a goy's first Seder

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring?

A rack o' BBQ ribs and a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20! That oughta get
their attention.

nb

"bulka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.

Bulka

Other than required toasts, do NOT, under any circumstances drink that wine
unless you're idea of a good time is waking up the next day and feeling like
someone's making a hole in your skull with a 1" flat wood boring bit.

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

only if they keep kosher. Some people are stringent on following
passover laws, and not the rest of the year though. I'd ask your friends.

Quoted message said:

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.

Bulka

--

saerah

http://anisaerah.cmayes.net/blog/

email:
anisaerah at s b c global.net

Adam Bowman said:

I always wonder when someone brings up a point about Bush, and you
then bring up something that Clinton did, are you saying they are both
wrong? Because that's all it points out to me, places where they both
messed up. It doesn't negate the fact that Bush did wrong; was that
your intention?

That type of argument is like

"Bob shot someone"

"Yeah, but don't you remember when Don hit that guy with a bat?"

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.

Bulka

From last week's Washington Post:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040400430.html>

The mousse cake (first recipe in the article) looks pretty good to me.

Bob

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

If they don't keep kosher, it is likely that there won't me any rules
about the
wine. If they are sticking to Kosher for Passover wines (which must
miraculously
ferment without yeast), they can always keep the bottle for another
occasion,
feed it to you, or send it home with you.

As for sides, A salad or a vegetable is very safe. Avoid corn, peanuts
or
grains. Traditional in my family might be a potato kugel (which I
hate). I would make roast or mashed potatos. It is also very Passovery
to eat
spring vegetables like asparagus. Also, hard boiled eggs with salt (but
they may be
making these already).

Quoted message said:

If they don't keep kosher, it is likely that there won't me any rules
about the wine. If they are sticking to Kosher for Passover wines (which
must
miraculously ferment without yeast), they can always keep the bottle for
another
occasion, feed it to you, or send it home with you.

Let's face it. If they kept kosher he probably wouldn't have been invited.

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

I've never been invitied to one, but it sounds fairly traditional
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/passover/passover.html
I'm especially fond of the part where adults are required to drink 4
glasses of wine! Why not make those cheese puffs w/o the ham or
shrimp?

Taken from the above web site

Spinach Moussaka -- Pareve or Dairy option
by: Joan Kekst, author of Passover Cookery

4 matzo slices
1 1/4 lb. fresh spinach, stems removed OR 2 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen
spinach
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb. chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon feathery dill leaves, minced
2 tablespoons matzo meal
2 eggs plus one egg white
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
grated nutmeg

Serves 6 as a main course

Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a 9-inch square pan with 1 tablespoon
oil. Briefly dip matzo slices in water to soften. Drain on paper
towels. Fit 2 matzo slices on bottom of pan.

Thoroughly drain frozen spinach or wash fresh spinach, remove stems.
Cook fresh spinach in salted water for 2 minutes, drain and chop.

Sauté onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until golden, add the
mushrooms. Cook until mushroom juices evaporate. Season with salt and
pepper, add the spinach, lemon juice and almonds, remove from heat.
Cool.

Lightly beat 2 eggs with a pinch of salt, stir into spinach mixture.
Adjust flavor and add dill and a bit of matzo meal if needed. Brush
matzo in pan with oil and spread with potatoes. Top with the spinach
mixture, cover with remaining matzo and brush with oil.

Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon oil, add nutmeg and brush on
matzo. Bake 50 minutes, baste with remaining egg white and grated
nutmeg several times. Bake until top is lightly browned.

OPTIONS: Add 1 cup ricotta cheese to the spinach mixture for a hearty
dairy meal during Passover, if desired.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

sf said:

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

I've never been invitied to one, but it sounds fairly traditional
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/passover/passover.html
I'm especially fond of the part where adults are required to drink 4
glasses of wine! Why not make those cheese puffs w/o the ham or
shrimp?

This is not the holiday for drunkeness (that's purim, and people really do
try to get drunk then).

Remember that it's four glass of wine over about four hours (at least in
an orthodox seder).

Also, in less orthodox settings, people don't always drink the entire
glass.

Lena

zxcvbob said:

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?
These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.

Bulka

From last week's Washington Post:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040400430.html>

The mousse cake (first recipe in the article) looks pretty good to me.

allow me to suggest _not_ bringing a cake.

For a holiday about "no leavend products", it seems a bit... jarring.

Lena

Lena B Katz said:

zxcvbob said:

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine? These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so
I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.

Bulka

From last week's Washington Post:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040400430.html>

The mousse cake (first recipe in the article) looks pretty good to me.

allow me to suggest _not_ bringing a cake.

For a holiday about "no leavend products", it seems a bit... jarring.

Lena

It's a kosher for Passover (and pareve) recipe. Plus, he said the group
was /very/ "Reformed".

I wouldn't bring anything except maybe wine if they were Orthodox.

Bob

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

You'd need to bring food or drink that's not only kosher but Kosher for
Pssover. Don't bring any cooked dish. You can bring a box of
chocolates if marked Kosher for Passover or wine the same. It matters
not how orthodox your hosts, no one brings cooked dishes to a seder.

My suggestion is to play it safe and bring flowers.

Sheldon

On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:45:33 -0500, zxcvbob <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Lena B Katz said:

zxcvbob said:

bulka wrote:
> I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
> bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
> much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
> obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
> about the wine? These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so
> I'm not worried
> about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
> I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
> litttle.
>
> We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.
>
> Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
> called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
> Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.
>
> Bulka

From last week's Washington Post:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040400430.html>

The mousse cake (first recipe in the article) looks pretty good to me.

allow me to suggest _not_ bringing a cake.

For a holiday about "no leavend products", it seems a bit... jarring.

Lena

It's a kosher for Passover (and pareve) recipe. Plus, he said the group
was /very/ "Reformed".

I wouldn't bring anything except maybe wine if they were Orthodox.

Bob

If they were Orthodox, they would not ask anyone unfamiliar with
kashrut to bring food or drink.

All guests would be welcome at a seder, though.

Boron

sarah bennett said:

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

only if they keep kosher. Some people are stringent on following
passover laws, and not the rest of the year though. I'd ask your friends.

"A goy's first Seder"? reminds me of the old, old, old joke about the
shabbes goy who wanted to have Friday evening off, he explained to his
employer, a Rabbi, that he had an invitation to meet Milton Berle and
could he possibly leave earlier than usual on Friday evening to do so?
the Rabbi thought about this for a moment and said "Oy! i should keep a
goy from meeting a berle?"
---
JL

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so I'm not worried
about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
litttle.

We're having lamb and pot-luck sides.

Not completely OT: On Terry Gross's NPR show today I heard a band
called "What I Like About Jew." Their Passover song, "They Tried to
Kill Us; We Survived; Let's Eat." is hilarious.

Bulka

In article <[email hidden]>,

Boron Elgar said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> bulka wrote:
>> I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
>> bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
>> much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
>> obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
>> about the wine? These are a bunch of artists and left of reformed, so
>> I'm not worried
>> about embarrassing myself, or offending anyone, but it's a tradition and
>> I want to play by the rules, yet still have fun and maybe show off a
>> litttle.

Quoted message said:

If they were Orthodox, they would not ask anyone unfamiliar with
kashrut to bring food or drink.

All guests would be welcome at a seder, though.

Since these folks are left of reformed, it's partly a matter of personal
preference. Still, it's a religious ceremony with rules. I would tend
to call whoever invited you and ask what to bring. Failing that, I
would run the ideas by them to see what they think.

--
Dan Abel
[email hidden]
Petaluma, California, USA

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring?

Ask Nancy Young.

bulka said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring?

You're always safe with the Manischevitz Passover products......we
always took a box of M's chocolate jelly rings and a cannister of
macaroons. A nice way to bring sweets that they can set out at the end
of the evening.

"bulka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm invited to my first Seder this week.. Any suggestions on what to
bring? I know enough not to make ham and shrimp cheese puffs, but not
much more. I'm looking for somthing traditional, but not so normal and
obvious that everyone else will be bringing the same thing. Any rules
about the wine?

Quoted message said:

Bulka

Don't get the sweet stuff, it'll put your pancreas into cardiac arrest.
Baron Hertzog is kosher and is very good, in SoCal it runs about $9-10 per
bottle and is available in most of the super's.

Harriet & critters

Doug Kanter said:

Other than required toasts, do NOT, under any circumstances drink that wine
unless you're idea of a good time is waking up the next day and feeling like
someone's making a hole in your skull with a 1" flat wood boring bit.

Funny, but I understand that the last time these folks hosted, it did go
something like that. This year, there are going to be some young
children, so, probably not.

Thanks to everyone for the conversation, but now I'm more confused.

Babsarooni said no corn, grains or peanuts? Why?

Even stranger, Sheldon said noone brings cooked dishes. This I really
don't get. In any case, they asked for sides, so I've got to do better
than a box of chocolates. Hoping to be a little more adventurous than
kugel.

Thanks sf for all the info (haven't checked the site yet), but about the
cheese puff pastry - even without the treyf, I wouldn't bring cheese to
a meat meal and wouldn't any way I got the puff to puff be not right?

Another question - my vegetarian girlfriend is going to cook, too. She
can't use butter for this, she can't use lard or schmaltz for her. I
assume veg oil or Crisco is OK? Maybe I'll just take a trip down the
Maneshevitz aisle tomorrow.

I got the idea that, somehow, fish is dairy. So no herring. Someone
suggested hard-boiled eggs, but can you do that with meat? Or is it
only no eggs with poultry? Or am I making this stuff up?

I'm not too worried. Maybe making things more difficult for myself, but
enjoying the learning and the challenge. The only advice they gave was
a reminder not to bring bread or cheese. I don't really know these
people (GF's friends), but maybe they're pretend kosher on the
holidays. I'm not going to buy another set of dishes for this.

I'm still accepting advice. I'll let you know how it goes.

bulka

bulka said:

Doug Kanter said:

Other than required toasts, do NOT, under any circumstances drink that wine
unless you're idea of a good time is waking up the next day and feeling like
someone's making a hole in your skull with a 1" flat wood boring bit.

Funny, but I understand that the last time these folks hosted, it did go
something like that. This year, there are going to be some young
children, so, probably not.

Thanks to everyone for the conversation, but now I'm more confused.

Babsarooni said no corn, grains or peanuts? Why?

any grain product is not allowed in its natural state because it could
become leavened. Corn and peanuts (and rice) are not eaten by Jews of
eastern European origin, because the rabbinnical community there decided
that those products could bemade int products resembling leavened grain
products, therefore possibly causing another Jew to think it is ok to
eat actual grain products.

Quoted message said:

Even stranger, Sheldon said noone brings cooked dishes. This I really
don't get. In any case, they asked for sides, so I've got to do better
than a box of chocolates. Hoping to be a little more adventurous than
kugel.

Thanks sf for all the info (haven't checked the site yet), but about the
cheese puff pastry - even without the treyf, I wouldn't bring cheese to
a meat meal and wouldn't any way I got the puff to puff be not right?

well, if they are reform, then they probably do not keep the laws od
kashrut. I'd ask.

Quoted message said:

Another question - my vegetarian girlfriend is going to cook, too. She
can't use butter for this, she can't use lard or schmaltz for her. I
assume veg oil or Crisco is OK? Maybe I'll just take a trip down the
Maneshevitz aisle tomorrow.

I got the idea that, somehow, fish is dairy. So no herring. Someone
suggested hard-boiled eggs, but can you do that with meat? Or is it
only no eggs with poultry? Or am I making this stuff up?

eggs are considered neither dairy or meat and can be eaten with both
kinds of meals.

Quoted message said:

I'm not too worried. Maybe making things more difficult for myself, but
enjoying the learning and the challenge. The only advice they gave was
a reminder not to bring bread or cheese. I don't really know these
people (GF's friends), but maybe they're pretend kosher on the
holidays. I'm not going to buy another set of dishes for this.

If they are inviting non-jews to their seder (the only time I've seen an
orthodox family have a non-jew at the seder was last year, when my mom
had myself, my husband and my daughter for the seder), and asking them
to bring food, they are probably not too stringent about the laws of
kashrut.

Quoted message said:

I'm still accepting advice. I'll let you know how it goes.

bulka

--

saerah

http://anisaerah.cmayes.net/blog/

email:
anisaerah at s b c global.net

Adam Bowman said:

I always wonder when someone brings up a point about Bush, and you
then bring up something that Clinton did, are you saying they are both
wrong? Because that's all it points out to me, places where they both
messed up. It doesn't negate the fact that Bush did wrong; was that
your intention?

That type of argument is like

"Bob shot someone"

"Yeah, but don't you remember when Don hit that guy with a bat?"