Okayyyy, how was your fast? It’s such a silly question but nonetheless, I do care about how your fast was and how you’re doing in general :).
Tell me right here in the comments…
or message me directly!!
We’re right in the middle of this really intense holiday season, and I always want to check in with you guys :)).
For me, the fast actually started off great but then the last three hours I got a pretty bad headache, and it kind of drained all the energy out of me.
Today, I wanted to go right into Sukkos prep because it’s SO soon but on the other hand, my body is like, nope, we need to take a day and get ourselves situated. So I’m spending the day getting my menus organized, making shopping lists, and figuring out what I need to do so I can hit the ground running tomorrow.
In the meantime, I thought I’d share some Sukkos inspiration and some of the elements I’m using for my tables this year. I obviously don’t have everything yet. I don’t have my flowers, and it’s always hard to share the actual tables in real time because, well, it’s Yom Tov when the tables are set :). So I’ll also share last year’s setup for some extra inspo.
This Year’s Table
This year, I’m using these plaid tablecloths from Target. They’re a little more casual than I usually go for, but I think with the flowers, the fall vibe, and the sukkah being outdoors, it’ll work.
For the plates, I’m using these pumpkin spice gemstone plates from Yom Tov Settings:
Link with promo code here: Pumpkin Spice Gemstone Plates
And then I found these oven-to-table dishes at Target in this really fun red color. Such a cool fall vibe. I use a ton of oven-to-table dishes, so I was excited to find these. The cake pan comes with a cover, so you can bake the cake and then store it right in there:
Nonstick Aluminized Steel Cake Pan Set with Lid Red - Figmint
And this ruffle pie dish:
Stoneware Ruffle Pie Dish Red - Figmint
Last Year’s Tables
And because I can’t show you the finished version of this year’s table yet, here is last year’s setup :):
One little Sukkos tip that was SUCH a game changer for me last year: if you live somewhere cold, put a blanket on every chair.
Obviously, if you live in Florida or Texas, ignore me 😂. But here, I just got whatever little blankets I could find at Walmart. They were kind of funny, with random patterns, but it was such a nice touch and gave everybody a little extra warmth. I loved it. And on that note…
Cozy Chilli
I wanted to share one of my favorite traditional Sukkos recipes. The first night, I traditionally serve chili. It’s very cold in the sukkah here, and I feel like chili is such a good, yummy fall meal for that first night.
So here’s the recipe I use:
Mediterranean Chili with Basmati Rice
Chili:
1 lb. ground meat, lamb, chicken, or turkey
4–5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
6 oz. tomato paste
1–2 cups water
1 15-oz. can chickpeas
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1–2 tsp. sugar
1–3 tsp. cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like it (can omit)
Iceberg lettuce
Basmati rice:
2 cups basmati rice
3⅓ cups water
1 tbsp. oil
Pinch of salt
Bring the water to a boil. Add salt and oil, then add the rice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Check the rice about four minutes before the 20 minutes are up to check for doneness.
Meanwhile, place the meat in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add salt and pepper, then cook for five minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for two minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir them into the meat and spices. Add the tomato paste and water and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve the chili over the rice with shredded iceberg lettuce on the side.
Okay, that’s my little Sukkos download for now :). I’ll share the finished tables when I actually have finished tables to share!
And in Totally Unexpected! land…
This week’s episode with Rabbi David Aaron is out! This is a perfect episode to listen to if you’re looking for a spiritual lift for the season. We get into Kabbalah, G-d, and we also get into his own story and background. I already got this message from a listener which I had to share:
Go listen and let me know what you think!
YouTube
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
🩷 Chavie