The Seder was a Success!

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I'm pleased to report that the Passover Seder was a huge success and everyone walked away satisfied and in one piece.
The preparations began 2 days prior to when Phil, Jacob and I went food shopping and bought enough to feed an army. On the menu, Matzo ball soup, salad, Corned beef, Leg of Lamb, whole roasted chicken, rosemary potatoes and asparagus. The rest was being brought in from near and far.

The day before the Seder, Phil made the corn beef and matzo ball soup, his specialty. The next day and with Jacob’s help? I began by marinating the leg of lamb and seasoning the chicken and potatoes. Not sure why all of a sudden I’m so into cooking but the more I work out and the less I eat the more I want to watch Food Network and cook!

I marinated the leg of lamb in white wine, orange juice, rosemary, pepper and garlic and placed it in a bag for a few hours. The chicken got a nice Season-all and rosemary rubdown with pieces of parsley placed carefully between the skin and meat…check out the pictures. At 3pm, Jacob and I went to karate and returned in time to pop everything in the oven. The leg of lamb, the chicken and the potatoes all went in to cook and we proceeded to making the salad and charoset. A great recipe that includes a cup of wine was sure to put everyone in a good mood from the start. Jacob was so excited; he was anxiously waiting for everyone to arrive and told everyone he came across that he was having a Seder…can you say pressure to deliver? At 6pm the apt was bustling with people and the kids were running around while my mom, grandma and I set the table. My grandmother contributed delicious gefilte fish, Matzo Brei and liver pate while Phil’s mom made a sweet matzo kugel. My parents bought cake from Wegmans and Susan brought gorgeous pussy willows for the table. All in all it was a feast for the eyes and stomach.

Check out my leg of lamb, I loved it so much I ate it right off the bone…well, not really but makes for a great picture (-:

We began the Seder with Jacob reciting the prayers, lighting the candles and drinking his second sip of wine since his bris almost 5 years ago! We read the Haggadah, broke and hid the matzo, passed around the Sedar plate and asked the 4 Why? Why? Why? Why? Questions…

Why is this night different?

Why do we eat such unusual foods as Matzoh, the unleavened bread, and Maror, the bitter herbs?

Why do we dip green herbs in salt water?

Why do we open doors?

Why do we hide and then eat the Afikomen?

All in all, it was a perfect holiday meal that ended with coffee, tea and delicious desserts. The kids; Jacob and his cousins Ethan and Sophia didn’t kill each other but tears were shed over glow sticks. Our bellies were full and we were happy so what’s a little crying? After all, isn’t the Passover Seder performed to remember the liberation of the Israelites from slavery and although I wasn't there, I’m sure that many a tears were shed during that time.