Tradition!

The Seders have come and gone, and we can finally sit back, and write about them.  The Seders were Friday and Saturday, but we have been immersed in them for a good while now.  While a lot of it went over extremely well, there were some parts that missed the boat a little.  The biggest hit was our homemade chrein (prepared horseradish); chicken soup (& veggie for some) with knaidle- recipe on the matzo meal box- sadly not gluten free.  Not even wheat free) So we went for the kosher for passover noodles.  The roasted  tzimmes was so flavourful and could probably have been confused for dessert.  It was a combination of parsnips, butternut squash, sweet potato, dried figs and apricots.   All roasted to carmelized goodness.   Gluten free matzo - which was not technically the real thing, but since we do not eat wheat, it was the best option.  We prepared just a small amount for ourselves to do the prayers, yet it turned out to be a favourite to many.  We  even had to make a new batch for the second night!  Go figure! And, of course, the brisket, and multiple desserts, provided by Bubby, were to die for.  Our gefilte fish on the other hand, kind of  fell flat.  The original recipe (from the family) is so good, but we made a couple of substitutions, which may have affected the final outcome.  Most notably we substituted cod and tilapia for the pike and whitefish that was called for.   It was good, but it was just not as good as the original.  Of course, I loved it, and have been having it for lunch, with the chrein, since the Seders.

The table, too, turned out well, using all of our inherited dishes, candlesticks, silverware, and linens.  Its fun to set a beautiful table, but it takes a lot of ironing.  A trick:  we washed the tablecloth after Seder #1, then threw it back on the table (protected by a white plastic table protector thingy) while still wet; smoothed it carefully into place, and let it air dry:  no wrinkles, and no ironing.

I love the Passover Seder, and some of my fondest early memories are of the Seders at my grandparents table.  I love the traditions, the songs, the prayers.  I love knowing that all over the world (taking time zones into consideration) that other Seders are being celebrated more or less the same way.    I love knowing that our boys, while not in this province, are celebrating Seders with families who went out of their way to have them.  And because of their years at the Seder tables of family and friends here, are comfortable in the ritual that is the Seder, despite the differences in other families traditions.

So, as they say, next year in Jerusalem.