Passover Prep

Perhaps it is because my life is so hectic that this holiday creates a great deal of stress. No matter how much I intend to get a head-start on the cleaning, scrubbing, reshelving, prepping, etc. — it just doesn’t happen.

So I asked my friend Meira to share her helpful hints for our spring Festival.

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2-3 months before Passover:

Invite guests. Get feelings hurt b/c many people already have plans and don’t want to come.

Get feelings really hurt b/c parents refuse to come at same time as MIL.

Pout 😦 Guilt parents into visiting at end of Passover. “Threaten” a last-night seder. : )

Invite next bestest friends and super-lovely family. Cheer when they accept. 🙂

6-8 weeks before Passover:

Spend too much time during workday looking at oytoys and aish for ideas of games and ways to make the seder fun. Plan to buy sticker placemats and coloring books.

4-5 weeks before Passover

Think, “I should really start cleaning.”

Start looking through cookbooks and imagine self whipping up exotic Moroccan Passover feast including fabulous lamb entree.

Determine to figure out how to make kosher-for-Passover brownies and muffins that are also free of eggs for food-allergic toddler. Try to find kosher-for-Passover baking powder.

Cry a little. ; )

3 weeks before Passover:

Look at calendar and realize Passover is quickly approaching. Let mind reel at all the non-Pesach related commitments and chores to do. And Pesach-related chores and errands.

Panic, just a little.

Remind self to order sticker books and placemats for seder.

Continue to scour internet for what to feed multiple-food-allergic toddler during Passover. Wonder if G-d would forgive us not just our rice milk but also a box of organic cherry cereal bars, too.

Look for nutrition information for Manishevitz products. Wonder how they stuffed 28 grams of sugar into one serving of cereal.

Decide to practice making lamb entree prior to seder as have never cooked lamb before. Lament lack of time to cook on weekends with adorable toddler underfoot.

Cheer a little more when super-lovely family offers to bring matzoh ball soup to seder.

Start eating up chametz.

2-3 weeks before seder:

Wonder if can get sticker placemats and coloring books on rush order.

Remember toddler’s birthday occurs two days before seder. Resolve to bring (homemade-allergy-safe cupcakes to school for “party.”) Thank G-d she’s two and doesn’t quite understand birthday parties.

Realize there’s no chametz in our bathrooms and ask husband to hire cleaners just before MIL arrives to do not ritual Passover cleaning. Thank G-d we live in Texas and it’s affordable. 🙂

Revise seder menu to a handful of make-ahead salads and hard-boiled eggs, lovely-guest soup, baked salmon and chicken drumsticks (instead of lamb), roasted potatoes (instead of time-consuming matzah kugel), steamed or roasted veggies, and baked apples in the crockpot for dessert.

Breathe sigh of relief. Have 7 full days to be weighed down with matzah and potato starchy-goodness. No need to peak with heavy food too soon . . . .

Clean out pantry. Give unsafe-for-toddler food to colleague who can use it. (recently found out she has more allergies than previously known, so many formerly ellie-safe items really are not)

Use up more chametz.

1-2 weeks before seder:

Start cleaning out bags and pockets of bags.

Shop for K for P mixes and snacks before the stores run out.

Remember that forgot to get coloring books and sticker placemats online. Print coloring pages on computer. Pick up Passover books from library.

Make sure house is well stocked with lovely k for P wine. (Did I mention that my parents arrive two days after MIL leaves???)

1 week before sede:r

Make the make-ahead salads.

Prep other ingredients for seder as far ahead as is reasonable.

Day of Seder:

PANIC. 🙂

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So how are you with YOUR Pesach Prep???