Sunday Night

it is 10:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  one of the grandkids is fast asleep and the boy is watching television.  the parents are out getting groceries for pesach.   the daughter-in-law had to work last night until 1:00 a.m. and had to clean the house after work today.  I kept the kids here.  I made two rounds of French fries.  I did all my cooking during the day and did some elements of the seder.  I made a pretty tasty charoset with apples, pears, almonds, walnuts and fresh ginger .  I don't use cinnamon on pesach.   last year I bought filberts and it was the worst charoset I ever made.  perhaps the nuts were rancid.

I made my moussaka and it came out pretty tasty.  the chop meat turned out to be hamburgers but I sautéed them into little pieces with fresh ginger.  I made a tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and onions and red wine.  I topped it with mashed potatoes and beaten eggs.  it looks good and cuts nicely into serving pieces.  I made my usual beef in sweet red wine and I made honey orange ginger chicken bottoms.  I was going to make a kugel but I ended up going with mashed potatoes.

I had some tomato sauce left over so I made poached eggs in the sauce.  we call it shakshuka here.  I had some French fries, as well.  I made poached pears in sweet red wine and ginger.  I even made banana pancakes.  tomorrow, I will make the fresh salads.  it was a pleasure being able to cook today.  it is the first time in my life that I finished pesach cleaning early.  I am usually scrambling to wash the floors at midnight.  I was able to do the traditional search for chometz at 8:00 p.m.  I wrapped 10 small pieces of pita into little baggies.  the pincher dog ate one of them so I had to let them out until we finished the search..

I stayed up to 4:00 a.m. watching season 7 of  'the good wife'.  I didn't think I would be able to function this morning but I was fine.  I washed down the kitchen counters with a rag and bleach and covered them with tin foil.  I had exactly enough to finish.  I did have to take a large piece off of the oven but I covered it with a disposable table cloth.  I took out my mini food processor, my hand mixer, and an electric juicer I found in the closet.  I let the kids shell almonds and walnuts this afternoon.  it kept them busy for a bit.  I also let them juice some lemons and made a pitcher of lemonade for tomorrow night.  my grandson and I just made some olive oil mayonnaise.  it is a bit strong so he suggested adding a bit of sugar and a pinch of chopped onion.  he was right on the money.  it isn't exactly thick like mayonnaise but it is like a dressing.

I made the chopped beets.  I boiled the eggs in tea because a I read online that it gives them the look of roasted eggs.  it turned the eggshells brown but the eggs were still white inside.  I want to make avocado and hard cooked eggs tomorrow.  I also want to slice up some kohlrabi.  I will make an Israeli salad too.  I peel all of my veggies on pesach.  so I had to peel the eggplant, beets, tomatoes, carrots and onions before I cooked.  it's a lot of prep work.

tomorrow, I will burn the leftover pita downstairs. I found a slice of bread in front of my house. I will throw it down the sewer drain.  it will take forever to burn it.  I roasted/burnt two chicken necks over the gas stove.  it took forever.  I  still need to make the salt water and to grind the horseradish.  the romaine lettuce is already washed and draining in a colander.  I need to set the table and take out the matzah.  I had a large ant infestation the last two days.  they are coming out of my electric outlet over my kitchen cabinet.  what a drag!  looks like the kids will stay here tonight.

happy pesach to everyone!