It was one of those weeks...
Shabbat, Holiday, Shabbat, there was barely enough time in between to attempt to lose the weight put on from each festive meal. Even for me, who follows the "once a week binge" as part of my low carbohydrate diet, this week plus is too bingy for words.
At least I had today, Thursday, without any festive meals, challot or my neighbor's Yemenite pittot. But if I hadn't made aliyah and I was stuck in chutz l'Aretz, abroad, I would have had a second day of Shavuot and less than twenty-four hours to prepare for the following Shabbat.
What do people do? I'd guess that cooking double for Shabbat last week would have helped.
I admit that on the occasional year we, in Israel, have Rosh Hashannah and Shabbat consecutively, giving us a three day "yontiff," Holiday, but it's less that Jews in the rest of the world have to deal with.
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteBake ahead - most baked goods freeze well.
Make large soups - a well sealed container will stay fresh for a week in the refrigerator.
Make a variety of sauces that keep well in the refrigerator and can be used for fish, meat and even salad dressing.
Hamin (cholent to my northern family and friends) keeps well in the refrigerator.
Have plenty of salad vegetables on hand. Salads can be prepared on Shabbat and Chag, some in a matter of minutes and everyone fortunate to have plenty of meat wants a break from it.
(I didn't have today to cook. I took the kids to Ariel - all of them - because they almost never have a whole day off that's not erev chag. Perhaps I need to have my head examined.)
Isra Chag is one of those "Sundays" for some Israelis. The kids are off from school, though most people work. Good thing you did something with the kids!
ReplyDeleteI was home with my father, so cooking was no big deal, but in Chu"l, it must be hard unless people take your suggestions.
My big kids have school isru chag, which surprised the heck out of me. But for a change, dh is off work so it will just be a Mad Scramble Cooking Day.
ReplyDeleteTo be very honest, I rarely cook ahead for Shabbos these days anyway. If you've seen my blog, you know I just do it all marathon-style and "slide home" like any good baseball player right at licht-bentschen time.
Jennifer, I've finally reached the stage where I admit that my tiny Israeli oven is too small to cook efficiently. It takes all day, since I now bake a lot of vegetables. I'm not investing in a new kitchen with giant oven, but I need a lot of time for baking.
ReplyDeleteThese triple threat weeks never pose a problem for our family. Usually, whenever I cook something, I make three times as much. We're fortunate to have a wonderful stand-alone freezer, and if push comes to shove can actually retrieve a whole Shabbat out of there.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really have on my wish list is a TARDIS freezer, you know, one that's bigger on the inside...
miri, nice to hear from you. I don't have a separate freezer, just what comes with the fridge. My small ovens make it hard to cook large quantities. But I do what I can. There are cakes, kugels and some cooked chicken in the freezer. And before the big holidays I do cook a meal's worth extra of meat and poultry to make it all easier.
ReplyDelete