I always think charoset tastes better for having some time for the flavor to blend. I usually make it a day or two in advance to allow for that. Hard boiled eggs and the roasted egg for the seder plate can be made ahead. I haven't made charloette or carrot souffle before so I can't speak to those. The chicken in a sauce should reheat fine. Soup and matazh balls can be made ahead but depending on quantity may strain fridge room - at least they would for me at the beginning of Pesach. I haven't made matzah balls from a mix, but the recipe I use has the matzah ball mixture being refrigerated for 30 minutes before forming the balls and dropping them in the soup - I think the mixture could be made up to that point and held a couple of days in the fridge. Matzah crunch and meringues can be made in advance but make sure to pack them away in something air tight especially if you are somewhere that may have humid weather. Brownies can be made ahead but I think they will taste best made that day.

Thanks, WinterCat. Listening to the words in my head. v'gam l'aba, v'gam l'ata. :) But those velar fricatives sure come in handy! Love the language institute. People are still pushing Esperanto, but the common language heard at various tech conventions is Klingon. DCarch, thanks for the details! Cod is traditional enough, but the shitakes and ginger are definitely an interesting twist. Would you call that, with the cod, Japanese style? If the celery were vertical, you'd have the three heights of a Japanese flower arrangement... I hope it was yummy!

plllog," So...did you choose the ingredients so they'd rhyme?" --------------------------------------- Do you like green pizza and lamb? I do like them, Sam-I-am. I do like green pizza and ramp jam! Would you like them here or there? I would like them here or there. I would like them anywhere. I do so like green ramps and yam! Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am! ---------------------------------------- Thank you Sol. The ramp jam recipe: 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups ramps, chopped (leaves only) 1 large onions, halved and sliced 1 tablespoon sea salt 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger 1/2 cup sugar salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoon butter 4 cloves garlic ý box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin Cook until onion becomes very soft Blend everything to a thick sauce. Chill and serve. ---------------------------------------------- dcarch

Thanks, everyone! The secret to setting a pretty table for a lot of people is being willing to store settings for a lot of people :) I spent a lot of money on the cabinets to store them in, but I didn't spend much on the the stemware, flatware, dishes, or chargers. The trick is to go for decent rather than fab quality, have a unifying look, choose over time, and shop closeouts of house brands. Plus, fill in with "heirlooms" (see below), and the real heirlooms, the candlesticks my grandfather gave my mother, his d-i-l. Steph, thanks for the extra credit grade! Cat_mom, Morgne, Donnakay come on down! Thanks, Alabamanicole! Malhgold, I only have matching for 24. I have plenty to fill in for double that (i.e., the whole family minus the out of town dwellers). I'm sorry you missed the service, but at least you made it before Elijah! :) We have a "tradition" of people coming in just when we open the door, but I think that only happens at my parents' house. I have stairs. :) Darbuka, I hope you'll be able to have your Seder next year. In the "pulled togetherness" of the table are the gold color rimmed personal ashtrays for the horseraddish from my mother's young married days, the white glass nut dishes with the faded gold paint rim for the charoset from the same source, and the pyrex custard cups for the salt water. Over the years we've given my mother enough Lennox oddments for her not to need these, so now Seder is at my house? You put lots of colorful vegetables, some pretty flowers, and use whatever you have that fits! We've been using the same Haggadah all my life (it's excellent!). I think there were 20 of them. Though they were hardbound, they did finally start needing repair. The typeface is also hard for the old folks to read. So a number of years ago I typed it up, and added in a couple of side things to fill in the gaps. Plus, I gender neutraled it as much as I could, and updated other language that was way dated. We had xeroxed copies for a couple of years. Then, after I edited a published Haggadah, I got adventurous, found some interesting art to dress the text with and laid it out. I used my art printer and laminator for the cover and bound them myself. But my printer didn't like the cover paper and stopped printing it after 10 copies (apparently normal behavior according to the company), and the 8.5"x11" size was awkward, so while I was restricted in activity this year, I reformatted to the half size pages and had it professionally printed with a different cover. And did the song book too, which has the silly songs as well as the traditional ones. Owls, thanks! Chag Sameach! John, the trick is that while it feels like a separate room because of the beams and lighting, the dining room is wholy open to the living room. The table extends 8-10 feet beyond to within a few feet of the hearth on one side, and the TV and computer cabinets on the other. My actual table (minus the folding) seats 8 in the large chairs. A few more squeezing in on folding chairs. Country, the photos were all with no guests, except the bird. The camera was right there, and the family were reading the service. I just had to have a picture. :) I found the posts about how a kitchen actually worked, with dishes and towels and stuff all over were a big help to me, so I'm trying to pay it forward. I'm glad you're enjoyed it too! The girls are hired help. With all those dishes coming in and out, and needing to be washed, it's worth my sanity to have help. The family also carried soup and cleared, and all the other food was passed family style. I can't believe yours just schmoozed! Maybe they were overwhelmed by your competence? Or scared of your new kitchen? Maybe you just need to tell them what to do? Even with the Twilight Zoneness of it all, I hope it was a lovely meal and a happy holiday!! Thanks, Squigs and Fori! The bird has traditional stuffing: We freeze the leftover matzah and mandelin from the previous year, and supplement as needed with new. There's plain, egg and whole wheat in there. Sauteed veg (onions, mushrooms, colored bell peppers, and celery), a little seasoning and some eggs. Chag Sameach, Tomuch2chus! Thank-you for all the kind words! And I'm so glad you're rockin' the baby beets. :)