Unsolicited advice from people with no qualifications but many opinions

T

here’s nothing like the unique fulfillment that being creative in the kitchen gives. It’s rewarding and invigorating in its own unique way. Channeling artistic energy into this particular medium to create the perfect plate, table, and menu might just be our calling. Oh, right, and there are kids underfoot, too. Welcome to a month of Yom Tov, and more stressfully, all of the Erevs. It never gets easier; we just forget that we did this before, like childbirth.

Something Fishy

I listened to about 15 shiurim that told me to prioritize self-care and mental health this Erev Yom Tov season. My main takeaway was that to lighten my Yom Tov load I need to up my cleaning help hours and order some catered dishes for Yom Tov. I wasn’t the one that decided this; I heard it in a shiur! The issue is, I warmed up the chicken soup I ordered and served it for the first night’s seudah and… it appears to be (and by appears to be, I very much mean smells like) fish broth. How do I explain this to my husband? Incidentally, he thinks I cooked everything myself.

This happens more often than you’d think! Here’s our surefire solution to get rid of large quantities of less-than-stellar food that you feel too bad to throw out: Leave it out on the stove and go to bed, without giving instructions to anyone. Allow the soup to get left out overnight. Pick a fight about your husband never noticing what needs to be done in the house. He’ll never focus on the terrible takeout! (authors’ note: This is a joke. We do not condone bal tashchis or fighting with your husband.)