Rosh Hashana roundup, and Shana Tova to all my Daily Cheapskates!

Impressed?

Don't be. I must confess, it's a picture of last year's Rosh Hashana table. I don't quite have my act together this year, but I'm hoping that looking at least year's table will inspire me to get moving!  Truth is, we won't be eating at home until Friday night, so I feel a little calmer.  (Not much though.)

Ok, I know you're rushing around as much as I am, so here's a potpourri of some assorted ideas for Rosh Hashana.  I know many of these are from Rosh Hashana posts of past years; please forgive me for recycling them.

First, a coupla coupons if (like me!) you're doing last minute shopping:

• $0.75 off Golden Blossom honey
• $0.50 off any Pom 100% juice (upper right hand corner)

• In the past few years, I've been stealing an idea from an old Susie Fishbein cookbook: on Rosh Hashana, put out a honey-tasting platter. Different types of honey taste very different. Wildflower honey has a different flavor from clover honey (the most common), manuka honey, blackberry honey, buckwheat blossom honey, and acacia honey. You can pick all these different types of honey up from stores like Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Sprouts, or sometimes even your regular supermarket. Get creative with your honey serving dishes. I've been using little Pier One cordial glasses, but one of my friends uses assorted brightly colored ceramic jars and another uses maple syrup dispensers. One year, I hollowed out a bunch of nicely shaped apples and used them as honey dishes. Just remember that you're not restricted to the ungapatchkit silver honey dish that you got as a wedding present from Aunt Ida. 
• Excellent and super-simple honey-chicken recipe from Jason & Yael.
• The apple-stuffed challah that I made with Rhodes dough (you can adapt it to your own homemade dough if you prefer). 
• Need easy dessert ideas?  Honey cake is a classic, or you can opt for pareve vanilla ice cream topped with diced apples and pomegranates seeds or drizzled lightly with honey.  You can throw pomegranate seeds into any green salad for a nice twist.  I made carrot cake this year (confession: Duncan Hines), and I'm going to throw some chopped dates on top of the frosting.
• How to Dip Your Apple in the Honey
• You are going to be serving a LOT of meals over the next few weeks with a bunch of guests.  Keep a running list of your friends with special foods needs on your computer.  We have vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, diabetic, carb-free, pescatarian, nut-allergic, etc., friends in Colorado, and it's super-awkward when you find out these needs when your guests are sitting at your YomTov table and not eating anything.  (Flashback to a Sukkot meal about seven years ago when I had three surprise vegetarian guests who couldn't even eat my green salad because it contained shredded chicken...what a nightmare.)  Ask your guests about any special foods needs they and their families might have when you invite them and record the information in a permanent file on your computer so that you'll have it the next time you invite them over. 
• Frugal themed tablecloths

Chag sameach and shana tova to all my wonderful Daily Cheapskate readers!

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