Happy Passover! ^_^

Mood:


Chag Sameach! Happy holidays!  Well, last night's seder was very nice. We had 3 people attend. 2 of them brought a roasted chicken, potato kugel (similar to potato cassarole), and asperagus. The other person brought a nice salad. We had hard boiled eggs (which I screwed up a bit!) and gefilte fish for the beginning of the meal. Gefilte fish is basically a cold fish loaf. It's got 3 different fish, that's cooked together, mashed up, seasoned, and formed into mounds. It's better than it might sound!One of my fave things for Pesach or Passover! Next, we had matzah ball soup. It's similar to chicken noodle soup, only instead of noodles we have matzah meal (pulverized matzah) formed into balls. They're like dumplings. I also made the popovers we had with the stuff people brought. They're similar to buns, and are made out of matzah meal, margarine, and tons of eggs. Everybody loved these. 


For dessert, Mom made a pudding with whipped cream on top, and mandarin oranges on the bottom in a tall glass. It was so good! We also had the matzah toffee I made the other day. Funny thing is, most of the caramel seeped to the bottom part of the matzah, and it was more chewy than normal. But, everyone, including me, loved it. One person said it tasted sinful. I'm so happy people liked most of the stuff I made! We also had regular and chocolate covered macaroons, and candied fruit slices. 


I was so full by the end of it! But, I also had a lot of fun, talking and singing. We're going to have a much shorter one with my parents and I tonight. We're using the Haggadahs I used in college. I love those! Most things are shorter, but the songs and the after meal prayers are much longer than the other version. Plus, they give you ideas of what you can do for your seder. Like, you can leave an empty plate out for the hungry. Put flowers out, and other things. 


It was very helpful when you're totally on your own for it. All my friends loved it, too. I kept telling them they'll probably get bored, because of how long it is. But, they always enjoyed it. One friend loved the eating parsley part, and every year I had it, she told me she'd be happy to bring the parsley. Everyone in my dorms, especially in the last one (since we actually had a stove), loved when I cooked during that week. It smelled nice, and they always asked me if they could have some. Since I was usually the only Jew on the floor, it was very interesting to them. 


I had the granola Mom made for breakfast. Very good stuff! Also, I had a peanut butter and jelly matzah sandwich for lunch. That's very good too, and what a lot of people have. I had the kosher for Passover chips, too. They're basically the same as regular chips.


I watched a new show on TV Japan called Asa Ichi or One Morning. It replaced another show I liked, but now that I've watched it, I think it may be better. They give lots of tips on things, go to many different towns, show what's new in Japan, and even cook. It's also a much longer program. They have a piglet for a mascot. 


Today, they talked about the new Tokyo tower called Tokyo Sky Tree that's being constructed. It's already quite a bit taller than the original. They just added the elevator shaft. It looks similar to a giant version of our Space Needle. People have mixed opinions about it. 


Next, they went to a town known for their salt production. Watched how they extract the salt from seawater. They had a barbecue with many different fish, and of course the salt was added to everything. 


They later had many laundry tips. It was actually very helpful. Then, they made a potato and ground beef dish. The only thing I didn't understand was what she used to 'power the seasoning up'. I'll have to find it on their site. They also had someone make a juice mixed drink. (That's what they called it.) It had carrot and apple juice, and actually sounded good. They also have quizzes on things, and read out the emails/ letters from people who watch the show. Very interesting.