Basically Done!

Table set. House vacuumed. Kitchen getting there. Glue gun STILL being held hostage, but this is probably for the best. We are almost there!

All I really need to get done is clear up the breakfast mess in the kitchen and mop. About 30 minutes worth of work, at most. All in all, I would say that my back-to-basics approach worked fairly well this week. Granted, I didn't keep my schedule AT ALL, but I feel a little bit more on top of things. Like I am getting my balance back. This experiment really does require planning. Without deliberate action every day toward the goal of having things done earlier, it won't happen. I have a lot more to say on this, but I have some time before I need to pick up DS from school. A little present to myself: rest a bit and then finish up!

A Basic Accomplishment

I can't believe it! It is 11:10 and I am done cooking. My goal was to have all of my cooking finished by 10 pm. I was done at 10:25, but only bec-Aause I had to chuck my romaine (again) due to an infestation. Lucky for me, I had all of the makings for a chickpea salad waiting in the wings.

So what is left on my list for tomorrow?

• Set the table
• Kitchen Floor (it is NA-A-A-STY)
• Vacuum
• General tidying around the house
• Find a way to ransom my glue gun (it is being held hostage)

That, my friends, is a very doable day. Chatzos, here we come!

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…

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s SUPER SHABBOS MENU!

I bet you didn't know this, but DS is SUPERMAN. I may have broken some top secret superhero code by publishing that information, so please! Don't tell anyone!
Being that Shabbos is Superson's third birthday on the Jewish calendar and Purim is his third birthday on the English calendar, we thought that is would be nice if SUPERMAN was able to reveal his true identity on Purim. No need to be Clark Kent! Everyone will be dressed up and no one will know that he REALLY IS Superman. The rest of us will be Super, as well. Superbaby, Supermommy [not implying I am anywhere near it], and Super… oh wait… Daddy is going to be Clark Kent… all plan to make an appearance! Teddy, Superson's sidekick/bear/baby/best friend, is getting in on the action, too. He will be dressed as Jimmy Olsen.
I really don't know what is so SUPER about my Shabbos menu. It is mostly a repeat of last week—it is pretty easy to prepare and I am looking for redemption from my failure last week. There will be SUPERMAN cake—and that is SUPER!
Without further ado—*cue theme music* What is that over on my blog? Faster than a kugel is eaten on Friday afternoon! Able to finish cooking with hours to spare! It's a challah! It's a gefilte fish! IT'S SUPERSHABBOS MENU! Do-do-do-da-dooooooo-do-da-do. Do-do-da-do-do, do-da-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
PS We are eating out for lunch. For dinner, we will be joined by Bubbe—all the way in from Denver! and some friends.

• Challah—DONE
• Hummus—EARLY TOMORROW— will make enough for SUPER M'SHALOCH MANOS (get it… a super food…)
• Tri Colored Gefilte Fish—Kosher Delicious
  ----
• Hot Dogs—Bet you didn't know that Hot Dogs are Superman's favorite food!
• Onion Chicken—Quick & Kosher
• Sweet Corn Pudding—I cut this recipe out from a coupon booklet in Dec… looks YUM. If it tastes good, I will post it.
• Green beans w/ garlic
• Caesar Salad—Quick & Kosher-- the jury is out if I am brave enough to try romaine again (after last week's infestation).
  ----
• Supercake

So, clearly, I am already behind where I was this time last week. That means nothing, though. This week, I will do it!
Some of you are thinking, "Yeah, but what about your Purim seudah?" Well, we go to a massive party at the shul for the seudah every year. So what do I still have to do for the chag? Two capes, cards for my m'shaloch manos (tonight), and put them together (will have to do last minute because food is perishable). We are ALMOST ready!

Learning from losing

For the first time since I started my little experiment, I did not have Shabbos ready by chatzos on Friday.  In fact, I barely had Shabbos ready by candle lighting.  Now, I have had bad erev Shabbos experiences (think: stuck on a tarmac in BEAUMONT, Texas because there are storms around Houston and the plane couldn’t land… with only 3 hours until Shabbos, a 40 minute drive to make once I got to Houston, and some food to prepare once I got past the drive).  I can’t say that last week was like THAT.  It was pretty hair-raising, though. 

I won’t go into all of the gory details (kvetchy baby, messy kitchen, buggy romaine, oh my!), suffice to say, the stars were not aligned in my house and much that could have gone wrong, went wrong.  It was really a shame--things started out so good last week!  I had a few things done early.  I wasn’t planning a large crowd for either meal.  I was really making only one meal (and not a lot of fancy food, either).  I should have easily had Shabbos done by chatzos on Friday. 

SO WHAT HAPPENED??  How did I derail when I was doing so well?  How can I keep myself from making the same mistakes again? 

After some reflection, here is some wisdom that I garnered from my first chatzos defeat:  

ü  A journey of one thousand miles begins when you TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER, already!  A major part of my downfall was my failure to turn away from my computer on Thursday night.  I did not have that much to do!  I needed to just stand up and DO IT.  It is Facebook’s fault.  

ü  If not now, when?  I am still not clear what I was thinking, but I went to bed on Thursday night before I cleaned my kitchen from my cooking sprint.  I have never done that before.  Not even on a regular week night.  I woke up on Friday (late, mind you) and my kitchen was in no shape to make breakfast, let alone get ready for Shabbos.  Getting that room back in shape took a good hour while DS was at school.

ü  If not me, who?  B”H, I have a husband that likes to help get ready for Shabbos.  He sees bathing the kids as relaxing time.  He enjoys setting timers and the hot water urn ready.  But if he has worked a 30 hour shift, he is probably not the best person to rely on to get major things done on Friday. 

ü  Do not do today what can be saved for tomorrow night.  In other words, only do those things that MUST be done before candle lighting.  Everything else can wait until motzei Shabbos.  For example, folding the shmattas that are in the dryer (and have been there for at least a day) is probably NOT an efficient use of time when there are still salads to make, floors to clean, kids to bathe, dishwashers to empty and reload, ect.  Not that I would ever waste my time on Friday afternoon doing something so silly.    

I am going to take my new wisdom and make it happen.  I mean, I have a whole extra hour this week, right?  In the words of Bob the Builder, “Can we make chatzos?”   YES, WE CAN!

Sorry.  Sick kid means lots of Bob. 

First course is done!

I feel good about my start this week!  I am done with everything for my first course, plus I made some of Kosher on a Budget's amazing homemade salsa (that we just can't stop eating) and a massive amount of apple sauce (handmashed for dessert and pureed for the baby).  Not a bad start.  I think this week is going to be a breeze.

The real challenge is going to be keeping myself from inhaling all of the apple sauce before Shabbos.

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

-----
Brownies with berries and whipped cream

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

Working towards Shabbos, outside of the kitchen

It looks like this is going to be a simple Shabbos week.  Thanks to Shabbat Across America (that was more singing), we will be having dinner at the shul (it sounds like we may be hosting a table, as well... so if you sign up, ask to join our table).  We are having guests for lunch, but my modest experiments in all things freezer have left me with a big jump start on that meal.  I am left thinking: is there Shabbos prep outside of the kitchen?

Now, in my perfect world (the one where my son still naps and residency is a 9-5 job), I would have my floors scrubbed, bed linens changed, carpets vacuumed, laundry done, bathrooms spotless, and furniture dusted l'cvod shabbos.  Chatzos or not, that is just not happening in my house.  On a good week, one or two of those things will happen on Friday morning.  On a REALLY good week (like last week, thank you, DH!), we have the cleaning lady come and the house is AMAZING.  I am making so much progress toward having the essentials (um...hello!  food!) done early-- what can I do to make some progress on the state of my house?

In the past, I have made a cleaning schedule.  I can't take credit for the schedule, it is really a relic from my amazing-oh-how-do-I-miss-her-at-least-for-keeping-my-house-in-order nanny (she was amazing with DS, too, of course.  I don't miss her for that part of her job, though).  On Monday, she would do the laundry.  The floors on Tuesday.  Wednesday was the bathrooms and the linens on Thursday.  When I "retired" after DD was born (only 6 months ago, so I am still adjusting), I tried to keep up her schedule.  It worked.  Kind of.  Things slip.  Some weeks (when DH is on call a lot), nothing gets done.  Other weeks, I do just the laundry and the bathrooms.  The floors NEVER happen.  All of that was before my chatzos challenge.  Now, I can call the cleaning "a step toward shabbos"-- maybe that will help me get it done.

Today, I did the laundry (including shabbos clothes)-- l'cvod Shabbos, and confirmed my guests.  That was a big step!  Maybe tomorrow the bathrooms? 

Do I need to start thinking about Purim, too?

I committed myself to trying to get Shabbos ready before mid-day on Friday.  It has been tough (especially since I insist on staying up on Thursday night to get the main cooking done), but I have been making it happen.  With Shabbos Mevarchim Adar II a mere 5 days away, I am wondering: do I have to have Purim ready early, too?! 

I imagine that the answer is yes.   I need to get on that... Oh!  And start thinking about Shabbos this week, too.

What are you doing for Purim?  Help me with some ideas!

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! 

The Zen of Starting Early

Right before chatzos last week, I wrote that maybe I was missing the point.  By making Shabbos early, my goal is to be calm, relaxed, and well rested on Friday.  I want to be the best mother and wife possible on erev Shabbos-- I want my family to look forward to Friday as much as they look forward to Shabbos, itself.  My question last week: was I missing the point by doing all of my kitchen prep late on Thursday night? 

I think, yes.  After reading a number of thoughts from the ladies at the Chatzos Google Group, I realize that chatzos doesn't happen in one night.  These ladies do something everyday, l'cvod shabbos.  That means that as soon as motzei Shabbos, they are thinking about next week (DH wanted to try that this week!).  Every day is a day towards Shabbos.  In this way, they start to bring the spirit of Shabbos into each day of their week.  Each day has the special quality of being "almost Shabbos!"  And that is the point.

Today, I made challah with my son.  The whole house smelled amazing-- just like Shabbos.  While we were braiding the loaves, he asked me, "Mommy, is tonight Shabbos?" 

"Almost,"  I told him, "Tonight is Tuesday."

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!

About 10 and a half hours to go

We are all cooked!  I even pre-chopped veggies for salad!  It is a chatzos miracle (considering how much I was playing online tonight)!  I made a few adjustments to my original menu: notably, I made cupcakes instead of brownies (just in case we need a post-chatzos activity).   

On the agenda for tomorrow is some general tidying, cleaning the hallway bathroom, set the table, and floors.  I think I can handle that... if I stay OFF of the computer!

Chatzos on the Cheap: Why it pays to price match

Last night, I posted Houston grocer deals.  "Those prices all look great," you may be saying, "But I REFUSE to go to 7 stores to get my shopping done!"  I agree.  There is NO way that I will have anything done before chatzos if I go to more than one or two stores.  So, here is the problem: we are under a TIME crunch and a MONEY crunch.  What to do?

Surprise!  Wal-Mart price matches weekly advertised prices at their competitors.  Yes.  This includes the non-national stores with the insanely low prices.  Yes.  This includes prices on vegetables.  Yes. You can use coupons with the match-ups, but Wal-Mart will not match double or triple coupon deals from other stores.  It is an added bonus that Wal-Mart tends to have the lowest prices on non-sale/non-matched goods. 

How does this work? Just bring your weekly ads to the store.  When you are checking out, tell the cashier that you have price matches on some items.  I keep my price matches together at the end of the rest of my purchases-- and then I separate them with a divider bar.  Then I tell the cashier that everything on the other side of the bar has a price match.  I don't forget anything that way and the cashier doesn't get too annoyed with me.  

Example 1 (no double coupon): Kroger has Cheerios on sale for $2/box.  You have a $1/1 coupon for Cheerios. You have two options for this deal:

Price match at Wal-Mart: Wal Mart's price is $2.50/box.  Bring your Kroger ad to Wal Mart.  When you are checking out, tell the cashier that you have a price match on the Cheerios at $2/box.  At the end of the transaction, give the cashier your coupon.  Final cost for the box: $1.00.  A $1.50 savings over the Wal Mart price (typically the lowest in town).

Buy the deal at Kroger: Get the $2 deal at the source and give the cashier your coupon.  Kroger will NOT double the coupon (they double anything $.50 and under). Final cost for the box: $1.00.  And you may have to make other stops because Kroger IS NOT the cheapest in town on MOST goods.

Example 2 (double coupon): Kroger has Cheerios on sale for $2/box.  You have a $.50/1 coupon for Cheerios. You have two options for this deal:

Price match at Wal-Mart: Wal Mart's price is $2.50/box.  Bring your Kroger ad to Wal Mart.  When you are checking out, tell the cashier that you have a price match on the Cheerios at $2/box.  At the end of the transaction, give the cashier your coupon.  Final cost for the box: $1.50.  A dollar savings over the Wal Mart price.

Buy the deal at Kroger: Get the $2 deal at the source and give the cashier your coupon.  Kroger will double the coupon (they double anything $.50 and under).  Final cost for the box: $1.00.  In this case, I would make a special trip to Kroger.  

But what does this have to do with my shabbos prep this week?  I got all of the (non meat) shopping done (with some stockpiling items, as well) this morning at Wal-Mart for $20.63 in about 25 minutes.  Frugal with my money!  Frugal with my time!  The breakdown on the price matches:

 

	Wal Mart Price	Competitor Price	Savings
2.03 lb of Yellow Squash	1.42/lb * 2.03=2.88	0.77/lb*2.03=1.56	$1.32
1 Cucumber	.74/1*1=.74	.33/1*1=.33	$0.41
1.27 lb Sweet Potatoes	.74/lb*1.27=.94	.50/lb*1.27=.64	$0.30
8 Duncan Hines	1.16/1*8=9.28	0.77/1*8=6.16	$3.12
1.67 lb Tomato	1.18/lb*1.67=1.97	.66/lb*1.67=1	$0.97
2.67 lb Onion	.78/lb*2.67=2.08	0.33/lb*2.67=.88	$1.20
1 Green Bell	.64/1*1=.64	.33/1*1=.33	$0.31
		TOTAL SAVINGS	$7.63

 

Not a small savings!  And I didn't have to run all around town to get the best price.  We are one step closer to making chatzos!

 

Off to the kitchen to get started!

 

 

Menu time!

I set myself up for failure yesterday by putting too much on my plate.  Nothing got done.  Today, I set more realistic expectations for myself: get the menu and the shopping list done.  Mission accomplished (and I got a head start on preparing the kitchen for my massive cooking push tomorrow)!

We will be having a quiet Shabbos this week-- just our family for both meals.  While I love having guests, it is so nice to have the family time (especially when DH is on tough months at the hospital).  I know it is comforting to him to have a refuge of a quiet Shabbos when he is so busy and it is comforting to us to have the alone time with him.

So, in the spirit of comforting family time, we are doing a Comfort Food themed Shabbos.  YUM!

TIP: Even if I am having guests, I only cook one meal for Shabbos (with more or less dishes, depending on who is at the table).  Sometimes I will add a deli roll for lunch (if we have guests).  Sometimes I do make cholent (and then I add a protien for dinner).  But, all in all, I serve the same dishes at lunch as I do at dinner.  I can hear you all now, "WHAT?!?  THE SAME MEAL?!? GASP!!"  Maybe it isn't the fanciest, over-the-top, amazing, wow thing to do, but it is efficient (financially and otherwise).  Plus, while everyone else is busy making ANOTHER meal on Friday afternoon, I hope to be reading Dr. Suess.

COMFORT FOOD SHABBOS

Challah
Matza Ball Soup (dinner)/Gefilte Fish (lunch)
-----
Onion Chicken (Quick & Kosher)
Double Layer Kugel: potato/carrot & zucchini
Broccoli Kugel (Spice & Spirit-- I make the second one, but I substitute a fried onion/corn flake mixture for the solo corn flake crumbs)
Caesar Salad (Quick & Kosher)
Roasted Zucchini & Squash
-----
Brownies

Non-cookbook recipes will be posted soon. 

Tip:  Make two of "freezeables" (ie kugel) for next week (or the week after... or the week after... the point is, it is already made!).  This seems obvious, right?  Not in our house.  Here, freezer space is at a premium [more on this in an upcoming post].  Until recently, freezing anything was a joke.  I have started making "just for us" sized portions for our freezer.  These smaller versions are great for quiet Shabboses, like this week, or for bringing as a part of a chesed meal.

Last week, I mentioned that I make my menu with the local ads in front of me (a great way to find deals on veggies, ect).  I was asked if I would mind posting my match-ups/some great deals I noticed on the blog.  While I can't post every sale in Houston, I have posted some amazing-don't-pass-me-up deals (like the $.77 zucchini and squash at Foodarama!) on my Facebook page (Like the FB page!).  Please add any great deals that you find! 

What are you eating for Shabbos?

Great Expectations

All of the Chatzos ladies over at the Google Group say that you have to start early to be ready for Shabbos by chatzos.  "Start your menu planning motzei Shabbos," they would say.  "Cook and freeze!" [side note-- post forthcoming about cooking and freezing].  "It is never too early to start!" 

Well, it is Tuesday night and I don't know if I am having guests, let alone what those guests will be eating.  The house is a disaster and there is the lingering smell of tonight's tuna patties in the air.  I know what the Chatzos ladies would say: "Start with something small!  Make a first step!  Make a kugel!  Shabbos is only 3 days from tonight!"  Not a lot of time anymore.

I DID expect to have some little thing done today.  Maybe a head count?  Or a general sense of a menu (in anticipation of tomorrow's ads to fill in the rest)? 

My inability to make any progress toward chatzos today got me wondering: do we have fair expectations of ourselves?  Was I realistic when my "to do" list today included finish the laundry, pay the bills, organize the hall closet, pull the too small clothes from the baby's drawers, have a play date for DS, make dinner, and learn with my chavruta before getting down to business on my Shabbos plans-- all on a day when DH is at the hospital for 30 hours?

I am plagued by the "expectation beast."  I would always like to see myself get done about twice as much as I realistically have time to do.  Often, my goals are so unrealistic that I know that I will not meet them, so I waste time doing other things ("I am not going to get ALL of that done.  What is 5 more minutes on Facebook?").  The solution, I think, is more realistic expectations.  I need to set goals that are easily attainable and then get more done than I planned.  My accomplishments will provide motivation to keep working and meeting and exceeding my goals for the next day.  The chatzos snowball, if you will. 

Tomorrow, I will attack the expectation beast and start with a small step-- the menu. 

Man Plans...

G-d laughs. 

I was prepared to write a fabulous post this evening about how I got all of my cooking complete during naps.  I was going to write how lovely it was to sit back and think about setting my table tonight.  But then life interrupted.

To give myself credit, I did get the sweet potatoes almost done (they are the most time intensive thing on my menu) while the toddle-bug was at school.  My plans post-pick up went something like this:

• School
• Store for meat (and some cheese for quesadillas for dinner.. and some whipped cream... the good kind! for a hot chocolate treat for said toddle-bug)
• Home
• Feed the little one, snack the toddle-bug
• Naps for everyone under 3
• Finish cooking for me (and if I had time, a blog post about how AMAZING I am)

Everything went according to plan until "Naps for everyone under 3."  I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say, I think that DS is weaning his afternoon nap (which is cool with me, but REALLY not cool with DD... who shares his room... and doesn't sleep when he is screaming about not wanting to nap).  No one slept.  DD didn't eat well (distracted by the incessant whining that comes with  no nap for her brother).  No cooking happened.   Every little thing turned into a battle with the almost three year-old.  To quote my husband, "You are never going to win a battle of wills with a toddler." 

And so, here I sit, 7:35 on Thursday.  Matza Challah was done last week, sweet potatoes are so close to being done, mushroom pate is in freezer-- just need to pull it out, nothing else started.  School closed because of snow tomorrow. I am going to be up awhile, but at least I have good whipped cream to drink in my coffee!  And I haven't set the kitchen on fire again (post coming soon)!  

Anyone want to bring me sushi to cheer me up??

Shabbos Menu!

DS decided that he wasn't going to nap today.  After he informed his sister of his choice (by screaming), he thought it would be a good idea to help his mommy with the shabbos menu.  We are one step closer to chatzos!

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, we were invited out for dinner.  If I can't do it this week, I am in trouble! 

AND THE MENU IS.... drum roll...

First Course

Challah
Mushroom Pate (2008-2009 Jewish Woman's Weekly Planner)
Salmon Salad

Second Course

Chicken Primavera (Kosher by Design-- Short on Time)
Quinoa Salad with Za-atar Dressing
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with caramelized leeks (2008-2009 Jewish Woman's Weekly Planner)
Avocado Corn Salad (Quick & Kosher)

Dessert

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake

A few notes:

1. No Cholent.  We aren't so much a cholent family (maybe because we live in Texas and it is RARELY cold enough to eat cholent?).  It might be cold enough for cholent this week, but we aren't having guests, so no cholent.  
2. Make chatzos AND stay on budget?  Yes.  It is possible.  One way I stay on budget (and still include all of the light, fresh, salads that my family loves) is to make my Shabbos menu with the grocery ads in front of me.  The random, non-local stores always have great produce specials.  This week, for example, zucchini and squash are on sale at Seller Bros for $ .88/lb... so I am making chicken primavera.  Rather than run around to 20 different stores to get cheap produce, I take my ads to Wal Mart.  They will price match-- as long as you have the ad.  Even veggies!  Even from the cheapy stores!  

I will try to post the non-cookbook recipes this evening.

Tomorrow is shopping and cooking day! 

If at first you don't succeed... eat matza

Okay, okay, I admit it.  This week was not my first attempt to get all of my Shabbos preparations done by mid-day on Friday.  I tried last week.  Let's just say, the results were not stellar.

All of the ladies on the Chatzos Google Group say that the best way to get this done is to start early and have a plan.  Made sense to me.  My plan last week: get the challah done on Tuesday, menu and list done on Wednesday, shopping Thursday morning, cooking during afternoon naps on Thursday, set the table after everyone is in bed Thursday night.  That meant that Friday would only have some tidying up around the house and baths.  Totally doable.

I started with challah because (1) it takes the most time and (2) it is my biggest procrastination problem

(the mess… the kneading… the baby crying JUST as I am elbow deep in dough… best to put it off until 3 am Friday morning, right?).  I dropped my almost two year old at school, got home, fed the baby, got her down for her nap, and headed straight to the kitchen.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200.  Do not open the computer to check Facebook "only for a minute!".

Everything was going just dandy.  Got the yeast proofing, sugar, oil, salt, water… all ready to go!  Cracked the eggs.  Oh no!  I was 2 eggs short.  Normally, this is not that big of a deal.  I would just go knock on the door of my downstairs neighbor and borrow two.  But she had a baby just three days before.  How nice would that be?  "Hi!  Welcome home!  Mazel tov!  Can I borrow two eggs?" I weighed waking my baby up to take her to get eggs v. being that neighbor.  And down I went to borrow the eggs.  Glad that her sister-in-law was there and I didn't wake anyone post-partum.

Once back upstairs, I looked at my yeast.  Looked a little not-so-bubbly.  But it was a little bubbly.  It should be fine, right?!?  I mean, my yeast had to work!  I am making extra efforts to be ready for Shabbos early!  Hashem will see that and make sure that everything goes so smoothly!  Nope.  Dough didn't rise.  At all.  Not even a little bit.  Yep.  The oven was on to make the kitchen warm.  The dough was on top of the oven.  Everything was exactly as I always do it (only it was the middle of the day on Tuesday, not the middle of the night on Thursday). 

I cried, wondered if I could make the 5 lbs of flat dough into matza, cried some more, ate some chocolate babka, and contemplated the meaning of it all.  Maybe I am not cut out for this whole chatzos thing?  Maybe this was Hashem's way of telling me to quit it?  I resolved that, no, this was a minor set back!  I could do this!  "Tomorrow," I told myself, "I will start again with the challah!" 

And then I set my kitchen on fire.