Frugal Friday: Cheap Garbage Disposal Deodorizer

Ok...so this might be a little weird. But after having three Passover seders (plus a mini one in my Shabbat school class) I have a few extra food items around that I was trying to think how to use up. And what do you know? I came up with an inexpensive, yet effective deodorizer for my garbage disposal!

The secret: Fresh parsley!

Since I have quite a good amount left over (which I had bought for 89 cents total at Publix) and I noticed my garbage disposal didn't smell the best, I dropped a small bunch into the disposal and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then after I washed a few dishes, I turned on the disposal and let the clean fragrance fill the air. Mmmm...much better! Plus it's much less expensive than the $3.99 stuff that is sold for this purpose!

Ok, that's my tip for Frugal Friday! For more ideas, head on over to Biblical Womanhood. And let me know if you have any good ideas for deordorizing your home frugally!

Shabbat Shalom!

Passover Recipe #2: Mama's Matzah Brie

I made this for my hubby very quickly this morning for breakfast, and thought I'd share it with my wonderful readers. It's filling and very yummy too...which is a rare combination for traditional Passover food! There are many variations on this recipe, but this is how my mama makes it.

You'll need (for two servings):
2 matzot (plural for matzah)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
seasonings to taste

Heat a pan with cooking spray on medium heat. Break the matzah into a little larger than bite size pieces. Soak them for a few minutes in a bowl with the milk (I used vanilla soymilk this morning and it was wonderful!). Open the eggs into a glass bowl, and whisk. Pour the matzah mixture into the eggs and lightly beat. Add any seasonings - salt, pepper, curry - whatever your heart desires!

Now, simply cook just like scrambled eggs, by pouring the mixture into the hot pan, and every few minutes push the edges into the middle. Yummy breakfast (or dinner)!

Do you make matzah brie? What do you like to put in it?

Thanks to this recipe site for the yummy picture!

Time to be Real

Can I be real with you, my lovely readers, for a few minutes?

Honestly, I need to apologize first off. I had every intention of writing wonderful blogs about my Passover cleaning, preparation, teachings and the like, with beautiful pictures of course, but it just simply didn't happen.

In the middle of all the craziness of preparing my home and my heart for this joyous holiday came some news at work that caused me much anxiety. I was told that I was being moved to another department, a lateral move really - which was fine with me, except that I really felt it would cause a lot of office drama. I hate drama. I really do.

Instead of taking it to my Heavenly Abba right away, I fretted and stressed and cryed to my husband...much like the children of Israel did to Moses. In the middle of what should have been a time of great renewal and revival of my heart, I became anxious and put myself into mental slavery.

Since Saturday night, I have attended three different Passover seders, one of which I taught along with my husband. Finally, last night I got the picture! It came time for the Hallel section after the meal, and everyone was going around the table telling testimonies of what God has done in their lives lately. I realized that all I could think about was how much I felt I was lacking - at home, at work, as a child of God. This was the sin of bondage. However, repentance is a wonderful thing. Just as we eat the Hillel sandwich consisting of bitter herbs AND the sweet charoset mixture, our tears turn to joy when we repent. God hears our cries and gives us true freedom! Hallelujah!

Last Friday night, my husband and I were sharing with each other the "leaven" that we felt God was showing us was in our hearts. One thing I told him that I will share with you, is that I am happy this year to say that I finally feel that I've moved on to other "leavens." When I was younger my father would give everyone in my family a little booklet to write our sins in, and before Passover we would burn them. But, I was so discouraged when I realized that every year I would write the same exact things. I was reminded of this when I read the following verses:

"Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Cor. 5:6-8

Praise God - He who sanctifies us and draws us to Himself!

Interestingly enough, here is Oswald Chamber's devotion for April 23:


THE WORSHIP OF THE WORK
"Labourers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9

Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

By the way, here's another post that really blessed me today.

Thanks to Allposters.com for the lovely picture!

Coming Out From Egypt...

By Tzvi Freeman

The biblical slavery of Egypt represents bondage to your own self.

Every day, every moment, must be an exodus from the self.

If you're not leaving Egypt, you're already back there.

Beginner's Guide to Passover

From Jenny M: It's hard for me to remember my life before my family started celebrating Passover. So sometimes I forget that many of my readers may have not enjoyed this wonderful "feast of the LORD" before! If you are new to the feasts, please read this "Beginner's Guide" I put together. As always, feel free to ask any questions you may have. There's no such thing as a "dumb" question!

What is Passover?
Passover is one of the “Feasts of the LORD,” as found in Leviticus 23:5-8. Actually, Pesach (Passover) is a feast that is literally only a few hours long (between sundown and complete darkness) on the 14th day of the month of Nissan on the Hebrew calendar. Chag HaMatzah, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is observed for seven days following Passover, from the 15th day of Nissan through the 21st of Nissan.

What are we celebrating?
There’s a children’s song that goes, “On Passover we remember, we remember, we remember what the LORD has done…” That’s exactly right. Passover is a time of remembrance. But what are we remembering?
The festival of Passover recalls the story of how the LORD delivered His people from the slavery of Egypt, as written in Exodus 1-15. The commandment was actually given in Exodus 12:1-20 for the Hebrew people in Egypt to observe this festival, even as they were still in Egypt. For four hundred years the Hebrew people had been in Egypt, and a new Pharaoh arose that did not remember Joseph (Exodus 1:8). However, God had a plan; He always does!
He raised up a young Hebrew boy named Moshe (Moses’ Hebrew name). Moshe was told to go before Pharaoh and plead on behalf of the Hebrew people. “Let my people go,” he cried to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh, as we know, was stubborn and ten times, including ten plagues that were visited upon Egypt, he wouldn’t be persuaded.
Most people recall watching the Ten Commandments film, especially the part that shows that as the LORD passed through Egypt, only those who had obeyed His command to smear the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts did not experience any death in their household that night. That is the part of the film I remember most from watching it as a child!
Finally after Pharaoh himself experienced the loss of his firstborn (Exodus 12:29), he sent Moshe and the Hebrew people out of the land, only to change his mind and send his armies after them. Then, of course, God uses Moshe to split the sea, and the Hebrew people walked to the other side on dry ground, while the armies of Egypt are swallowed up into a watery grave! Talk about deliverance!

There’s another deliverance we are celebrating, that of our spiritual deliverance! We all have had our own experience of being “slaves to Egypt,” that is, this world we live in. We can choose to allow our worldly existence to consume our lives with nothing but slavery from beginning to end, which is the road that most people choose. The good news is that we have an alternative – God sent the Messiah Yeshua of Nazareth to come and be our Passover sacrifice. How do we smear his blood on our spiritual doorposts? By faith, just the same way that the Hebrews did! They had to have faith that that lamb’s blood was going to “save” them, or else they wouldn’t have done it. Hebrews 11:28 says, “By faith, he [Moses] obeyed the requirements for the Passover, including the smearing of the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.” All the observances and traditions surrounding this feast, as with the other feasts of the LORD, are given to us to teach us about God’s special plan of salvation, both in the past and in the future!

But what if I'm not Jewish?
Direct quote from Exodus 12:48-49, "If a foreigner living among you wants to observe the LORD's Passover, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it [the Passover lamb]. The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you."

Remember, it wasn't only the physical descendants that came out of Egypt, but a "mixed multitude" (Exodus 12:38) went out. There were people from "the nations" as it were, that decided that this God of Israel was the one true God, as they had seen his power and might displayed in their land. This was Israel living out her calling to be a "light to the nations." Today, we must also have a "circumcised heart" (Romans 2:26-29) as we are grafted in to the olive tree of Israel (Romans 11:17-24). Therefore, any who has believed in the God of Israel has an invitation to celebrate HIS feasts!

How is Passover observed today?
Today, Passover is commenced by a meal, called a seder. Seder means “order” in Hebrew, and refers to the order of the meal. This is not an eat-and-run meal like the very first Passover meal, back in Egypt. As the saying goes, “Once we were slaves, now we are free!” And what do free people do? Take their time, relax, and recline…and that’s exactly what we do at the seder meal. There is a book that each participant will use at the meal, called a HaGaddah. HaGaddah means “the telling.” As we read through the HaGaddah together, we learn not only about the story in Exodus but also about the special ceremonial foods you see on the seder plate in front of you. If you will be attending your first seder sometime soon, don’t forget to eat something beforehand! The actual meal can come hours after you have started reading the HaGaddah and explaining the seder plate.
Another observance for Passover, and the main observance for Chag HaMatzah (seven days following Passover evening), is to abstain from things that are leavened. Not only do many people not eat regular leavened products (bread, pasta, cereal, cookies, cake, etc.), but the commandment in Exodus says to remove it from one’s dwelling. For the weeks preceding Passover, many families begin cleaning their homes of even the smallest crumbs! Talk about spring cleaning!

What are the ceremonial elements on the seder table and what do they mean?
Seder Plate:

Zeroah (A Shankbone) – Usually a roasted chicken leg is used, although sometimes people do use a lamb bone. This is obviously to remember the Passover sacrifice, the lamb that was slain. Lamb is not eaten during the seder, as the temple has not yet been rebuilt.

Maror (Bitter Herbs) – Usually a fresh horseradish root on the plate or some prepared horseradish to give a painful reminder of the bitterness of slavery.

Karpas (A Vegetable) – Usually a crunchy vegetable such as parsley, lettuce, a potato or an onion, alluding to the back-breaking labor endured by the Hebrew people in Egypt. If using parsely it can symbolize the hyssop that was used to smear the lamb's blood on the doorposts and lintel of the Hebrew's homes.

Charoset (A Sweet Paste) – This is everyone’s favorite element! It is a sweet paste made of chopped fruit and nuts (apples, dates, raisins, walnuts, and little wine or grape juice). It is a reminder of the mortar used for the bricks laid by the Hebrew slaves. As we scoop it up on to a piece of matzah with some of the bitter herbs, it is a reminder that God turns our mourning into joy!

Chazeret (Romaine Lettuce) – This is a remembrance that the exile of the children of Israel in Egypt began well (pleasant tasting leaves), but turned sour (the bitter stalk of the romaine lettuce).

A Roasted Egg – This is a tradition that begun after the destruction of Herod’s temple (the Second Temple) in 70 AD. The roasted hard-boiled egg is meant to symbolize the festival offering that was brought to the temple by the worshippers. It is dipped in salt water during the meal to symbolize the tears that were shed by those who witnessed the destruction of the temple, but the “new life” of the egg is a symbol of our hope to see Messiah rebuild the temple and rightfully reign from Jerusalem. Note: not all seders include the egg.

Other elements:

Matzah – Unleavened bread is made with no yeast, and therefore is flat. It is a symbol for many things. It is a reminder that the Hebrews had no time to allow their bread to rise during their flight from Egypt. Matzah’s greatest symbolization, however, is that of “sin” or “pride.” As we clean our homes of leavened products, we should even more so be introspective of our spirits. It’s a time of renewal and repentance before God, our deliverer. Also, as believers in Yeshua the Messiah, the matzah is a reminder of His sinless sacrifice. As you look at a piece of matzah, read Isaiah 53. The matzah is bruised (“He was bruised for our transgressions”), and it is pierced (“…pierced for our iniquities”).

Salt Water – As we dip the karpas in the salt water, we remember the tears of slavery. How great is the Father’s love that He will one day wipe away every tear!

The Four Glasses of Wine or Juice – Each glass of wine or grape juice represents one of the promises that God gives His people in Exodus 6:6-7.
They are: the Cup of Sanctification (I am ADONAI. I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians,), the Cup of Deliverance (…rescue you from their oppression...), the Cup of Redemption (…and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.) and the Cup of Praise (I will take you as my people, and I will be your God).

*When Yeshua took the cup and said, "Do this in remembrance of me," He did so at the last seder with His disciples. He was saying, "When you observe the Passover, remember how my sacrifice has sancitifed you, delivered you, redeemed you, so that you could praise the Father in Heaven!"

The Cup of Elijah – But wait…one more cup! This cup is actually not one that we enjoy at the seder, but one that is set in case Elijah himself arrives as the guest of honor to herald the coming of Messiah. It is a reminder that Messiah can come at any moment, even in the middle of our Passover seder! Even so, come Lord Yeshua!

Passover Recipe #1: Matzah Pizza

Ok, you've been asking and I know it's high time for my Ten Most Favorite Passover Recipes.
Today, I will feature one of the easiest, but also one of the most-treasured: "Matzah Pizza."

Here's how I do it:

Place a whole matzah (or more, any flavor) on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.

Spread about 2 tbsp. tomato or pasta sauce on matzah.

Cover with your favorite cheese (mine's Cabot cheddar - it's kosher too!).

Add your favorite toppings.

Bake for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven (just until cheese is nice and bubbly, but don't burn the matzah).

Keep checking back for more Passover recipes. Remember, if you have not yet done so, to go here and get your FREE 36-page Passover resource. Check here for Publix matzah deals to get make your Passover even more frugal! Check out Biblical Womanhood for even more frugal ideas!

Thanks to Mediabistro.com for the above picture!

And you shall teach them diligently to your children...

And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Exodus 12:26-27 (NKJV)

As I was preparing the lesson last night for our children's Shabbat School, I thought it might be a good idea to post it on here for you to use with your children! As usual, I learned much as I studied the subject of the Four Questions of the Passover seder (seder translates to "order" in English, referring to the order of the festive meal).

Shabbat School (or Homeschool) Lesson: The Four Questions

Materials needed:

- Fresh parsley sprigs (one for each child)

- Small plates (one for each child)

- Bowl of salt water

- Piece of fresh horseradish (or spoonful of prepared horseradish)

- You may make charoset for the children if they won't be attending a seder (see recipe link)

- Pillow (one for each child)

- Coloring pages for each element

- CD including song "Ma Nishtana" (Four Questions in a song - I have this one)

*If your children are new to Passover, you may want to introduce the story found in the beginning of Exodus to them first. For the purposes here, I will begin where I will be teaching from (most of our children have done a Passover seder at least once).

Who asks the Four Questions at the Passover seder?

- Traditionally at the seder meal, the Four Questions are sung or read by the youngest child.

- The answers are to give a brief overview of the story of Passover, as found in Exodus 12.

What are the Four Questions?

It is really one main question with four clauses.

Main question: "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Four clauses:

1. On all other nights we eat bread or matzah, why on this night do we only eat matzah?

2. On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, why on this night do we eat bitter herbs?

3. On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once, why on this night do we dip our vegetables twice?

4. On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining, why on this night do we only eat reclining?

Answers to the Four Questions

1. We only eat matzah on Passover because our ancestors had to leave Egypt in a hurry. God told them not to put leaven in their dough, as it would not have time to rise (Exodus 12:34). We observe it today to remember the temporary nature of our earthly home.

- Show the children a piece of matzah and ask them how it's different from regular bread.

- Explain how leaven works.

Messianic significance: In the Bible, leaven is a symbol for sin or pride. It is that which "puffs up." Talk to the children about how Messiah Yeshua was sinless, so the matzah can be a symbol for Yeshua!

2. We only eat maror (bitter herbs) to remind us of the bitterness of slavery that our ancestors endured in Egypt.

-Show the children the horseradish and tell them how bitter it is.

-Tell them they will get to try it later.

Messianic significance: We can remember the harshness and suffering of Yeshua's execution through the bitterness of the maror. It may even bring you to tears!

3. We dip twice:

(1) Parsley in salt water - representing tears from the bitterness of slavery

(2) Bitter herbs in charoset (sweet mixture of fruit, nuts and wine or grape juice)

Messianic significance: We remember the tears of those who were close to Yeshua when he died, but their tears turned to joy when they saw the resurrected Messiah. It's a reminder that God turns our mourning into joy!

4. In ancient times, only those who were free were allowed to recline at a meal. The slaves had to eat standing or sitting straight up. Once we were slaves, now we are free!

Messianic significance: Yeshua did this at his Last Seder (Matthew 26:20). We can rest (recline) in the work of atonement that Messiah's death and resurrection accomplished!

- Now give each child a small piece of matzah, a tiny (very tiny!) piece of horseradish, a sprig of parsley, spoonful of charoset (if you make it), and their pillow.

- Help them dip the matzah in the horseradish (and charoset) and taste, the sprig of parsley in the salt water and taste, and recline on their pillow.

Coloring Activity/Song

- Now allow the children to color the pages. I love using Torah Tots, as they have great coloring pages for every single part of the Torah! The Passover coloring pages are found on this page. The ones I am using for the Four Questions are this one, this one, this one and this one.

- While the children color, you could play the Four Questions song ("Ma Nishtana") for them and then teach them the words if you like!

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope this is a great help for introduction or preparation for children to the Passover seder. I will continue to post my preparation tips as the holiday nears (evening of April 19th this year)! Remember, you can still get your FREE Passover Resource or order your own Passover HaGaddah here. Not sure if Passover is for you? Read this post.

To order the book pictured above, go here.

Free 36-Page Passover Resource!

Many people have been asking me for instructions on how to celebrate the feasts at home, which I hope to do more of on here. For now, I just found out that First Fruits of Zion has prepared a wonderful resource (in PDF format) that you can download by clicking here and clicking on the box that says "FREE Passover Resource" about half-way down the page. It's great for beginners and not-so-beginners alike!

Keep checking back for more on the festival of Passover, which begins the evening of April 19th this year (and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is observed for seven days after Passover). I hope to post my cleaning the leaven out of my house (with pictures!), and some of my favorite Passover recipes! You won't believe the yummy things you can make with matzah!

Publix: Passover Prep Deals!

If you are preparing for Passover, make sure to grab one of Publix's weekly ads this week. There is a $3 off coupon for a 5 lb. package of Streit's matzah, which happens to be my favorite. It is on sale for $10.99 (usually $14.99), so with the coupon you get a ton of matzah for $7.99!

Also, the Manichewitz matzo ball soup mix is BOGO this week. Make sure to get some for your celebration!

Keep checking back for more on the festival of Passover, which begins the evening of April 19th this year. I hope to post my cleaning the leaven out of my house (with pictures!), and some of my favorite Passover recipes! You won't believe the yummy things you can make with matzah!