Sukkot, while known primarily as our Festival of Booths, is also the Jewish harvest festival celebrating nature and the ingathering of the fruits of the earth. As such, on Chag HaAsif, the “Feast of Ingathering,” vegetables and fruits are the theme of the meals eaten in the Sukkah as well as the décor of the Sukkah itself. What better way to honor this holiday of harvest than by utilizing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts in delicious treats to adorn our tables and share with our family and friends.

In our home during the holidays, sweet treats are not only limited to the desserts served after a festive meal. We enjoy bringing the sweet yom tov spirit into every meal by enjoying healthier home-baked goodies for breakfast, snacks and as dessert after meals as well. Muffins are usually our treat of choice as they are pre-portioned, are not too sweet, can be filled with healthy, nutrient and fiber boosting ingredients (don’t tell the kids), and most of all our kids love them. The Triple Apple Muffins and Pear Zucchini Muffins are two of our family’s favorites, and are also the perfect anytime treat to enjoy in your own Sukkah.

Sukkot Lunch Menu 1 (Meat)

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Thai Chicken Salad

Spicy Thai Beef Salad

Mango Coconut Rice

No Bake Cookies

Sukkot Lunch Menu 2 (Dairy)

Smoked Salmon Nicoise

Sundried Tomato and Brie Stuffed Portabella

Broccoli and Walnut Pasta

I hope you had a rocking Rosh Hashanah and enjoyed our Susie Fishbein menu.  Now it’s time to prepare for Sukkot with Susie.  Since it’s already October, I am thinking this is going to be the kind of year where we sit outside in our winter coats — so to warm us all up, I am including a hearty seasonal soup on our menu with a fabulous Italian Focaccia. There is a tradition to eat stuffed foods on Sukkot, so we have an Apricot Almond Stuffed Chicken that is the highlight of our spectacular Susie Sukkot menu.

Focaccia Bread Three Ways
Meatball Minestrone
Apricot Almond Stuffed Chicken
Rice Pilaf
Spinach and Parsnip Gratin
Cappucino Mousse

Shopping List

From the Butcher:

• 2 whole chickens or 1 large pullet
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

From the Produce Section:

• 6 onions
• 1 head garlic
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• Parsley
• 4 Plum tomatoes
• Rosemary
• Red onion
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Celery stalk
• 3 pounds large parsnips

From the Aisles:

• 1 bag fine egg noodles
• 1 bag long-grain white rice or 2 boxes rice pilaf mix
• 2 quarts of Chicken broth
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 (16-ounce) jar apricot jam
• Paprika
• Raisins
• Sliced almonds
• Olive oil
• Tomato paste
• Dried oregano
• Dried Basil
• Sliced black olives
• 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichokes
• Italian or flavored bread crumbs
• 8 cups or 64 ounces beef broth or 4 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (1-pound) can red kidney beans
• Elbow or rotini pasta
• Flour
• Mayonnaise
• 13 ounces good-quality milk or semisweet chocolate (I like Ghiradelli®)
• 4 teaspoons espresso powder
• Plastic spoons

From the Freezer:

•  2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• Nondairy whipped topping (I like Richwhip®)

From the Fridge:

• Eggs
• Non Dairy Sour Cream
• Margarine
• Pizza or bread dough

From the Wine Shop:

• Red wine

I live in an apartment and sadly I don’t have my own Sukkah.  That means I will be eating most of my meals as a guest, looking forward to that and bringing a picnic to the Sukkah at our shul.  Anotherwords I am not going to be cooking very much and don’t really need to plan any menus, but I know that most of you are on the opposite side of me, the hosts that are having those like me, especially if you live in a city where not everyone can have their own Sukkah.  So I would like to help you out plus Jamie is busy taking care of the newest Geller addition (number 5!) so I don’t think she is planning any big menus that don’t come from the gazillion meatballs she froze before she had the baby.  Anyways, here you go, two Sukkot Night menus.

Sukkot Night Menu 1

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Chicken with Spiced Mango Rice

Orange Infused Roasted Green Beans and Red Peppers

So Light, So Easy Pumpkin Snack Cake

Sukkot Night 2

Indian Inspired Salmon Cakes

Indian Naan

Aloo Gobi

Indian Yellow Daal

Basmati Rice

Rack of Lamb Korma

Walnut, Ginger and Cranberry Stuffed Apples

“Happy Sukkot” sounds a bit funny, but it’s actually more accurate to express this wish than “Happy Chanukah,” which, of course, sounds perfectly normal. That’s because Sukkot is called Zman Simchatenu (“the Time of our Joy.”) The reasons for this deep, spiritual joy are many, but to me the most significant is that we have just come through a long season of introspection, topped by the Ten Days of Repentance, culminating in Yom Kippur. And we are certain that G-d has accepted our sincere resolutions to improve, and granted us a new year of wonderful, bountiful, beautiful life. If that’s not something to be ecstatic about, what is?

Something else that sounds alien, at least to my ear, is the common appellation for this holiday as the “Feast of Tabernacles.” What’s a tabernacle, anyway? I know, I know, if you Google it, you’ll find that the first Tabernacle was that portable Holy Temple the Israelites had in the desert when they left Egypt, what we call in Hebrew the Mishkan. I’m not sure how that morphed into a feast of (numerous) “tabernacles.”

My guess is that it’s referring to the sukkot – the temporary dwellings the Israelites lived in during that 40-year journey. Those huts were portable, like their Mishkan — the Tabernacle, so the holiday is known by that name. Moreover, we live in temporary housing during the week-long holiday too.

So why celebrate living in a flimsy shack? The concept is that despite their vulnerability out there in the desert, the Israelites couldn’t care less about exposure to hot sun, bad weather, snakes, scorpions, or militant enemies. After their intense repentance for the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d forgave them on Yom Kippur. Before the sin, they had been protected by a supernatural cloud covering, which was removed when the Golden Calf was hailed as their new god. After they were forgiven, those special clouds returned – on the days of Sukkot – assuring them that they were once again under Heavenly protection. So I ask again – isn’t that a reason for joy?

Every Sukkot, we reconstruct that miracle, so to speak, demonstrating our faith that G-d will protect us too; that we don’t need physical shields when we have Him on our side. Ok, so it rains sometimes, and we have to go indoors – funny how we still feel secure that we are enveloped in His love, even if we don’t merit the totally perfect protection granted to our ancestors.

And it’s fun too. The sukkah is a magical place for children, as well as adults. No matter what’s going on outside, we feel warm and happy in that luminous little place. The decorations sparkle, but not as much as the sparkle in our eyes.

And the food … ah, the food is special in every way. It’s customary to eat stuffed foods, until we too are stuffed, and stagger away from the table happily anticipating the next meal. For some terrific ideas on what to serve, take a look at the recipes below that I’ve prepared for you!

Wishing you and your loved ones a Chag Sameach, a truly Happy Sukkot, as your own little holy tabernacle fills up with family, guests … and of course, great food.

Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Portobellos	Mashed Maple Squash	Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard & White Beans
Quick & Kosher Stuffed Peppers	Cranberry Sage Cornbread Stuffing	Sweet & Sour Beef Cabbage Soup

The etrog is a citrus-scented, awkwardly-shaped, thick-skinned, lemon-like fruit that Jews hold with their lulav on the festival holiday of Sukkot. While the humble lemon may be available for a quarter at the local supermarket, the price of an etrog can climb to hundreds of dollars based on its size and flawlessness.

The etrog is referred to in the Torah as p’ri eitz hadar, meaning “fruit of the beautiful tree” and sages have suggested the etrog was actually the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge in the Garden of Eden.

The colorful history of the etrog includes the fruit’s depiction on Jewish coinage from the time of Bar Kochba, a tax on its import by Empress Maria Theresa during the 18th century and a global boycott of etrogim from the Greek island of Corfu, once considered the source for the most beautiful etrogim in the world, by powerful interests in Europe and Palestine.

Ultimately, Israel triumphed, nearly 70% of the world’s etrogim are now grown in the holy land. Etrogim are also grown in Italy, Greece, Morocco and even the United States. A grove in California owned by a Presbyterian farmer produces several thousand etrogim every year.

After the intensity of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the levity of Sukkot is a blessing.

Since the essence of the holiday begets community spirit, the sukkah becomes a venue for all kinds of events. While a savvy host can clip coupons, shop the sales, and make everything from scratch, the easiest and simplest way to cut costs is to get friends involved.

We’ve come up with five fêtes your friends and family will love. Best of all, our sukkah parties are guaranteed to bring people together without breaking the bank.

1. Traveling Supper Party

The Concept: Unlike a traditional multi-course dinner in the sukkah or a customary “sukkah hop” where repeated refreshments are served at each stop, friends organize a round-robin meal that begins in one sukkah and ends in a different one.

The meal starts with appetizers in the first sukkah. The party heads to a different location for soup, followed by regrouping for a main course at the next stop. The evening concludes with dessert in the last sukkah on the route.

Why We Love It: One of the beautiful aspects of Succot is the holiday’s social spirit. When friends split the responsibility of hosting a large group for dinner, the experience fosters a sense of achdut, or community spirit, which is one of the holiday’s themes. And, by not having one person accept the financial and time-consuming burden of hosting a large crowd, everyone is at ease while still having the opportunity to get together. Finally, strolling in between homes, even just a few houses apart, provides a nice break and some exercise; refreshing participants’ appetites so they will be ready for the next course.

2. An Edible Craft Party

The Concept: When people visit your sukkah, provide budget-friendly entertainment by organizing edible crafts for kids. The complexity of projects can vary from simple activities like stringing fruit loops on pre-cut lanyard strings (perfect for toddlers) or detailed projects like making an edible sukkah from graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, liquid chocolate, pretzel rods, and licorice strings (great for tweens and crafty adults).

A “Design-your-own” station is fun for everyone. Make personalized popcorn balls or caramel apples, or decorate these Vanilla Cupcakes using colored glaze, edible food sprays and sprinkles.

Why We Love it: This party cuts costs by limiting the amount of refreshments customarily served when people visit a sukkah. Instead of serving additional snacks, guests can munch at the crafts table as they create edible treats.

Besides the covert, penny-pinching strategy, we really love this party because who will forget an afternoon in the sukkah with built-in fun for the whole family?

3. Themed Pot-Luck Open House

The Concept: Invite friends to an open house in your sukkah that fosters community spirit in a unique, culinary-driven way. Pick a theme, such as chocolate desserts, one-bowl cakes, cookies, or kugels. Ask close friends to make a dish according to the genre and showcase all the contributions on the buffet. If chocolate is the theme, the dishes can feature brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and homemade fudge.

Personalize the event by collecting the recipes a few days in advance. Photocopy and staple into booklets and give them to guests as memorabilia of the afternoon, and as a means for them to recreate the wonderful dishes they sampled in your sukkah.

Why We Love It: Not only will friends be enticed to visit your sukkah for an über-fun, community-driven event, but they will have a unique culinary experience at the same time, at minimal cost to you! Since everyone participates by bringing a dish, the host isn’t stuck with all the cooking.

Sampling many dishes within the same genre, and each one prepared by different cooks, will be an experience people remember long after your sukkah is packed away for next year.

4. An Entertainment-Filled Afternoon

The Concept: Invite friends for an afternoon of distinctive entertainment. For a serious but social event, arrange for a local scholar to give a shiur in your sukkah. Or, have friends present short “divrei Torah” or thoughts on the holiday.

For a lighter party, invite guests to “beat the boredom” of a long holiday afternoon by joining you in the sukkah with board games. Blockus, Rummy Cube, Apples to Apples, Scategories, and Monopoly (a must for those with a lot of time) are great fun to play in the sukkah.

Offer drinks and a few refreshments that beget the “mezonot” blessing, but remember that the main attraction is the entertainment, not the food.

Why We Love It: In this creative party, costs are cut because everything but food is reason why people are gathered. With many meals served throughout the holiday, having the opportunity to commune with friends at a social event where the food is secondary to the entertainment will be a refreshing respite from the holiday eating fest.

5. Sukkah Decorating Party

The Concept: Who says a sukkah party has to take place on Sukkot? Build your sukkah early and organize a get-together before the holiday.

Set out a crafts table in your sukkah so kids can make paper chains, pictures, banners and other decorations. Offer art supplies gathered from around the house; also encourage friends to bring extra glue, scissors and specialty markers and pens.

Since this is a laid-back party, serve simple refreshments like vegetables and dip and store-bought snacks like pretzels or potato chips.

At the end of the party, guests should leave behind one decoration. Embellish the sukkah’s walls and ceiling with these decorations or designate a special section in the sukkah as a gallery showcasing the handiwork of kids in the neighborhood.

Why We Love It: Not only will your sukkah’s decorations become a community mosaic but by having the party before the holiday, you circumvent the pressure of having to offer an elaborate spread or dessert buffet, which has become the protocol in many places on Sukkot.

Q&A with Jamie Geller and Felisa Billet:

Q: For the Travelling Supper Party – which course do you recommend hosting for ease in both the entertaining and budgetary perspectives?

You can prepare economical dishes for every course. The most important thing is to cook items you enjoy preparing. If you love to make soup, volunteer to host the soup course. If you like to bake, opt for dessert. Obviously, main courses might end up being a little more money, but if you are pressed for time, you may want to consider hosting the main course because you can throw a quick roast with vegetables in the oven, whereas baking might take up a little more kitchen time.

Q: Which party do you recommend for those who have a more modest sized sukkah, that can’t necessarily hold a large crowd?

Great question. I would recommend the themed potluck open house. This way, you can give guests a range of time, such as between 12 and 4 PM, so they can come in shifts.

Ah, Sukkot!  We’re eating and sleeping in huts with bamboo roofs and praying that the temperature won’t dip too low. I confess that I’m glad that the custom is for men to sleep in the Sukkah, and not women. I wasn’t much for camping, even as a kid. Now that I live in Rockland County—home to outsize groundhogs, raccoons, deer, foxes, snakes, huge crickets and wild turkeys—I’m perfectly content to peer through the double-pane windows overlooking our Sukkah, smile and wave to my husband with his knapsack and retire to my cozy bedroom.

At mealtimes, however, I love sitting in our Sukkah, watching the sunlight play off the decorations my kids and I had put up with such mirth. And I love to fill my Sukkah with guests, too, taking advantage of this enchanting ambiance as a setting for scrumptious, memorable meals. After all, Sukkot is all about remembering:  it takes us back to the Exodus from Egypt. As we sit in our flimsy little huts, we are reminded of the solid faith in G-d that we Jews had in the desert—and that we reinforce year after year in our Sukkah. Surrounded by His protection rather than material strength, we readjust our perspective to a deeper understanding of real security.

But that doesn’t mean it won’t get cold! Here in New York, we’re sometimes blessed with a Sukkot of gloriously sunny days, with just a crisp autumn nip in the air. Yet in His inscrutable way, G-d sometimes challenges us with a week of gusty, frigid weather. And that’s when I pull out Grandma Martha’s recipe for Beef Porridge. It’s a thick and filling soup, and there’s nothing like it for warming up you, your family and your guests in the Sukkah.

This Geller Classic is a perfect winter meal. I learned to make it in response to a special request. (Let’s just say I had never before seen my husband actually beg.)  It took me only five tries to master the recipe, but it’s worth the trouble. After cooking for three hours, the flanken gets so soft, it just melts in your mouth. I have substituted cubed beef, and even chuck steak, and gotten the same effect.  Since it’s for the holiday, you could go extra fancy and serve it in bread bowls. (Hey, that means fewer dishes to shlep and wash!)

As Sukkot is a time for lots of invited guests as well as drop-ins, turkey is a perfect main course—there’s always enough. Who ever ran out of turkey?  Cranberry relish complements the meal superbly and my Pumpkin Pie recipe serves 16—a crowd pleaser, literally! (Ok, so I’ve been snooping in ye olde Thanksgiving recipe box, but just see how different these dishes taste in your Sukkah.)

Did you know that there is also a traditional custom to eat filled/stuffed or rolled foods on Sukkot? So my simple stuffed peppers are another main dish option, if you don’t want to fuss with a turkey. I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear that this year I’ve graciously accepted my mother-in-law’s offer to make stuffed cabbage for our family. (We all know I can’t be bothered with that!) I doubt that she’ll come over to your place to make it for you too, but maybe if you ask nicely …

Have a wonderful Chag Sukkot, everyone!