Transition Tips-How to Make It Easier?

As many Pesachs as I've experienced, I still become very flustered when transitioning from chometz to Pesach'dig kitchen while the family is still eating chometz.
For the past coupla' years we moved down to our basement and turned it into a makeshift kitchen/dinette. I hate it, but will most likely do it anyways.

How do mothers handle hungry children who want snacks often and your main kitchen is Pesach'dig? How do you handle mornings that become a bit delayed and the busses are honking and you don't have the breakfast foods conveniently located at your fingertips, cuz all around you everything is Pesach'dig? and on and on and on....

Posted: Sat, Mar 17 2007, 11:32 pm Post subject:

yogut, cottage cheese, canned fruit. easy, quick, non-chometz breakfast.
pesach cookies or non-chometz snacks.
bbq on back porch for dinner. (although w/ the new snow we got today, not sure if that will work this year.)
we also plug in a toater oven on the back porch for a milchig chometz snack/meal-like pizza.
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We will eat outside beginning this monday, I will make temp. kitchen in storage outside where I will move kitchen appliances, except for stove. so, we will eat mostly cold or hot sandwiches, again eating only outside, and using non-chometz snack, also going out for pizza. Basically, "camping out" Laughing

This is the only way I can start cleaning kitchen and dinning areas next week, without pushing it off to the last few days, the rest of the house will be done, time permitting.

I hope to start the kitchen this Tue or Wed, iy"H.
I start with closets etc, so that doesn't interfere with cooking. Then I move on to fridge and gas. After I've done the fridge I cover the shelves and put food in there; just not chometz with crumbs etc. Before Pesach I recover the shelves.

If there are keilim which I still need after emptying the closets I keep them in a box on the floor.

Meanwhile I still serve chometz in the kitchen.

The last stage is cleaning walls, table, chairs, counter tops which usually takes two days. Before doing the gas I boil eggs, cook tivol in the oven etc. first we eat cold food that is left in the living room, then I order pizza for those one/ two days. I set up a coffee corner with an electric kettle.

As soon as I've finished the kitchen (B"H Wednesday before Pesach) I start cooking in Pesach keilim then serve on disposables in the living room. The living room I plan to do after Shabbos, and then food will be on the balcony.

Here are some hot dinners I make year-round but a lot more of it on days leading up to Pesach:
chicken bottoms in a bekeleh, add cubed/sliced potatos and sweet potato, pour or sprinkle oil and some salt and paprika and/or garlic powder. You may like this dish with sliced onions on bottom of bekeleh. I cover with silver foil and poke some holes for heat to escape. I make a lot of it as everyone loves it, and it is less filling than a dinner that contains pasta/bread.
bake chicken bottoms in a bekeleh with brown rice, add pleanty of water, some salt and some oil so the rice doesn't stick.
meatballs, make one big batch today and freeze for a few dinners, it doesn't contain chomets: one pack of about a pound ground chicken breast, add two medium onions, grated. Add one-two medium/large potatos, grated. Add salt, a few eggs, and some origianl bbq sauce. I mix the batter with my braun hand-blender or in my braun food processor with the s-blade. cook in your favorite meatball sauce.
I also make 'latkes' with this same batter, try with different amounts of bbq sauce, I like to add more than just a bit of the bbq sauce.
for breakfast, this is more expensive than your regular breakfast cereal but it may be worth your peace of mind: get gluten-free corn flakes or rice crispies in the health food store. It does not contain chometz. 'rice twice' from Erewhon is delicious! We eat it year round, it is a healthy and sweet cereal. not very filling though. cut up some eggs on the side for added calories.

Senior Member Joined: Jan 10 2007 Posts: 184

this week I plan to cook double of everything. freeze it. and serve next week
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Posted: Sun, Mar 18 2007, 9:55 am Post subject:

we eat pesachdig suppers!

My kids are not into milchigs, I.e. yogurt, cheeses, etc. They need chometz gomer!
I usually set up a makeshift kitchen in my basement, which really does not have appropriate facilities. On the children's computer desk I set up the Shabbos hot plate, on some toy shelves and some cardboard boxes we pile with paper goods. Then the issue of refrigerated stuff becomes a hassle. The refrigerator in the kitchen gets Pesach'dig and I can't have ANYBODY going in and out of the fridge for food and I don't like to keep more than just the minimum bottle of milk and dozen of eggs that will still be used for chometz purposes. So it's up and down, and here and there, and I hate it! I just hate it!!! And just when I'm pleased that the basement is done for Pesach, meaning all the storage closets there are done, the toy closet is done (phew!), the entertainment closet is done, the change-of-season clothing closets are done, the extra freezers are done, BANG! we move down and start 'potchkening' for close to 2 weeks and the place becomes a wreck! Gosh - I hate it! Now, how dare I complain?!?! Many don't have a basement to move over to. I know I should be thankful for this, but the workload just doesn't let up! Sorry for venting. Thanks for listening!

Oh, and btw, I have tons of frozen supper prepared, and yes, we will shlep down our microwave to the basement too!! Good grief!

Silver Member Joined: Jul 10 2005 Posts: 687

Good Grief? GOOD LUCK!!!

Gold Member Joined: Nov 21 2006 Posts: 1942 Location: L.A.

down, would it be much of a help to have a small fridge in the basement? Perhaps you can borrow one from someone?

Posted: Tue, Mar 20 2007, 7:13 am Post subject:

Thanks for all for your ideas. It's my first time making
Pesach, and all these how-to threads are a major help.

Thanks!!!