In Remembrance of Messiah - Passover Pictures

It's If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen a few of sneak peeks of my congregation's Passover meal. And speaking of Instagram, in the past week or so more than 30,000 photos have been posted under #passover. 30,000! Isn't that crazy?! I love checking out Passover photos and would love to see yours! Tag me or send some my way. :)

We had 16 people in attendance for our Seder. This worked perfectly for a square set up of regular folding tables with four people seated on each side.

We had a worship time before the meal with live music. That's not something we have each week at Shabbat service so it was extra special to us.

We did the traditional four cups of wine. To simplify things, we pour the first cup before the service begins.

Our Passover is not as complicated as most, so we stick with a one page overview of the evening instead of a textbook Haggadah.

Homemade matzah! I know I've said this many times, but this seriously ups the quality of the meal. If making it is an option, I would encourage you to give it a try!

Daffodils just started blooming here a few days before Passover!

Wondering what the colored pencils are for? We made a custom coloring page.

Not everyone made a lot of progress on theirs. haha As you can see this was more geared towards adult doodling that a children's coloring book. 

The matzah pinata of course came along; I'm not sure I will ever bring myself to destroy it. haha I made a few of these banners with different Passover related verses. Above the buffet said, "Eat to remember this," (Deuteronomy 16:3).

Reading the story of Israel. We also five lit menorahs - so beautiful!

This picture really symbolizes this year's Passover: a team effort. Many people contributed to make this a lovely and meaningful evening for all. One person brought the dishes, another made the napkins, another supplied silverware, someone else purchased and brought the glasses. Another picture of Paul speaking of the body of Messiah.

Part of our buffet. Our meal was basically the same elements as the Seder plate, plus a few more vegetables.

Menu:

Smoked lamb marinated in balsamic vinegar, garlic, and rosemary
Einkorn matzah
Romaine salad with peppers, cucumbers, and kalamata olives

Baked charoset with apples and apricots

Roasted root vegetables

Two types of hummus with lots of fresh veggies

Hard boiled eggs

Tabbouli salad of parsley and lemon

Kalamata olive tapenade

Coconut yogurt tzatziki

Something we decided to do this year was ask everyone to bring plenty of food so there would be leftovers to share. The day after Passover is a no-work day and it was so nice to be able to take delicious, kosher, organic food home for meals!

I think this is one of our best Passover meals yet.

We had two special attendees with us via Facetime. They live in the south so they were able to enjoy their Seder outside.

About to enjoy the third cup of my homemade, homegrown grape juice.
Matzah ring tutorial here.

Dessert is served: three types of cheesecake with mixed berries, chocolate, ganache, and whipped cream.

We love pavlova for Passover dessert but since it had been raining we decided to go with cheesecake. It's hard to go wrong with cheesecake and these were excellent.

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to make this set apart time special! 

12 Ways to Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread

1. Bake matzah bread. I know the rabbinical rules to 'unleavened' can be a little intimidating but really what YHWH says is just to not let your bread rise or ferment. Making your own matzah is not difficult and it's SO MUCH BETTER than the boxed kind. Here's my recipe for matzah made with einkorn flour.

2. Read Scripture. This is something we desperately need to reclaim as a joy instead of drudgery. Read appropriate passages out loud, ask children to act them out, memorize a verse this week, or art journal. Our lives and special times will be so much better if YHWH's word is the cornerstone.

3. Make a matzah pinata. Isn't little Lior who made his own mini matzah pinata the cutest? Here are my directions for this super fun Unleavened Bread Week decoration and tradition. Maybe the kids could smash it and get out the goodies at the end of the week?

4. Wear something festive. This Yeshua is the afikomen tee is on sale, or you could wear this shirt! Grab a matzah tie, or even get your dog involved in the festivities with a bandana or collar. Matzah socks, anyone?

5. Celebrate with a sweet kosher-for-Passover treat. Not baking with flour doesn't mean you can't enjoy a special dessert! Try these chocolate donuts,  or a mixed berry pavlova, or these walnut-crusted cherry tarts from Love and Lemons.

6. Make a matzo house. Definitely the answer to the traditional gingerbread house. Decorate with fruit, nuts, or candy. Use frosting or peanut butter for the glue. Martha Stewart shows us how.

7. Get your omer counter ready to go. You can make your own or print one of, but either way counting fifty days to get to Shavuot is a commandment of YHWH. Last year I did a DIY flair one that was such fun to put together. Torah Sisters Magazine also has the prettiest printable cards to use and a kids counter, and both are free!

8. Watch a movie. From The Prince of Egypt to Exodus: Gods and Kings to The Ten Commandments to shorter kids movies there is a fair amount of media that portrays the Exodus story, albeit not usually in a 100% Scripturally accurate way. I find visual aids very helpful, but of course use discernment about what media you consume and be ready to fact check and discuss discrepancies with your fellow movie goers. Here is a children's cartoon on the Israelites leaving Egypt that you can watch for free.

9. Decorate with a printable. 1 Corinthians 5:8 should be central to our focus during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so print it off as a reminder. Lots of other Feast appropriate printables can be found here.

10. Clay matzos. I showed you how to make these last week. Use them for jewelry, barettes, doll houses, as flair for your omer calendar, magnets, or to decorate an inexpensive picture frame with. 

11. Send a card. Receiving cards in the mail was always a marker of a special time to me as a child. Use this chag sameach card from The Climbing Tree or make your own. Sending to friends and family who also celebrate the Feast is fun for all, and sending to those who don't celebrate can be a thoughtful gesture that you're thinking of them.

12. Invite someone to dinner. This is special and memorable. Serve unleavened bread and maybe one or two of these recipes. This simple brunch is a huge crowd pleaser with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and cucumbers on fresh matzah. Discuss the meaning of the Feast and how it pertains to Yahusha to introduce your guests to this aspect of the kingdom.

How will you be celebrating Matzah week?

20 Fun Ideas for the Fall Feasts

October is going to be a busy time for those of us celebrating the Feasts of YHWH. Whether you are new to the festivals or seasoned Methuselah I'm sharing some great ideas to make them extra special this year.

If you're staying at home you'll want to make a sukkah, like this one from Chai and Life.

Or you could go camping...

Sukkot foliage like palm leaves make a great table runner.
From Sugar & Cloth.

You could set this pretty table. From Sugar & Cloth.

You'll be outside a lot so be prepared for the weather with this DIY lemon (or etrog!) umbrella.

From Studio DIY.

Wear this shirt.

From Mt. Tabor Tees.

Order these cookies or get cutters to make your own version.

Make DIY stained 'glass' with your kids to teach them about the feasts.

From The Climbing Tree.

Make these easy palm leaf sticks to stir your Sukkot drinks.

From The Merry Thought.

Have friends over for a potluck dinner in your sukkah.

From Chai and Home.

How good does this apple stuffed challah look?

From Torah Sisters Magazine.

Stay warm with this DIY constellation scarf.
From A Beautiful Mess.

Share this Yom Teruah printable with a friend.

Keep the kiddos entertained with finger puppets, especially handy on Yom Kippur.

Spend time under the stars.
From The Climbing Tree.

 Get a better idea what you're looking at with this constellation map.

From Mr. Printables.

Decorate with letter balloons.

Transform any dessert with this Chag Sameach topper.
From Chai and Home.

Take a virtual tour of the Sukkah PDX exhibit from the Oregon Jewish Museum.

Take notes from this gorgeous party. Can you say #sukkahgoals?

From Love Sarah Schneider.

How will you be celebrating?

PS - I'm posting late this week so Shabbat shalom!