When Darren and I moved to Idaho, which meant being away from family, we desired that we would begin making some family traditions of our own. One of those traditions was to have a Seder meal prior to our Good Friday Church service. We wanted this time to not only be a memory making moment for our family but also that it would be a spiritual connection that would bolster our kids’ faith.
Since we were new to the idea and tradition of having a Seder meal we went into the research phase of preparation. We wanted to recount some of the resources and recipes that were helpful to us here, praying it could be helpful to you one day as well. All at the same time knowing there will be room to grow and expand as not only our family grows but as the years grow too.
Part of the beauty of the Seder meal is that you recall God’s goodness through reading scripture, prayer, and tasting food that will help remember.
We decided to purchase Seder plates (HERE) this is not needed but helped a newbie like me. And we felt like we needed some easy, straightforward instructions for what to do as far as the order, as well as recommendations for prayers ALL WHILE having a Christain perspective. Here are some of the booklets we bought and our opinion on them:
Darren and I have a mission to not make things too complicated, so with that in mind if you are a beginner to the Seder Meal Tradition, this is a great place to start.
Ok … now on to one of my favorite parts, not only to share with you but to have a record for myself, the recipes and pictures of our very first Seder meal that I want to remember year after year.
On a Seder plate there 6 parts, (I would argue 8 parts, since two don’t live on the plate but our vital to the meal). Several of the components are easy peasey lemon squeezy. Let’s break it down.
Egg – Hardboiled
Wine – we used Red juice (not on plate)
Parsley – labeled the greens on plate, you need a sprig at least to dip into the salt water
Horseradish – Also referenced as Maror or bitter herbs. We cheated and used prepared jar horseradish, a little note – fresh probably would have packed a bigger punch but the prepared one made it easier and the kids ate it.
Shank Bone – traditionally it is a lamb bone, this part is not eaten yet rather used as a reminder. We used chicken bones from our whole chicken the night before and it was a win.
(The last three below are recipes we used, tested and loved!)
Charoset – This is an apple mixture that is representative of the mortar used in Egypt. It was the kids favorite, and using a food processor or a time saver! Literally could make this salad in minutes.
Recipe: simply mix all ingredients together in a food processor or chop apples and walnuts fine.
3 Apples
1/4 cup of walnuts (or pecans)
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
Bitter Herbs – Also called Chazeret
Recipe: similar to the Charoset, chop the onion and parsley fine, mix all ingredients together.
1/3 onion (we used red, could use any kind)
2 cups finely chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Thyme (we used this as a substitute for Ground Sumac)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Unleavened Bread – (also not on plate) This is a must and in the description of the Seder asked for 3 pieces to be broken and used during the meal, we did this and next time would make extra for samplings and the meal afterward, it was a great easy recipe we are going to use throughout the year.
Ingredients: (this makes 3 large breads)
2 cups flour
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cups of water
Directions:
Put the flour and salt into a medium bowl and mix. Cut in the butter into the flour, add water slowly until it forms a soft sticky dough. Divide the dough into 2 balls and roll them out flat like they are a tortilla (we used our tortilla press.) Turn on skillet/fry pan to high temperature. Briefly cook unleavened bread flipping 2-3 times.
Overall this was a great first year start to our hopeful new Seder Tradition. We provided a meal that was not Kosher after so we weren’t 100% true to the traditional evening but regardless as I said above we have room to grow 🙂
