'No Leftovers' Shabbat

I generally love cooking a ton of food for Shabbat, thus minimizing my cooking for the rest of the week. However, since we're leaving at 5 am on Sunday morning for our trip, no leftovers for this week. I guess I could have frozen the leftovers, but the food I like to cook doesn't freeze very well (roasted veggies and roasted chicken aren't very freezer friendly, IMHO.)

So I was going to cave into my husbands' constant pleas and buy takeout. Now, my husband doesn't plea for take out because he dislikes my food. He just thinks I work too hard and there's too much clean up, so why not spend about the same amount of money and buy it (he doesn't take into account leftovers, probably because he doesn't really eat them. I'm the leftover eater in the house).

So, I was planning on picking up a few last minute food items for the trip at the super (PB, tuna, pitas, hot dogs, and I actually bought some packet soups which I've never in my life bought, but I thought I'd give them a whirl. I got some kind with no MSG or preservatives. We'll see how they taste... ). I had baby E with me and since he generally enjoys supermarket trips, it wasn't a problem.

While at the super, I suddenly felt like I didn't have the strength to go to yet another store for the takeout. And I had some stuff in the fridge I had to get rid of anyway... So...

I bought a chicken and whipped up a few things before my husband saw and laughed his head off that I couldn't get take out even for this shabbat.

The menu is:

Friday night:
Golden Fruit Soup (peach, nectarines and apricots cooked with cinnamon and ginger, purreed and chilled. Recipe below)
Roasted chicken
Roasted Butternut squash
Cumin Scented Chipeas and Spinach (awesome recipe, good hot or cold)

Shabbat Lunch:
Leftovers from the night before
Cold cuts and salatim

I bought little containers of salatim, so I hopefully will still have an empty fridge when we leave.

Golden Fruit Soup
Large Bowl of ripe nectarines, peaches and apricots (I can't remember how many there were, but I'd say about 10 pieces of fruit altogether. There were some grapes in there too)
1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 - 3/4 cup light brown sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like your fruit soup)
Water to cover

Cut up fruit into chunks, cook with spices, sugar and water until soft. Let cool, puree with a stick blender. Chill. For dairy meals, serve with a big dollop of full fat yogurt. Try freezing in popsicle molds for fresh fruit bars ( you can layer with yogurt for fruit and yogurt bars)

5 comments:

Leora said...

I gave you an award on my blog, but you have probably left for your trip. Well, something to enjoy when you get back!

I enjoy a good fruit soup in the summer, if someone else makes one for me.

JJ said...

I tried buying takeout for Shabbat a few times and I found that it was A LOT more expensive than making the food myself, and we all preferred my food. Maybe I just haven't found good takeout food around here. Even though it's expensive, I wouldn't mind doing it once in a while, because there are times that I just don't feel like doing a big Shabbat cooking.

Have a great trip!

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky - my husband wants me to cook - I prefer buying ready stuff!

The Kosher Bride said...

RR - I have found the same thing. Purchasing is much more expensive for me. So even though sometimes I am never quite sure where I will find the time I usually cook myself. Besides, I like the excuse to try new recipes.

Why is it that in most households it is the women who are leftover eaters? Maybe we see all the effort that goes into a food and refuse to let it perish. Or maybe we just like sticking with stuff we know is good. Either way, I too am the main leftover eater in my house and my mother is in hers.

Batya said...

I have a neighbor who loves getting my leftovers. She never makes the seder, so she's part of a crowd of similars who have a pre-Pesach chametz party.
Everyone needs a neighbor like that!

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