Suggestions to make the cooking/cleaning/shopping easier?

chocolate moose

Sun, Sep 02 2012, 3:23 pm

I plan all the yomtov meals at once.

As far as shopping, this helps as today I bought flour and yeast for all the challos for the month, for example. That way, I have plenty of soup and challos, for starters, and I also freeze so the kugel we had at the beginning we aren't tired of by the end. If you serve new foods for the meals, not just cooking once and eating the same foods meal after meal, that's much easier.

You also want to make the prep as easy as possible. Think of ways to cut corners without making the yomtov meals vochdike. Like - green salad is good, but make sure there is a way that makes it special - either buy a new bottled dressing or make the kind with fruit (and nuts, for Succos). Ditto for rice instead of kugel, if that suits you. Couscous is instant, but we eat that a lot during the week by us. I'd rather make kugels ahead of time and freeze them, portioning them out for each of the yomim toivim.

I don't have an answer for cleaning. We use paper plates because the dishwasher is full with serving platters and silverware. As far as the bathroom, I clean it weekly as usual but if chol hamoed or yomtov is Friday, I take a few minutes before to touch it up. Laundry gets done as needed. Just keep in mind chol hamoed when we don't wash.

Get what I mean ?

sbs

Sun, Sep 02 2012, 4:20 pm

I have a hard time planning all yom tov meals at once,
but I'll plan all rosh hashanah at once
then when I cook I double everything so it can be used again sometime over succos
that makes planning the sukkos meals much easier

also, I first stock up my freezer with things like challah, knaidlach, desserts, cakes, cookies,
I sit down one day and plan which of those things I want to make this year, and buy all ingredients at once
this way, if I have some time one day I'l have everything ready to whip up one or 2 cakes, etc....

to make yom tov easier, I use all plastic, nice, but I don't want to spend the whole day washing dishes,
also I have everything prepared in advance, even salad dressings, sauces,... so prepping and serving is quick and simple

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Sep 02 2012, 4:28 pm

I find different recipes for different cuts of roasts, and I add onions/ potatoes/ carrots, etc.

These are really simple meals that I bake in a foil pan, it's the protein plus starch, and then I open a bag of lettuce and add some grape tomatoes and sliced peppers, and call it a simple yet effective Yom Tov meal. Unless we're having a lot of company, we are all VERY full after challah, fish, soup, and the main course of roast + potatoes + salad.

Aetrsnrady

Sun, Sep 02 2012, 8:00 pm

Stick to quick and easy recipies. I started keeping a yom tov binder where I keep menus from previous years. Often there are traditional foods that we like to have for each yom tov, that we look forward to having each year ("it just wouldn't be succos without ______") and those go well with certain other dishes... so often the menus are quite similar from year to year. I don't have to recreate the wheel, and it's nice to work from previous years' menus in planning the new ones- what I did for a 3 day yt, etc. I also keep a list of notes- what worked well and what didn't, what I needed more/less of etc. and add to it each year.

MrsDuby

Sun, Sep 02 2012, 8:11 pm

I dont know if someone mentioned these ideas - but here are some suggestions:

1) a friend of mine does this -- she plans the same meals over and over. Meaning - she'll make Stuffed Cabbage for Rosh HaShana lunch, Sukkos Lunch and Simchas Torah Lunch. (make all before, and freeze / labeled) ... then a Roast for Rosh HAShana night, Sukkos night, and shemini atzeret night (and then cook and freeze) .. see what I mean?

(personally - I think this is a great idea because it makes things easier on the planning BUT it leaves litlte for variety and excitement... I'm still a "newbie" at planning yom tov so I like to try new recipes and stuff Smile

2) Just like the other mother mentioned - LISTS - if ALL your menus are planned out and in a chart (or word doc) - then your shopping list is based on your menu. Which means no running to the store every other day becue you remembered something.

3) Countdown to Tishrei!!!! - I have a Countdown to Pesach list - and I just created one for Tishrei. Bsaically, ALL those things that we need to do but isnt in the food category. I.e - take clothes to cleaners, try on clothes, see what fits, take sheitel to be washed, polish leichter, give extra tzedakah, and other special minhagim you do (we check our mezuzos and tefillin etc.)

4) SIMPLIFY - depending who you are, your family etc. - on a practical level the second night meal can be a simple "soup, challah, dips meal" and the last meal on yom tov can be LEFTOVERS meal. (meaning, less preparation for you)

5) Keeping your lists from year to year -- this is also a GREAT way to stay organized because youre not starting from scratch. You ccan work off your menu ideas from last year and you dont need to re-invent the year every year.

6) Bake early and freeze. Im right now in the middle of my Tishrei Baking Marathon. (its very exciting) every night beofre bed I post one or two pictures on Facebook what I baked today. (thats the exciting part Smile

There are a few things I can cook and freeze ahead of time but mostly its the baking and challah that I plan to get out of the way early.

Good luck - I hope some of these will help you !!!!!!

PS - I know you mentioned that you do NOT want the advice to hire a cleaning lady and cook -- but I highly recommend getting a cleaning lady at least once before yom tov. If you dont have someone regularly - at least hire someone once or twice before Tishrei so even if youre tired from all the cooking and shlepping, at least you know youre house isnt a disaster zone.

Kesivah VaChasimah Tovah !!!!

sunny90

Mon, Sep 03 2012, 9:50 am

I second (or third) the baking ahead. Challah freezes really well and if it's wrapped up well in the freezer will taste perfectly fresh and delicious! So does any cake, cookie or bar. A nice thing I did was make a few different cakes and cut them into small squares and served a variety on a platter--looks like you worked really hard but it's all from the freezer!
I also make a menu of every meal, then a list of ingredients to shop for and then fill in on my calender exactly what I'm making each day and when (am or pm). My calendar is a contract with myself and the scheduled cooking can only be pushed off in an emergency!