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Apr

10

Wasn’t it Beckett who said: I can’t make the crunch, I’ll make the crunch?


Q: Do you have any idea what you have to do to manipulate ingredients into edible kosher for Passover dishes?

A: Nope – my mom makes everything.

Nah – that’s not true, and I have the burn on my arm from the oven rack to prove it. Just when I thought I’d run out of time before being able to make the brownies and the caramel crunch, we managed to get everything done. So, even though I’d called my mother four times today (one, can you make me a nail appointment, two, did you make the crunch – so I don’t have to (no she didn’t), three, I can’t make the crunch – I’m going to run out of time, four, sigh, yes, I have time to make the crunch, see you tomorrow).

And even though the recipes really don’t take that long – I’m typing this while the brownies are in the oven – it’s just that…well…I never was one of those daughters who aspired to cook and entertain just like my mother. My mother is an outstanding cook, albeit very by the book. And they didn’t have a lot of parties.

But the holiday meals..mmmmmm.

Now, you need to know that since my mother was raised more or less a-religious, and my father (and aunt) were raised in a Conservative synagogue, we celebrated secular holidays – like Thanksgiving – at our house and my mother cooked. But we spent the Jewish holidays, like the high holy days or Passover at my aunt’s house (although I recall eventually splitting the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). All my life growing up.

So – in Connecticut – it was sports central and turkey time in November. And in Teaneck, it was Seders R Us.

Until other events interceded and cousins got married and/or moved away.

But we have fabulous old Polaroid pictures of all the women in the family (there were only four of us) stabbing the turkey, and the men leading the seders.

This year, we’ll have 17-19 individuals the first night, and 20 or more the second night. All family, two different sides, two different cities, two different levels of observance.

But a whole lot of reminiscing and singing and crunching.

Now – can you spot the problem with the picture and tell me what I have to do to correct it? (Jeff Hess – you may not answer)

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:38 pm April 10th, 2006 in Politics 

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