Deena's Blog

Rosh Hashanah

Miraculously and thankfully when the holiday season ramps up, the work season generously slows down, so I get to channel my creativity and event planning energy toward my home and my holiday table.

This year, my husband and I celebrate with thanks to G-d, our 10th anniversary. This milestone forces me to marvel over how the holidays went from mine to yours to ours. As I was raised in an Ashkenazi home, and my husband was raised Sephardic, our customs and holidays are somewhat unique as they consciously meld both of our roots into one.

One custom which I have learned from my husband’s family, which I have come to anticipate and enjoy, is the Rosh Hashana Seder. I truly love entertaining on Rosh Hashana evenings, so that we can “show off” our Seder, but also because in addition to being interactive for all guests, it is an additional decor element to have fun with and incorporate into my tablescape.
Have fun with it…do a big Seder plate like we do on pesach, do mini platters served family style, or do individual plates for each guest. Use Chinese spoons, lettuce or kale leaves, little parfait cups…whatever feels great to you and plays nicely with the rest of your table. Look around party stores, discount places, even the supermarket, to find interesting containers for the items.  Either way, this ritual comes after kiddush and motzi but before the festive meal.

The Seder includes dates, apples dipped in sugar or honey, leeks (we make a mini leek “kugel”), Swiss chard, trumpet gourd (we use spaghetti squash in rosewater syrup), black eyed peas, pomegranate seeds, lambs head (we use tongue), and a new fruit. Each item has a special bracha which coordinates with a blessing for the new year. All center on a theme of health, happiness, a sweet new year, and prosperity. For added meaning, photo copy a list of the special blessings and place at each setting so the guests can read along.

I also like to spend my time at home involving my kids in the cooking process. They  come home excited at each holiday, telling us about symbolic foods, songs they learned at school, and eagerly they help set the holiday table and partake in the preparations. As a reward for their effort, we always make one dessert together, but the key is that it must incorporate the holiday. So for Rosh Hashanah, we make these cute apple and honey cupcakes. There is no real recipe. Where the kids are involved, we use a lot of “semi home made” shortcuts, like cake mixes and pre-made frostings. If you want, you can make all your parts from scratch.

Take a dozen cupcakes, any flavor. Frost them with red frosting. Cut green sour belts or fruit rolls into leaf shapes. Break thin pretzel sticks in pieces for the stem. After you frost the cupcakes, place the leaf on top. Then gently stick the pretzel in at a 45 degree angle to keep the leaf in place. Voila!!

Enjoy!! Happy holidays!!