As the countdown to Passover begins, I am sweeping up the last of the crumbs and putting the spanking clean Passover dishes out. It’s a great time of year. The flowers are in bloom and the snow of course has melted. But there’s one more thing I’ve forgetten. Ah, yes… the book of Passover recipes I brought with me from Israel. Actually, they were given to me when I was a little girl from my grandmother who died in 1995 in hopes that I would follow in her footsteps in bringing to life a Jewish kitchen that undoubtably was centered around the subject of food, of course.
Ah, the life of a Jewish mama begins anew… in Pittsburgh.
I flip it open and try to find my grandmother’s traditional recipe on Matzo glazed chicken and then I remember all the calories. Passover is such a fattening holiday. Why add those extra pounds when the symbol of this significant Jewish holiday is around freedom? So I look for less fattening ingredients without the extra pounds. But truthfully, it isn’t easy. I love Matzo brei especially. So this Passover is a good time for all Jewish mamas to remember that the place is not only in the kitchen. If you’re wondering how you’re going to manage the calories already on the first Passover sedar night, there are ways to manage it. Avoid being in the kitchen and that’s it! No if’s, and’s, and but’s about it! Beginning with tonight’s sedar, set the tone for the rest of the holiday and for the rest of the next few months. Take a walk, have rest, have a facial – do something good for you since Passover shouldn’t only about food. It’s the release of spring energies in our body that have been hiding all winter long.