<p>Oops, that hostess gift thingie was interesting, but a tangent. </p>
<p>Bring on those Passover recipes~ all sound great...</p>
<p>We usually bring Kosher for Passover wine, since there are so many that are available for the holiday.</p>
<p>There is an excellent cookbook called the Gefilte Variations; I forget the author's name. It has a Passover section with some elegant recipes--and some other recipes that are not specifically for Passover that also work. One is for great egg salad that is wonderful on matzoh--very olive oil-based, not heavy. it is a pretty sophisticated book with perhaps a Sephardic tilt--which reminds that you might also look at some of the Claudia Rozan (spelling) books, which also give a lot of variations and new ideas to add to the usual Passover fare and traditional Eastern European food.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great suggestions, momofthreesons, pt3, and nyumom. Maybe I can make up some sort of candy platter using a variety of Passover candies. nyumom - I love the idea of Passover wine, but it might look a little odd coming from my 15-year old D...........lol.</p>
<p>Ok, back to the Passover recipes - I didn't mean to hijack the thread - I just got excited when I saw it and thought I might get a few good suggestions (and I did).</p>
<p>For potato latkes (almost a Chanukah thread now), I prep the potatoes in three steps: first with a large grating attachment on the food processor, next squeeze out the liquid, and last back in the processor on a quick pulse chop. That gives them a nice texture that holds together well. Then chop a little onion, add some egg and matzo meal, cook in hot oil, and drain on paper bags. If you're freezing them you can put paper bags between the layers - get them into the freezer ASAP to avoid the oil soaking back into the latkes. Then reheat them directly from the freezer on a baking sheet on a high temperature for a short time - there should still be enough oil to give them a little crisp.</p>
<p>Re a hostess gift - a fruit basket might be an make anything for eating at the seder. Also, I personally would not like to get food that I would have to store since we already are storing our chametz and don't have much room. Shhh - don't tell anyone we didn't sell it.</p>
<p>With Passover so late it might be nice to bring a nice pot of tulips or hyacinth that can be moved outdoors (oh please let it finally stay warm here in Chicagoland).</p>
<p>I'm such a cheater. Now that the nest is empty, I do potato latkes for the two of us just by picking up pre-grated potatoes and pre-diced onions in plastic bags. Zip, zap, zoop, add eggs and whatever, and there it is. But that's not really family cooking.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2, that sounds so thoughtful! If you think she changes her set of dishes for the week, (maybe your d's friend would know that) send in your nice arrangement on a paper or plastic plate, so no worries. Your arrangement sounds a lot more thoughtful and personal than the boxes. Good luck!</p>
<p>I love the idea of the candy platter!</p>
<p>I'm trying to get a copy of the cookbook Love and Knishes - it's out of print, so I'll be buying it used. The titles of the recipes alone are worth the price of the book.</p>
<p>Would anyone like my hard boiled egg recipe? :p</p>
<p>Haha -- I'd like the hard boiled egg recipe. Seriously. I'm actually known to be a good cook but I always run into problems with peeling beautiful hard boiled eggs and I can never remember the secret although I know the age of the eggs matters and since I always forget to buy them until close to Passover, that's half my problem.</p>
<p>OK, here's what I do: put the eggs in a large pot in cold water. Put on the burner on high. As soon as the water starts boiling, turn down until some bubbles are just breaking the surface. Set timer for 15 minutes. When done, run cold water over eggs until you can reach in, then take them out and plunge them into a bowl of ice and water. Once the ice is pretty much melted, dry off the eggs and store in refrigerator. My only secret to peeling (which doesn't always work) is to peel them under cold running water.</p>
<p>Now - my salt water recipe? :D</p>
<p>You are too funny, Marilyn! My local paper recently ran a feature on how to hard boil perfect eggs (in time for Easter). Of course the three chefs they consulted each had a different method but the common thread was not to allow the water to reach a full boil.</p>
<p>Marilyn, D brought a springy potted plant last year when she went to her BF's for Passover and I didn't want to give the same gift - although plants are always nice, and I always appreciate them as gifts when I receive them.</p>
<p>I'm glad my candy platter idea will work. P3t, if I purchase a new platter (not too expensive), would that be ok? I would rather send a glass/pottery platter than paper or plastic. </p>
<p>The fruit idea is also a good one - but I know that they are going away for a week the day after their seder, and I think the fruit may not last.</p>
<p>Everyone has been so helpful! Thanks again.</p>
<p>Another OT tangent, but I figure this is the right crowd to ask. If tomorrow is my inlaw's yarzheit, do we light the candle at sundown tonight? Thanks for your guidance.</p>
<p>Yes, worrywart, sundown tonight is the proper time.</p>
<p>Have any of you kosher for Passover folks experienced the "stick/block margarine" crisis that has occurred this year? I am thinking about some menu revisions.</p>
<p>Thanks, mom. No, I haven't done my shopping yet. What crisis? That may affect my menu as well.</p>
<p>If anyone can recommend any <em>good</em> kosher wine, I'd really appreciate it. I have tried several different Cabernets and Chardonnays. So far, sorry to say, they are pretty terrible. I admit to being a bit of a wine snob. So, for those with discriminating wine palates, is there anything out there?????</p>
<p>worrywart-Kosher for Passover margarine in either stick or block form, as opposed to KP margarine in the tubs, was not produced by Mother's this year, one of the primary sources. It was produced in a brand called Haolam, but is in very short supply, approaching non-existent. I have been all over the place in Orthodox neighborhoods in a major metropolitan area, and there is just none of the stick/block margarine anymore. There was apparently some a while a go. There is even a whole discussion about the "panic" on a web site called "Chowhound." People are reporting in from all across the country about the inability to find this product. Some are offering to put up extra blocks on ebay. ;)</p>
<p>Guess we'll have to eat the bread of affliction plain. :mad:</p>