Passover Menu 5775

I finally typed up the menu.   I'm posting this now before the craziness of actually cooking and baking has started.  I'm sure there is something I forget.  Blogger is giving me issues tonight and not letting me add pictures as I want to, so I'm giving up for now.  I know there aren't a ton of links to recipes, but I think most are pretty simple and straightforward.  If you are curious about anything on our menu, please let me know.  Happy Pesach!

Seder 1 Friday Night	Seder 2 Saturday Night
Haroset 2 ways	Haroset 2 ways
Hard- boiled egg/salt water	Hard- boiled egg/salt water
Gefilte fish/ Baby Moses Salad	Gefilte fish/ Baby Moses Salad
Mock Chopped Liver	Mock Chopped Liver
Matzo Ball Soup	Matzo Ball Soup
Cranberry Compote	Cranberry Compote
Veggie Kugel Cups	Veggie Kugel Cups
Potato Souffle with Carmelized Onions	Potato Souffle with Carmelized Onions
Spinach with Raisins	Asparagus
Aunt Babe's Brisket	Roasted Chicken
Brownies	Baked Chocolate Mousse Cups
Meringues	Meringues
Chocolate Chip Bars	Rainbow Cookies?
Coconut Macaroons	Coconut Macaroons

Saturday	B	Mandelbrot, Strawberry Jam, Eggs
	L	Farfel and Cheese, Fruit
	D	Seder
Sunday	B	Matzo Brei, Honey, Fruit
	L	Matzo Ball Soup, Veggies
	D	Leftovers, Salad
Monday	B	Eggs, Fruit, Yogurt/ Smoothies, Matzo, Mandelbrot
	L	Matzo Sandwiches, Fruit, Chips
	D	Matzo Pizza, Salad
Tuesday	B	Geshmirta Matzo, Fruit
	L	Matzo Pizza, Veggies
	D	Apricot Chicken, Carrot Souffle Kugel
Wednesday	B	Eggs, Fruit, Matzo Bagels, Lox
	L	Matzo Sandwiches, Fruit, Chips
	D	Meatloaf or Brisket, Potato Kugel, Veggies
Thursday	B	Matzo Bagels, Lox, Fruit, Yogurt, Strawberry Jam
	L	Soup, leftover veggies
	D	Matzo Pizza
Friday	B	Matzo, Mandelbrot, Fruit, Eggs
	L	Matzo Pizza
	D	Soup, Brisket or Meatloaf, Potato Kugel, Veggies
Saturday	B	Matzo Brei, Honey, Fruit
	L	Leftovers

Baby Moses Salad
The kids make this every year

Other Recipes to make to round out meals: Cheesecake, Crustless Quiche, Hungarian Potato Kugel

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam

This is my grandmother's recipe for strawberry jam.  I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while now.  (BTW this is why some photos are new and some are old!)  Anyway, my grandparents used to own a fruit farm in Pennsylvania.  I remember picking strawberries at that farm when I was young and I remember the smell of the kitchen when my grandmother used to make this jam.  This recipe is very simple and only needs two ingredients: strawberries and sugar (along with a little bit of time and love!).  It's not a traditional firm jam, but a softer, almost runny consistency.  Which makes it perfect for topping yogurt, or even better, ice cream!  My kids love it though for sandwiches: cream cheese and jam for my daughter and just jam and bread for my son.  My kids and I went out picking strawberries yesterday at a local farm.  When we finished, the owner/farmer asked us what we had planned for all of the strawberries, my son replied "Jam!".   So here we go:

  Just wash, hull and chop the strawberries into a measuring cup.  

 Add an equal amount of sugar to strawberries So for 2 cups of strawberries: 2 cups sugar.  Pretty easy, huh?  Lightly shake pan to coat with sugar.  Make sure you use a large, heavy pot for this.  Later when it cooks it will bubble up a bit.

 Cover allow to sit 8 hours, or overnight at room temperature.  I really think this is the key step.  The sugar will dissolve and liquefy.  At this point you can leave the strawberries as they are for a chunkier jam, or mash up with a potato masher.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir gently to make sure all the sugar has dissolved.  When the mixture begins to boil, cook for about 10 minutes.  You can skim the bubbles that come to the surface if you would like a clear jam.  I don't (as you can see from the picture below).  I actually really like that bubbly part when it hardens (kinda like strawberry jell-o).  I don't really use a thermometer for this either, but the jam will need to get to about 221 F (I checked it today again to be sure).  You can stir the mixture occasionally as the strawberries want to stick to the bottom of the pot and scorch (not good for jam).  When it's done just ladle into canning jars and seal.  I don't usually "put up" this jam.  It never really lasts long in my fridge anyway.  The recipe will make slightly more jam than the amount of strawberries you start with.  So, today, I started with 2 cups of strawberries and ended up with 2 1/2 cups of jam.  Enjoy!    

Menu Plan Monday - April 23,2012

Brrr.  It's downright chilly this morning.  The wind is howling and knocking pine cones against the house.  The weather is supposed to warm up by the end of the week, but until then, I'm layering up!

Despite the wind and temps dropping, yesterday was a great day for strawberry picking!
We are fortunate to have a farm around the corner from us.  We went a few weeks ago for a play-date for the kids.  They had a blast and I made a big batch of strawberry smoothies afterwards.

I plan on making (another) batch of my Grandmother's Strawberry Jam today.  I've already made it a few times this Spring.  I know at least one of my readers has been asking for me to post this recipe for a while (yes Keith, I promise I will this week).  I can't seem to make enough of it.  My kids go crazy for it.  Especially my son.  He could eat a jelly sandwich (nothing else, just bread and jam) everyday.  Honestly, he could probably just sit and eat the whole jar with a spoon, if I let him!  :)

Anyway, back to the menu plan:

Monday - Minestrone soup with homemade baguettes.

Tuesday - Pasta night

Wednesday - Peach Whiskey Chicken, from The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook...I just got my book from Amazon on Friday and I can't wait to dive in!

Thursday - Maybe Macaroni and Cheese, veggies

Friday - Pecan Chicken, Challah.

If you would like more ideas for menus and recipes, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

P.S. I updated the page with a link to the recipe for the jam.