beginning of the week go?  In my house, the first two days of the week were eaten by the scary monster that appears about twice a week: the CALL MONSTER!  [insert scary music]. 

The CALL MONSTER [scary music] is a peculiar fellow.  He takes otherwise family-oriented spouses and hides them away at his liar (the hospital).  The CALL MONSTER [scary music and screeching] then tortures the otherwise family oriented spouse.  He forces the otherwise family oriented spouse to stay at his liar for 30 hours.  He challenges the otherwise family oriented spouse with difficult social situation among the spouse's patients.  He even limits the spouse's time available to eat.  And just when the spouse thinks that [s]he can get a little rest, the CALL MONSTER [blood curdling cry] pages that 5 new patients are coming.  When the CALL MONSTER [gasp] finally releases the otherwise family oriented spouse, the spouse is basically the walking dead.  The spouse trudges back home, drinks a glass of chocolate milk and falls into bed (scrubs still on). 

Days when the CALL MONSTER [more scary music] visits our house are difficult.  The kids, DS in particular, miss their dad and I miss my husband.  I won't bore you with the heart wrenching things that a 3 year-old can come up with, suffice to say, he knows that Daddy is not home and he is not thrilled with it.  True to toddler form, his loneliness for his father manifests in temper tantrums and other acting out.  Sundays are particularly difficult because (1) there is no school to distract him and (2) because Sunday is "family day", all of his friends are with their families and not available for playdates.  Needless to say, I have my hands full on those days. 

The day after CALL MONSTER can be just as challenging.  When DH gets home (right when school gets out), he needs rest.  Of course, DS wants to play with Daddy.  More tantrums.  More acting out.  And all of this while I am trying to keep the house quiet so that DH will be able to enjoy time with DS when he wakes up.  This week, the day after CALL MONSTER was ALSO a school holiday.  The fun kept coming. 

So, it is Tuesday.  DS is at school.  DH has clinic this afternoon (home at a normal time!).  And I am finally catching my breath.  But wait!  I need to think about Shabbos! 

I know that I need to bake challah this week (I used the last of my matza challah last week).  Given that and given that the CALL MONSTER is coming back to visit on Thursday, I think that simple is best this week.  I have a few ready to assemble, flat and frozen kugels.  I am going to try do freezer experiments today and tomorrow, as well (uncooked, but assembled deli roll and meatballs).  All of that, some gefilte fish and some salads, and I think we are good to go! 

I feel good!  I have a plan!  I have an hour before school is out!  CHALLAH TIME!

PS I am still looking for people that are making 5#s of challah (this week or another week) to help with a major mitzvah.  Please contact me in the comments and let me know if you are up to help.  You don't have to be in Houston.

Two Hours to Go and Some New Prespective

I have a little less than two hours to go until chatzos-- I am sure I am going to make it today.  There is really not so much left to do.  I even had time to make the kids' reading nook usable again!

But I was thinking (as I was going from room-to-room trying to reorder the house, feeling totally zonked because of my late night), am I missing the point?   Making Shabbos early is my gift to my family and a gift to myself-- When I get things done early, they get a calm, peaceful, nice Mommy erev Shabbos and I get to avoid the frantic-mad-dash-is-it-all-going-to-get-done-why-isn't-my-husband-home-yet?-I-am-going-to-collapse pre-Shabbos mood.  My question: does any of this REALLY happen when I just push everything to Thursday night?  Am I just making Thursday what Friday was? 

True, this week I started earlier (major help!) and I am really looking at freezing as a viable option for the future, but I was still up until almost 1.  Tired Mommy is not happy Mommy.

As if they read my mind, the ladies at the Chatzos Google Group started having the same conversation!  I can't wait to read what they have to say about moving the tension of erev Shabbos (rather than re-moving the tension of erev Shabbos)!

Off to finish up!

Gotta get a menu!

Earlier in the week, I wrote about attempting to make some things early and stuffing them into my tiny freezer.  I am happy to report that my tomatillo sauce (for the chicken cholent verde) is all made and frozen (flat and thin!).  On to the rest of my menu!

Two different meals this week.  We are having the sweetest lunch guests (newly returned from exile in Brooklyn), so I wanted to make them some TexMex.  I am taking advantage of a deal on peppers for dinner. I will try to get a Houston Grocer Sales post up at my Facebook page before tomorrow night.

And the menu is...

Dinner
Challah-- MADE
Carrot Soup (Hadassah Holiday Cookbook)-- SHOULD HAVE MADE
----
Stuffed Peppers (Quick & Koshers, but sub quinoa)
Garlic Slaw (California Kosher)
Green Beans with garlic
Roasted Potatoes Lieberkugel (Thank you, Queen Lieberfolk for donating from your freezer!)
----
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake

Lunch
Challah-- MADE
Mexifilte Fish
Salsa-- (thank you, Kosher on a Budget, for posting a homemade salsa recipe RIGHT before TexMex Shabbos!)-- MADE
Guac
----
Chicken Cholent Verde-- Sauce-- MADE
Corn Salad
Garlic Slaw (California Kosher)
Mexiquinoa Salad-- Just going to wing it on this one.  Will report back
Best Black Beans
Corn Tortillas
----
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake (I don't know how to make empanadas)


What are you eating for Shabbos?

To Freeze or Not to Freeze



It is fun to live in an apartment: we don't have to pay property taxes; when things break, we call maintenance and the guy comes to fix it; the complex even pays our electric!  Even with all of those perks, I wish I lived in a bigger place.  A place with room for the most coveted of appliances (next to the washer and dryer-- I have solved that problem)-- the FULL SIZED FREEZER!  Our itty bitty apartment sized freezer is really putting a damper on my efforts to have Shabbos ready by mid-day on Friday!  

The ladies over at the Chatzos Google Group are forever talking about cooking early in the week "l'cvod shabbos kodesh" and freezing.  Come Friday, they just pull everything out.  That means when I am trying my hardest to get a start on the cooking on Thursday night after the kiddos are in bed, they are setting their tables.  When I am dragging my bleary-eyed self to the oven to pull out the chicken at 2 am, they are sound asleep.  And when I am setting my kitchen on fire on Friday morning because I am too tired to notice that I turned on the wrong burner, they are doing their nails (or saying tehillim or taking a bubble bath or something). 

I have decided that I am not going to let my tiny, over stuffed (the picture above is on a good day-- I am almost out of challah and I used most of my stash of broccoli, so I have room!) freezer get in the way of my efforts to get my cooking done early!  No!  I will experiment with new ways to freeze items!  I will beg, borrow, steal, and lease freezer space from my neighbors at the Onion Gemach (more on this in a later post, but these are the neighbors in my building... who all have found closet space for a real freezer... I envy them)!  I will make it work!

Last week, my menu had two different kugels.  My plan was to freeze a smaller version of each and store it away in the freezer.  I have found that if I make the kugels small enough and slam the door hard enough, everything will stay in (until I open the door again). True to form, I forgot to buy the smaller aluminum pans for the freezables.  Of course, I didn't discover the oversight until the everything was ready to go into a pan.  That is fine!  When life gives you lemons, you find a way to freeze them!
  

Experiment 1: Freeze uncooked dishes (or components) in freezer bags. 

I was staring at my freezer trying to decide if I really had space to freeze a big pan of kugel something caught my eye-- all of my packets of mommy milk, frozen flat and then lined up standing on end to fit more.  If I could do that with 4 ounce bags of milk, I could do that with kugel fixins'!  I cleared out some of the million gefilte fish loaves (more on why so many later) to get a flat surface and froze my ready to cook kugel (ideally flat and thin).  I then stood the flat, thin bags upright. See them there on the right hand side of the freezer (they are a little wavy with this first attempt)?  POOF!  I have room for ALL SORTS of things if I can freeze like that!  All I have to do to make the kugel is defrost the bag and put it in a pan!  I can do that on Thursday night, no problem!  The question: will this taste (as) good?

We shall see this week!  I plan on making  my famous chicken cholent verde (the rest of my menu will be up later this week) for Shabbos lunch.  Tomorrow, I will make the tomatillo sauce for the cholent and freeze it flat.  That will be one thing nearly ready to go! 

What are your freezer strategies?  What have you found that freezes well?