The only really required food is mtazh for the Passover Seder and the special ritual food at the seder. And there are different customs concerning exactly what is to be eaten.
When people tell me they must cook a certain food for a certain holiday with the exact side dishes, recipe etc, no flexibility... And then they get all stressed, because a crucial ingredient can't be bought.
Thank Gd I didn't grow up in a home like that. And I didn't raise my family to expect specific menus, foods etc.
It makes my life so much easier and so much more foun.
Now that we're empty-nesters, we need less food. This year, for the first time, and maybe I'll do it again, I served the same thing before and after Yom Kippur. For years I made a totally different meals. This year I decided that it wasn't worth the bother.
By not having rigid menus, I can be spontaneous is there is a sale on a certain food. I can invent a recipe.
I'm glad it works for me and my family.
