Among Friends

[hgsuddle]

I am Jewish and I keep kosher here in Cincinnati.  Growing up in Philadelphia, I didn't keep kosher.  It isn't hard to do in the house with the two separate sets of dishes, but I do not have separate utensils or cookware.  So I have my own way of keeping kosher.  In actuality, the price of kosher meat is getting crazy, I could be done.  I would prefer to just keep kosher-style in the home and not buy kosher meat.  

Now onto Passover:  It is the only holiday I dislike with a passion.  I dislike changing dishes, having to prepare every meal from scratch, the fact that my kids and husband are picky eaters.  And up to this year (we are conservative) no rice or peanut butter which are staples in my kids' diets.  For some reason, the Union for Conservative Judaism has OKd kitniot now  so my husband won't eat it but my kids will.  OY - I hate it.   My kids rarely eat vegetables or fruit (regardless of my attempts for the last 17 years) and that makes it even a harder holiday.  I try not to purchase too many ready-made Passover items because I hate being gauged - they are crazy expensive.  I also hate it when I have visitors for the holiday and have to feed them too (not from an expense standpoint, - just another picky eater standpoint).  I dread this holiday every year.  Once the kids are out of the house this holiday will fall completely to my husband to do.  If he wants to keep it to the extent he does it will be on him.  I feel that forcing us to keep it that way only makes the rest of us dislike it even more.  

Am I alone out there or do others feel the same?  Sorry I vented - I know this thread was meant to be a positive one  For all who enjoy this holiday please keep on.

[Poodlepet2]

@hgsuddle, II feel your pain 100%. I have always been carb intolerant and for years, Passover would leave me feeling very ill.

When we were initially married, we couldn't afford the K for P grocery stores-and DH was in "grad school" at Yeshiva University!

I can count the number of times I've had kosher beef on one hand and 3 fingers.  It was never inexpensive-ever. One of the most memorable dinners I ever had was where our son was born: Einstein in The Bronx.  Mom and Dad were treated to a Glatt Kosher steak dinner-courtesy of Einstein. ( for non-Jews, I will be happy to explain that later: Please get active in our discussions!)

We can't even get Kosher beef here.  We can get Empire Turkey.  I used to see Kosher chicken and capon

sold just about everywhere in NY and NJ, but not here.

Now, diabetes has forced me to rethink everything: paleo recipes have a lot to offer because no wheat is involved.  By all means, please visit the Recipe Forum begun by Shanus. She has a topic dedicated to Preach.

Further complicating issues are DH can't have beef because of gout....there are solutions however!

We are Reform, but DH grew up in a kosher home that gradually relaxed.....into eating pork!  But during Preach, it was strongly  "kosher STYLE" ( meaning no appliances were kashered).

Now that so many members of his family are deceased, it's more important to him than ever to remember. These days, our kids have strong feelings about it- with no mention of politics whatsoever because it could result in this thread being closed for comment- but I think you know what I'm talking about. 

I love the holiday and what it stands for, and it is really taking on some deeper meanings because of loss....and what's happening in the world.

I and my son are the veggie mavens-and a hefty amount of my diet is built around them.....not so with DH and DD however. They will survive! 

 I am mixing tradition with new ideas and recipes that I have been "nudged" into because of health, but that's not the worst thing either! At least I know there is no danger of me gaining weight during Pesach!

Welcome, welcome, and welcome.....please contribute!

Poodlepet2

[MacDUFF]

@Poodlepet2

@Shanus

@hgsuddle

Just catching up...I in no way took offense to learning that some believe mozzerella to be non-kosher.  The woman who gave me the spinach/mozzerella recipe eats kosher...she probably would have checked with Chabad's website to make sure it was kosher...they say it's kosher...I recognize there are so many different interpretations that it's crazy (IMO)!  She (and I) would make very sure the "kosher for Passover" label was on the wrapper.

I had never heard of the whole rennet-set hard cheese debate, so I did check with kashrut and this interesting article came up:

http://www.kashrut.com/articles/cheese/

It seemed to me that it depended on whether or not the mozzerella was processed by Jews or non-Jews and on the equipment used.  But, I understand why some would say it was not kosher.  It was an interesting article.

As for me and my house, we try to be as Torah observant as possible, not Rabbi observant (all the different interpretations make me crazy LOL)...we take the Torah commandment literally (do not boil a kid [goat] in it's mother's milk)...so we don't!  

Passover is a joyous occasion to remember what G-d has done for us...rescued us from slavery.  We are free and the angel of death has passed over us!!  How cool is that!?

[Poodlepet2]

@MacDUFF, you absolutely hit one nail on the head: not all Synods agree with each other.

We have all seen the Hebrew National Commercials about "answering to a Higher Authority", but for a certain contingent, they are not considered kosher at all!

As for me? Pass me the plate with the Hebrew National hot dogs please! And while we're at it, it's going to be in my fridge during Pesach! The first day??? It's going to be lunch on a matzoh with corse ground mustard! (Unless my glucose is running high: it will then be used in salad!)

BTW MacDuff, I plan on making a dairy meal with your recipe one night! Great idea!!!!

I will have to visit the Chabad site: I haven't been there in a long time.

It made me think of the mock crab cake and mock oyster dip I have seen in kosher cookbooks. I'm sure those recipes were developed by those who didn't keep kosher, but changed later or "became religious" as the saying went in NY!

It's great talking with you!

L'Chain! Oh, and here is a nice glass of hagafen: would you care for white or red?

Poodlepet2

[Shanus]

Warning: Matzo can be hazardous to your digestive system, at least mine. If you too much, be sure to follow w/ lots of water, Miralax, etc. Catch my drift? My kids had this problem when young living at home. Disastrous!!! Had to ration their amounts eaten. Lol. 😂😂😂😂😂

[Poodlepet2]

@Shanus, ffollowing your line of thought on that aspect, matzoh is not called "The bread of our Affliction" for nothing!

I will have to patrol the amount I eat, but psyllium husks, figs and prunes are my friends!

Poodlepet2

[Moonchilde]

Hi, peeps! Some of you know me, I expect.

Born and raised in LA, most of my schoolmates and my stepdad's workmates were Jewish, but they were mostly all Reform so I never knew much about keeping kosher until I read more as an adult. But Jewish food I had - homemade and from many delis. Before I moved from LA, my very favorite, closest deli & bakery closed and I was devastated. Fresh Challah rolls & sweet butter. Cabbage rolls. Blintzes. French dip with brisket. So many things I miss now, living in the sticks ;-(

Thinking about how the Orthodox community dresses, and something occurred to me - if non-Jews want an idea of some typical daily women's dress, look at what Mayim Bialik wears on Big Bang Theory. Her character is supposed to be a rather repressed, scientific nerd, and Mayim herself is an academic - she is Dr. Bialik with a doctoral degree in Neuroscience from UCLA, with a minor in Hebrew and Jewish Studies. Mayim is also a practicing Orthodox Jew, though born into a Reform family. It struck me a year or so ago that her clothing on the show was able to work very well with her Orthodox observance - pretty cool! I also lived in an area very near several Orthodox congregations and would see similar clothing while driving on Saturdays when families would walk to services.

Enjoying the thread :-)

[Poodlepet2]

@ Moonchilde, eeven though I just had dinner, I could eat again....there is nothing like fresh challah and sweet butter.

Just saying, if you don't use fruit fillings, blisters are probably lo-carb.  I used to see plain Tabatchnik blisters awhile ago in the freezer section, but they are so easy to make, I never bought them.  Around this time of year, ready made scrapes appear, and it would be easy to make the filling.

I am being mindful of the thread, but I always liked Mayim.  I have met quite a few people like her....

Oh, speaking of memories, at Preach, every body sets a place for who they hope will come-Elijah.

One holiday, it was particularly windy and we were at the point of the Haggadah where we talk about what we hope for in the future when the door flew open!  DD's eyes got as big as saucers-and she was worried that Elijah might try to sneak in while we were sleeping! Throughout the night she kept waking us up telling us she thought Elijah was trying to get in.....out of the mouth of babes....

Poodlepet2

[Poodlepet2]

I am shopping for a new tablet: I love my Kindle-it goes everywhere, but it's dying! I bought a couple in December: (it was buy one get one)- I should have known it was too good...the quality is dirt and it looks as if the A is no longer making them, but the stupid spell checker keeps re-arranging  words and intersecting dumb alternatives.

Words I wanted to say: blintz and blintzes-sometimes called blini.

"Crepes"- not scrapes.

Pesach-not Preach....

I'm off to electronics to start reading!

Poodlepet2

[Shanus]

@Poodlepet2. Hi. Good Morning. Up at 6AM to go to get blood work for next week's physical...A1C# out of my hands now.

So Challah & sweet butter. Where/what brand sweet butter? Can't find it here. 

Re Blintzas: On a lazy, rainy day, I make a stack of the "crepes"....20-30. They freeze beautifully w/ wax paper between each one. Orange juice is less carbs than fruit filling & need to use much less to do crepe Suzette, in warm skillet, heated juice and crepes folded in fourths. Not exactly blintzas, but just as yummy.