Rosh Hashonah Festivities

This was the only photo I actually got of my dining room table before Saturday night's Rosh Hashonah dinner. The rest of the evening was even more blurry than this photo of the home made challah. And don't even ask me about the few days that followed. How could it be Tuesday already!!!

Dinner was lovely (if I do say so myself) and went off with only one hitch...my Honey developed a whopper migraine-style headache...too much light (it's all or nothing here) and loud voices (all having a great time, but echoing off the walls). He ended up missing dessert entirely and going to hide in the dark bedroom. But let's start at the beginning...
Even though every cell in my body was throbbing by the time I went to bed at 12:30, it was a wonderful day...which started at sunrise at the farmers market (6:45am). Many people questioned my decision to go, given I wanted to be at services by 9:30 and still had tons of preparation left to do before our guests showed up at 6:30 pm.

That said, once the dishes started showing up at the table, my decision to go to the market didn't seem quite so ridiculous. I've become quite the farmers market junkie and am usually disappointed when I can't get there. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could have one every day of the week?
The local heirloom carrots, new beets and young potatoes roasted with cremini mushroom (also local)
and the most glorious organic garlic ever and fresh rosemary,
turned into a wonderful roasted root vegetable dish to accompany one of my favorite New Year chicken dishes...
St Tropez Chicken, made with local free range chickens.

But wait,...I forgot to mention the soup course. Since I usually end up with the second night, I don't like to repeat the traditional chicken soup with matzo balls.

And this year I tried a wonderful Velvety Squash & Carrot Soup with Curried Mazto Balls that everyone enjoyed including Boaz and his brother Dov. The matzo balls were made with whole grain matzo meal and everyone thought they were meatballs, they were so dense and flavorful.
The special organic blend of "spicy greens" and baby romaine made the salad course quite the hit, especially with the Preserved Lemon Dressing which brought out just the right balance to the mix. Another stellar reason to visit the market! The salad was a perfect taste complement to the Tilapia in Tomato Saffron Sauce. The photo was of my practice meal the week before and the yellow beans were so tasty I had to buy more at the market. A simple "steam" in the microwave with a sprig of basil and then a spritz of lemon juice, grinding of pepper and pinch of salt...and who said, no one likes veggies. I served them with the main course this time.
All that's left to mention is the dessert...while I did plan on at least three, we ended up with just one...my favorite Normandy Apple Tart with apples we picked ourselves last week in the Annapolis Valley.

So was the worth getting up early to find local produce and chicken? You bet your life it was!
As for leftovers...not too many, but the challah made for some wonderful French Toast, whipped up by my Honey.