Celebrating the holidays without a crowd
by Megan Marolf | Apr 08, 2020 | seniors coping with coronavirus, free online resources for seniors, celebrating Easter, celebrating Passover, the holidays and coronavirus | 0 Comments
Thinking about stocking up on kosher food for Passover or dying Easter eggs is likely far from everyone’s minds right now. Most family and friends won’t be crowding around the table for seder or for Easter brunch unless they already live together. Not to mention that many of us are probably tired of cooking for the same people (no offense) and are running out of creativity in the kitchen.
What better reason to break up the mundane and uncertainty than centuries-old traditions? This year’s Easter brunch, seder, or whatever else your family might be celebrating, will probably require some flexibility based on availability of ingredients and desire to spend more time in the kitchen. But cooking serves as a great distraction, and so does eating delicious food and drink with whomever your quarantining with.
Here are a few recipes and ideas for inspiration to break away from the basic routine of the new normal.
It would be hard to forget about the most celebrated holiday in the Jewish religion, even in these trying times. Some rabbis are hosting Passover meals through Zoom, the video conferencing app, and are still cooking up recipes to share with those on the other end of the screen.
A simple meal of your own making could include the traditional side dish of tzimmes turned into a main course with the help of chicken. The ingredients should be easy to find at your local store or might already be stocked in your fridge. Or, if you’re a person that normally hands the reins to others for essential dishes, try out this matzo ball soup recipe from a first-time matzo soup maker.
For those looking for Easter-related festivities from a distance, opera singer Andrea Bocelli will be singing spiritual songs to an empty Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy. Watch it on Bocelli’s YouTube channel Sunday at 10 a.m. PST.
With no crowd to please, the rules of what constitutes a proper holiday meal can be thrown out. Take or leave the ham depending on your mood, and fix up some deviled eggs with this classic recipe to compliment a different main, or to eat as a warm-up to dessert. This rhubarb custard cake is reason to celebrate simply being alive. If rhubarb isn’t stocked on the shelves at your local store, strawberries or really any other kind of fruit will pass.
And while these dishes are being made, a rose spritzer can bring festiveness to a room without any people in it.
Anything else to brighten the mood could also serve as cause for a new tradition, such as picking a few backyard or neighborhood flowers to set on the table. And putting on some real pants can go a long way in making the day feel a little more special.
0 Comments