One reason I love hosting Passover is because it makes me feel like an adult. Despite having a mortgage, car payments, and career, I often feel like I'm only
pretending to be a grown up. (Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way!) Cooking a big meal and having family over for the holiday makes me feel like I've hit an adulthood milestone.
Like
last year, I decided to make a brisket for our main dish. I lost the recipe I used last year but luckily had been pretty detailed in how I cooked it in that blog post, so the blog saved the day!
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| This year I couldn't find one 5-pound brisket so I got two 2.8 pounders...We have tons of leftovers! |
For next year's self: chop a large onion, quarter ~10 tiny potatoes, and scatter a single loose layer of baby carrots in the roasting pan. Put the brisket on top, fat cap up. Mix 8oz tomato sauce and 3/4 container of beef broth in a bowl with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pour over the brisket. Cover tightly with foil. Stick it in a 300F oven for about 5.5 to 6 hours (this year I did 5.5), basting every two. Take out an hour before serving to rest.
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| The table. |
My grandparents sent us a centerpiece again this year, but the florist delivered it too early. I was worried it wouldn't last until Seder, so the florist sent us a second one! Our table looked very lovely.
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| The good stuff. |
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| Mom made her usual perfect charoset, and Steph made GF matzah ball soup. The matzah balls were so fluffy and perfect; the best we've had since I was diagnosed with Celiac! And Manischewitz makes gluten free matzoh now, too! Passover has never been so easy! |
For dessert I made my usual flourless chocolate cake, which I'd been looking forward to all week.
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| The most I can say for this health-wise is that it's full of protein - the batter takes 6 eggs! But it sure is delicious. |
Our Seders are short and sweet - 20-30 minutes from the Haggadah and then dinner is served! They used to be longer when we lived up north and had lots of family over, but now we like to get down to the good stuff as quickly as possible.
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| The fam :) |
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| We made Gordon join the picture-taking this year, too. |
It was a good evening; all the food turned out successfully and it was wonderful to have everyone over. The best part is that I'll be eating delicious leftovers for the next week!
Which holidays or family traditions do you host?
What's the biggest/most difficult meal you've cooked?
ABK
