Passover Thoughts and Preparations

rachelvk

It's Purim - that means Passover is coming up soon! I thought it would be nice to have a place to write about our plans, our thoughts - and the tzurris of getting everything ready!

I'll be one week after my final chemo treatment, so I am looking forward to it as my personal Exodus from this trying period in my life. I'm not sure what my family will be doing - I'm willing to serve as host at my apartment if my Mom and sister can help with cooking, etc. The second night I'll be with a family that has helped me tremendously through all this - the wife arranged for meals to be brought over for about 3 weeks after my surgery, and she's been very supportive. I discovered many special people throughout this ordeal, one of the little blessings that's come about out of this.

Eema

G-d bless our community!



I hate to say I will need help for Pesach this year. This hernia is killing me.



Pesach is my favorite chag. It is the one time a year I don't have to worry about my soy allergy!

karen1956

I've slowly started buying Pesach stuff....I'm on spring break the last week in March...I will do my Pesach cleaning then and start turning over my kitchen....My DD and SIL are coming in the TH before Pesach....I plan on doing most of the cooking for the 1st days on Th and F (erev Pesach)....we are out for the 1st sedar but home the 2nd and have company 2nd day lunch.....We got granite counter tops last year after Pesach so that will be easier than when we had to cover the counters...

Eema...hope you get some relief from the hernia...do you have a surgery date?

Rachel....so happy that you are at the end of the chemo....what an appropriate analogy.....

rachelvk

I can't get my mind around cleaning. I may take a low-key approach, and possibly just use paper/plastic plates and utensils rather than switching all my dishes. And I'm willing to have my parents come here, but I may order all the food rather than trying to do it here (even if my Mom helps). We will see... Having seen what my 5th tx was like, I have no illusions about what shape I'll be in Erev Pesach, so we'll have to deal with it.

karen1956

Rachel....I had my 2nd TAC on Pesach 6 years ago.....Don't remember cleaning, but I know it got done....maybe my kids, maybe DH...maybe I did some....or maybe we hired someone....too much of a blurr......I'm sure I did some of the work turning over the kitchen....my older daughter was home form college for Pesach....Pesach was 6 weeks after my bilat and 3 weeks post chemo #1, so I was still very much in the recovery mode...we had people bring meals for just about all of Pesach....and erev Pesach it was a long line of people bringing food for the 3 day Yom Tov....we were out the 1st sedar (and of course since it was erev chemo, I felt pretty decent) and home just the 5 of us the 2nd sedar....I parked myself on the living room sofa and made it to the table a couple times during the night to take a bite of food.....SO my advice to you....TAKE CARE OF  YOURSELF!!!  Do what you need to do for you.... If I was closer, I'd be happy to cook a meal or two for you.  Hugs to you

Leah_S

Well, so far for Pesach cleaning I've, um, well... Hmmm.

Yes, I guess I, well, I think I...

Sigh.

I'll get to it, I'll get to it.

Leah

karen1956

Leah....well said....I've thought about Pesach cleaning...does that count?

orangemat

I totally blew off Purim this year, just didn't have it in me to even respond to the synagogue's form to have them send mishloach manot baskets to our friends in the congregation as we do every year. All that required was checking off a bunch of names and writing a check. So forget it for preparing for Passover, ugh....

I've been quiet, and just caught up on the Jewish Warrior Sisters thread a couple weeks ago. I had my re-reconstruction surgery two weeks ago yesterday, and somehow I felt drawn back into this group, even though I feel I don't really have much to contribute. But know that I think about you all quite often!

JoanQuilts

Yeah!  A Pesach thread!  I was posting about Pesach yesterday on Facebook.  I was saying that since this is a "different" year for me, I want to do Pesach differently.  The second night we are invited to a full seder at a friend's home.  We are not very religious so I don't turn over my home or my dishes, but I  like to try to create wonderful holiday memories for my family so try to do some semblance of a seder.

But the problem is - no one but me seems to care.  My older son will be away at college and my 12 year old and husband don't care if we do a seder or not.  I will be only 3 days post chemo #4 at that point so I am going to take it easy and do - pizza and wine!  That is, matzoh pizza and Manischewitz.  My sister-in-law is coming, maybe I'll throw a brisket in the oven, but I'm going to make it light and easy.  I wonder if that will be memorable in itself....

karen1956

Esther....can to see you stop by.....

Joan...yes it will be memorable!!!

I think our goal is to take care of ourselves....whatever that means for each of us.....

rachelvk

Joan - Matzah pizza sounds like a great idea! I hope you have a great seder.

Esther - Good to see you again. Hope you're recovering well from that surgery. 

exbrnxgrl

I am not the most observant Jew in the world(big understatement), but hosted the first sedar for many years. Happy to report I've been invited out for both sedars this year and am thrilled! My younger dd has Celiac's so we have to buy super expensive gluten free matzah. The onion flavor is actually pretty tasty, however I would prefer chocolate covered!

Caryn

rachelvk

Chocolate covered matzah! MMMMMMMM. Now maybe I am looking forward to Pesach!

Leah_S

Chocolate covered almost anything for me!

Leah

P.S. I said almost because I draw the line at chocolate covered ants.

karen1956

looking for new, easy recipes...of course I just bought a new cookbook, but  tried and true are best.....making the 2nd sedar....want to be minimalist in cooking this year....

orangemat

My first Passover coming around since DX and surgeries. I would prefer to just skip the holiday entirely, can't handle the thought (and stress) of shopping, cleaning, just organizing the entire one-week makeover of the kitchen. As it is, I've always had issues with doing it, such a chore... anyway, anyone else have feelings like this, wanting to just pass by Pesach??

rachelvk

Definitely. I'm thinking of buying pre-prepared food for the Seder, and keeping it really simple. I may even just use paper and plastic (hate to environmentally) and bring down only the pots and pans for cooking. Frozen dinners may be the norm, too, and lunch can be tuna and gefilte fish... Maybe I'll cook a matzah lasagna and that's dinner and leftovers. But I can't even figure out how I'm going to get this done - last chemo is Thursday...

Good luck to everyone in their prep. 

SAB

I know this might be harder for those who keep a strict kitchen, but have you considered opening up your seder as a pot luck?  My SIL took over Passover years ago when her children were young and she didn't want to travel here. She soon realized she had bitten off a big chunk (she was raised Buddist by a Jewish mom) and after a disasterous first year she allowed some of us to cook.  My aunt and I each bring a briskit.  My daughters make the matzo ball soup and charoset.  My cousin brings a cugel.  She makes a salad and veggies (maybe a couple roast chickens) and orders desert :-)  A bunch of us show up early in the day to set up tables and help with odds and ends.  Finally, and this is the great part, she hires a couple of helpers to clear and clean up.  Last year she hosted 28 people and it turned out amazing. 

Knowing that you will be so soon out of treatment I am willing to bet that your families would love the opportunity to support you in any way that they can. 

ronqt1

Hi ladies: I did not do anything the last two years, just did not have the strength. This year, my friends are having Sedar Friday night, so we will all bring something, and not at my house.

Since this cancer issue, I have not done much with holidays anymore, and my family understands.

Rachelveck: When I do entertain, it is always paper plates, maybe because I am 63, I do it my way. If no  one likes it, done come over. However, I still make my chicken soup, my husband loves it. Can't stop that.

So glad I found this site.

karen1956

My DD#1 keeps sending me Pesach recipes....3 new ones so far and re-sent several from last year....right now not in the mood to think about trying all sorts of new things...but then again, tired of the same old, same old....This year, I'm hoping to do more fresh....and keep it simple....started working on menus for the 1st days, but its just paper!!!!  Keep putting off the cleaning as well.....but plan to shop for Pesach this week as I'm on spring break...so that means, I have to clean the spare frig and find somewhere to put the dry goods!!!!

Rachel...will be thinking of you on Thursday.....Hugs

rachelvk

ronqt1 - Chicken soup is always great. My family has absolutely no problem with doing Pesach lite this year. Usually I'm the most 'rigid' about observance, and this year, I know my limits. There's another site called Jewish Warrior Sisters you might want to check out, too. It's been a little quiet there as we've been on this thread. Glad you found us here.

Karen - Thanks. I hope you find something new that will inspire you. Good luck with the cleaning. 

Caya

When I was in treatment (chemo/Herceptin) I did not do seders at my house.  In fact, when I was doing chemo, I only attended one seder as I did not want to risk infection with such a large group of people at close quarters.

I normally change my kitchen over, but for the 2 years of treatment and I think for 2 years afterwards, I did not do it, used paper plates, plastic cutlery, just changed the pots and pans.  I just did not have the strength.

SAB - my family has been doing the "pot luck" seder (we do it for Yom Tov in the fall too) for years now, since we can be up to 40 if everyone happens to come on the same night, from my side of the family  It makes life so much easier, it's enough to set up the tables, chairs, dishes etc. and do the clean up afterwards, although I always get a woman to come help that night doing dishes.  I have one cousin who is ultra glatt kosher, and what we do for her is buy things like matzo, kosher wine, kosher chicken soup, strictly kosher l'Pesach cakes etc., and then she takes care of the rest.

I already have my chicken soup in the freezer.  I will make the matzo balls fresh on the Friday.  I also have a terrific recipe for Pesadick choc. chip cookies that I will bake fresh that Friday.

rachelvk

I have a kashrut question. I don't have a Kosher home, but I do try to follow most of the rules for Pesach. So far, I haven't lost my taste for a long period of time, but I have found the big jug of protein powder a friend gave me to be a help when I really don't feel like eating much. According to the ingredients, it's mostly whey protein, cocoa and some soy (I'm er- so that's not a concern on that count). Obviously it's not kosher for Passover, but in a pinch... Any thoughts? It's not medicine, but I'm wondering what it's going to be like starting Pesach a week after my final chemo tx.

I figure my Pesadicha alternative is just to eat lots of gefilte fish and chopped chicken liver...

karen1956

Rachel....I can't tell you on a halachic perspective... a rabbi would have to tell you....but from a personal point, I would say, do what you have to do!!!  My second chemo was on Pesach and I was really struggling getting anything down....My kitchen was KLP but I did keep some emergency foods in my basement in the furnace room and would eat it there if necessary.....kind of a "don't ask, don't tell"....I was loosing weight during chemo and for 2 - 3 days post chemo went for IV hydration as even drinking water was hard for me...I was so nauseated the first few days post chemo.....If I"m not mistaking, soy is not chometz, but kitnios, so different category...But again, I"m no halachic authority.....Foods that I could eat during chemo were potatoes, fruit like apples and watermelon, strawberry smoothies, chicken.....but I couldn't eat anything spicey or anything that was strong smelling.....

I hope this last chemo will be easy on you and that you will be able to enjoy your sedars....hugs,

Caya

Rachel, I agree with Karen - do what you have to do!!  Your health is the most important thing... There were some days while on chemo all I could eat was saltine crackers, applesauce and maybe some pea soup. 

My home is "kosher style" - 2 sets of dishes, but not all my food is strictly kosher, and when I was in treatment, believe me, it was pretty well anything goes!!

Gayle56

orangemat    I could have Passover pass by this year.  Although I am hoping to feel ok by next week the thought of cleaning, shopping, and cooking just is not appealing this year.  My mom usually does most of the cooking but she has been very ill and is just getting a little back to herself so she wont be doing anything this year.  I guess I could make a brisket in my crock pot and throw some chicken in the oven but don't see much more than that.  Well, for us I think we will focus on just being together and celebrating being here to celebrate this year. 

Gayle

orangemat

I went into my food cabinet last week and threw out the remainder of last Passover's dry goods that were still on the bottom shelf, by themselves. Three unopened boxes of matza, some cake mixes, a pancake mix package. There are unopened boxes of tea and spices that I left there, thinking they should still be good. Oh, and three boxes of Passover couscous mix. Ridiculous. So much unnecessary food, bought only because we THINK we will want to eat it, but never do. I have no patience for the irrelevence of it. Forget about changing over the dishes and all (and yes, I have two sets of dishes, so that's four sets that get switched out in total).

There's still more than a week left to shop. I'll start tomorrow. Maybe. Meh. 

ronqt1

Ladies, I believe in DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU. I really am not an observant Jew, just traditional. Due to my medications now taking, I don't even fast on Yom Kippur anymore. We are a non-kosher family, no cleaning of the kitchen, etc.

If it is too much on any of you to do anything don't feel guilty. If a recipe calls for a non-Pessach ingredient, G-d will forgive you, you have been through enough. Just enjoy your family and the tradition of the holiday. Again, MY SISTERS, NO GUILTS. Please.....

Love to all,

karen1956

Have most of my Pesach shopping down except for a couple things and for fresh produce that I will get next week.....Now thinking about getting a crock pot and immersion blender....don't want to spend a lot of money as they'll only get used a couple times/year....No matter how hard I try to keep the spending down, every year its more expensive!!!!  Its insane what they charge for KLP items....

Thought I would clean my ovens tomorrow, but don't want to turn my kitchen over so soon...so Sunday it will be kitchen cleaning day.....will turn the ovens over and take everything out of the cabinets that I use on Pesach (the others I just close up and put ribbons on to remind us not to use).....things that we need will just stay on the counters...then next Thursday it will all get turned over for Pesach except for the kitchen table....I figure two days of cooking will be enough for the first days......Now I need to check recipes......my SIL can't eat many veggies due to health concerns like spinach, broccoli, eggplant, so I need to rethink some recipes...He's a great guy, easy going and con't tell me he can't eat something, but my DD gave me the list....and I won't cook anything he's not supposed to eat.....cuz he loves them and will eat them anyways.....

Now the hard part is not buying chometz that I won't use up before Pesach...and finishing up food in the freezer....

Rachel....good luck tomorrow!!

karen1956

Time to clean the ovens!!

Rachel....hope the last chemo was kind to you...you' ve been in my thoughts...

Wishing everyone a good April....I'm sure I'll be back before Pesach

rachelvk

Karen - Good luck with the ovens.

I'm really, really dreading this. Went shopping with Mom yesterday and got most things - but when I grabbed the frozen kosher turkey and chicken cutlets, apparently I got the NON KP version. Ugh! Guess that will hide in a corner of my freezer for the week. Think I got just about everything else covered. My dilemma is whether to switch dishes or just go with plastic/paper, but I'd still need some cookware down. And I'm thinking the oven may have to take a pass, unless I can talk my BF into cleaning it Wed night. A simple wipe-down may have to do.