Pesach in review
The prep, cleaning and cooking involved with Pesach could finally be enjoyed when we sat down for the 1st Seder meal. The dishes were different, the flowers on the table were “springy” and our meal was accompanied by an elaborate narrative. Of course my uncle interjected with a couple of new jokes that he had picked up since our last holiday celebration, but what remained the same was that we all shared the readings, sang the songs and enjoyed a delicious meal in great company. One notable occurrence at my first seder was the energy that was radiating from my brother as he sang “Mah Nishtana” with his 10 month-old son in his arms. My brother is not an overly Jewish person, yet he has “Kosher Meat” permanently tattooed on his tuchus. I caught him wholeheartedly participating in the Seder, on his own accord to model for his son. I would never point it out to him for fear that my observance would interfere with his natural inclination to belt out the song traditionally sung by the youngest.  It made me proud to witness how important Judaism is to my brother.
This year, I also noticed how creative we got with our meals. Most of my friends don’t observe kashrut during Pesach so I, being the anomaly, took it upon myself to share some Pesach recipes and tips. For example, if you’re looking for that perfect edge when breaking a piece of matzah, paint the matzah with a paintbrush dipped in water on the same ridge on both sides and it’ll work every time! I’ve found a video that shows this, but strangely, it’s in Japanese. The visual is all you need….
I also tried the famous matzah crunch recipe with a layer of candied sugar and margarine, chocolate and nuts. What could be bad?! We also made a Matzah lasagna, corn dogs and plenty of matzah pizzas. Our creativity really helped the yeast-free week go by much faster. That being said, I can honestly say that I am counting down the hours until Pesach ends and we regain our freedom in the kitchen.