Passover and Picky Eaters

I’m always amazed at how fast Passover comes every year.  When a friend mentioned cleaning out her cupboards in preparation for the holiday in a few weeks, I gasped at the thought that the holiday is just around the corner.  In Judaism, it’s common to clean out your house prior to the holiday, to do a bit of spring cleaning, and my house can sure use it!

I’m actually running a clothes drive at my children’s nursery school that will motivate people to not only clean out their house, but give certain items to the people who need them most.  I’m working with Room to Grow, collecting gently used clothing and toys for infants that come from homes with little to no income.  I’m hoping to collect a good amount of clothing and toys to take into the city to benefit a lot of children.

Jewish people typically clean out their cupboards and remove all traces of flower – bread, rice, pasta, anything with starch in it.  It’s time to bring in the  matzah!   According to Osem, the largest Kosher food manufacturer in the world, they sell 2 million tons of matzah annually to Americans.  Man, that’s a lot of matzah!  We eat matzah on Passover as a remembrance of the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.

This year I plan to have my kids keep Passover quite strictly.  I’ve been quite lenient (and lazy)  in prior years as I have two children who are extremely picky eaters.  I have always caved in on the 2nd or 3rd day when I realize that their eating pickings are slim, particularly my son who is on the thin side.  However, I think it’s time for them to participate in all the customs that we, ourselves, partake in.  They go to Sunday School; they’re learning about their heritage and history.  It’s time to turn them into Passover keepers!

But t definitely takes work to keep them well-fed and content during the holiday, which lasts a week.  Osem will help me get through the holiday.  I’ll be making my famous matzah lasagne several times during the course of the week, using matzah straight from their factories, which is a big hit in my house.  Pasta that’s Kosher for Passover doesn’t quite cut it in my house.  It’s mushy and not very appealing to my kids.  They love Osem’s Bissli, Marble Cake, croutons, soup mix and matzah.  And, of course, their chocolate covered matzah which is absolutely delicious.

So, the question is how will get my two fusspot kids to eat the food I make during the Passover holiday?  I’ll be making the holiday FUN.  My kids will help me prepare everything.  Maybe they’ll even help me clean out the pantry.  If they get upset about the food they’re not having, we’ll talk about the holiday’s meaning and history.  We’ll make kid-friendly food like schnitzel, fried chicken cutlets, roast chicken, potato latkes and kugel, even cookies for Pesach.

Chocolate matza is a family favorite in our house during Passover, and it’s easy enough to make together.  It’s something I plan to make and I thought I’d share the recipe.  It’s a huge HIT in my house.

Ingredients:

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