not your bubbe’s seder (menu)

While gefilte fish and brisket are fine (and some may even say, delicious) for any old Passover seder, #friendseder™ lends itself to some fun twists on the menu! Along with the traditional fare (check out here, here, and here for inspiration), we have four (really, five) innovative takes on the seder menu for you to try out at your #friendseder™ this year.

serve your besties’ favorites

Ask your guests what their favorite dish is from their home seders growing up and try to incorporate it into your menu for the evening. Or, if they’re so inclined, go potluck style and have them bring it themselves! Maybe it’s not even a fave item from Passover - that’s ok! The beauty of #friendseder™ is the extra leeway you have with the meal, the menu, and the (potential) lack of matzah. No matter the dish, it will be perfectly suited to the evening and bring some of your guests’ traditions into your home for everyone to share.

don’t wait for me, go ahead and dig in

One of the biggest struggles we’ve heard during a traditional family seder is the time you have to wait from when you sit down at your place until you are actually eating anything substantial. If you’re following a Haggadah (check out the #friendseder™ version here), there’s an awful lot of time between welcoming everyone to your table and bringing out the first course. With that in mind, we’ve got two great ways to get some food in the belly of your guests right away, keeping everyone calm, and away from anything resembling hangry status.

The first comes right when we make the blessing over the first cup of wine - which expresses gratitude for “the fruit of the vine.” Taking a little artistic license here, we recommend serving an Israeli salad for the savory folks or a fruit salad for the sweeties - all fruits of the vine!

The next option comes when we traditionally bless parsley dipped in salt water - which expresses gratitude for “fruit of the earth.” In lieu of sparsely-filling parsley, go ahead and dip banana into salted caramel! Super easy recipe for salted caramel here, a vegan option here, or if you’re more of the dulce de leche type, might we suggest this nifty hack?

if you must have matzah, cover it in caramel & chocolate

Did you get a case of matzah at the store and you have NO IDEA how to use it all? Do you still have matzah from last year tucked away somewhere in your pantry? Check out Michelle Citrin’s 20 Things to do with Matzah and 20 MORE Things to do with Matzah for the myriad ways to use your bread of affliction. Also - Matzah crack(ers), as it’s lovingly named, is hands down the best way to eat unleavened bread. You can find easy recipes for this delicious dessert here, here, and here. Whichever recipe you choose, we highly encourage you to double it (you’ll thank us later). If you’re planning a chocolate #friendseder™, just go ahead and use this for all of your standard matzah needs!

drink your four cups in style

Most seders serve some version of sweet red wine for those four cups we ritually bless to help elevate the evening. But not your #friendseder™! Why not go with something a little more unusual, like one of these Manischewitz cocktails? We’re partial to Jell-O shots, slushies, and sangria, and they are all great to make for a crowd. You’ll be singing and banging on the table in no time!