So you think that you’ve got a big crowd coming to your house for breaking the fast? Not compared to Marsha Nagorsky of Chicago. Nagorsky lives right across the street from the family’s shul, and for the past eight years, she and her husband, along with another couple, host a Breaking of the Fast for members of their congregation.

I spoke to Nagorsky by phone recently, and she said, “It’s only a 30-second walk across the street, so 30 seconds after the shofar blows, everyone is walking across the street to my house! We usually invite at least 100 people, but this year we’re hoping for 130 to 140 people, including the kids.

“We’ll probably increase most quantities 30 to 50 per cent this year, to accommodate the increased crowd. My husband, Brian, and I host with our dear friends, Keith Alperin and Liz Lippow. This will be the 8th Annual Easy-Access Break-Fast. We could not do it without the whole community helping by bringing things, cleaning up and generally showing up and making it fun. It’s truly one of the most satisfying things I do all year.

“Our community is very special. We are a lay-led minyan within a large, very welcoming city shul. Our rabbis are extremely supportive of us, and most of us are very active in shul life. We are a Conservative congregation, and many minyan members consider themselves observant – most of us keep kosher, and about half of the minyan participants are shomer Shabbat. Laypeople within the community do all the functions of the service – delivering divrei Torah, acting as shaliach tzibur, leyening, co-ordinating services, ‘gabbaing,’ etc. We also participate in a community-led set of services (one of three service choices at our shul) on the High Holidays.

“I am one of the people who leads the services on the High Holidays, and my husband is the co-ordinator for all the volunteers for the service. Brian and I are very blessed to be part of both our shul and our minyan, and we consider our community one of the most important and meaningful parts of our life. Hosting the break-fast is our small way of giving back to that community.”

The two co-hosting couples split most of the cooking, while others are delegated to bring food or beverages or help with cleanup. Nagorsky has designed a spreadsheet and assigns foods to be prepared and tasks to be done accordingly.

She told me they don’t serve fish because it makes people queasy. Nothing spicy is served, and the food has to be simple to prepare and easy to digest. She keeps notes from year to year, adjusting the quantities, so she has it down to a science. The following quantities are designed to serve approximately 100 people.

Beverages include four gallons each of bottled water, apple juice and lemonade, six gallons of orange juice, one quart of milk (for coffee), four litres of caffeinated and four litres of decaffeinated pop, along with herbal tea, coffee and lots of ice. Beverages are placed throughout the house because people are really dehydrated.

There are three containers of hummus, three bags of pita, four- to five-gallon ziploc bags of crudités, homemade babaghanouj (made from three large eggplants), curry dip, onion dip and a container of olives. These are served in the vestibule when people first arrive.

The egg salad is made by Brian, and everyone loves it. He uses five dozen eggs and seasons them with mustard, his “secret ingredient.” There is a tray of blintz souffle, four quiches and four different noodle kugels. There are also five pounds of lox, six containers of whipped cream cheese, two regular containers of cream cheese, plus 1/2-gallon ziploc bags filled with tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. And let’s not forget the four dozen bagels!

Other favourites include three trays of Nagorsky’s baked ziti (recipe follows), four carrot kugels (she uses the recipe from The Kosher Palate) and two trays of her friend Sandra’s macaroni and cheese.

There are three large, homemade challahs, which are a specialty of their friend Keith, along with a big bowl of his mildly seasoned pasta salad. There’s also couscous salad, which is quite popular, eggplant salad, and tuna salad made from six cans of tuna.

Sweets include one batch of lemon squares, two batches of butterscotch squares, two batches of chocolate chip cookies, two loaves of pumpkin chocolate chip cake, two batches of not-too-rich brownies, some mandelbread, fresh fruit such as grapes and strawberries, a big bowl of fruit salad and at least two other desserts.

The noodle kugels are all different and are made by four different people. Everyone waits anxiously for their favourite one to get to the buffet table and enter into discussions as to why they like a particular kugel.

They have a drop-off time, usually about two hours before Kol Nidrei (between 3 and 5:30 p.m.). Nagorsky has two young sons – one is 3-1/2 and the other is a year old. Last year, Yom Kippur was four weeks after she gave birth, so it was quite stressful for her. However, she feels this year will be easier, especially since she bought a new fridge for the basement to handle the huge quantities of food.

A few weeks before Yom Kippur, Nagorsky sends an “e-vite” to the guests. (I got one too!) Everyone in the community loves to come and they love to pitch in and help.

She told me people often come across to their house for a nap during services!

Nagorsky does all of her own setup with the help of a friend. When I asked her why she does breaking of the fast for such a large crowd, she replied, “If I didn’t do this, some people wouldn’t have a place to go.”

 
1 lb. penne (rotini can be substituted)
2 26-oz. jars roasted garlic tomato sauce
1 pkg. Morningstar Farms Grillers Prime Crumblers (or 4 veggie burgers, crumbled)
1 small can (or 1 10-oz. pkg spinach), thawed and well-drained
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
additional veggies such as zucchini or precooked broccoli florets (optional)
2 cups additional shredded Mozzarella cheese (for topping)
dried or fresh minced parsley, basil or oregano (for sprinkling)

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. Add tomato sauce, crumbled veggie burgers, drained spinach and 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese. Mix well. If you like, add optional veggies at this time.

Place mixture in a sprayed 9×13-in. pan or large disposable foil pan and spread evenly. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared in advance up to this point and refrigerated.)

Bake at 350, covered, in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with 2 additional cups shredded Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with dried or fresh herbs and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Note: Nagorsky quadruples this recipe to make 4 pans. However, a single recipe can be made in 4 small loaf pans or two 8-in. square pans for a smaller crowd.

 
Try this kid-friendly, user-friendly kugel you can make ahead.
 
4 large carrots, cut into 3- to 4-in. pieces
water for cooking carrots
vegetable cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup oil or 1/2 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 

Combine carrots and water to cover in a large saucepan over high heat. Boil 25 minutes or until carrots are tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Mash carrots with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9-in. non-stick springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. (You can also use a tart pan with a removable bottom. Be sure sides are at least 2 inches high.) Set aside.

To the carrots, add flour, sugars, baking powder, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended (can also be mixed by hand). Do not overbeat so batter will have small pieces of carrot for texture.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cut into wedges.  Yield: 12 servings.

Notes:

If you don’t have the time to boil fresh carrots you can substitute 8 ounces of baby food carrots. Beat them in with the rest of the ingredients.

This recipe can be made into muffins. Insert paper liners into muffin tins. Pour batter to fill each compartment 3/4 full. Bake 30 minutes. Yield: 20 to 22 muffins.

 
This do-ahead dish is perfect fare for any special occasion. It’s an excellent way to use up leftover bagels – or buy day-old bagels so that you can afford the lox. To save money, you can use lox bits and pieces.
 
5 to 6 whole wheat or sesame bagels, cut in bite-sized pieces (about 8 cups)
8 oz. lox (smoked salmon), cut in bite-sized pieces
8 oz. low-fat Swiss and/or havarti cheese (about 2 cups), grated
2 green onions, chopped
2 to 3 tbsp. minced fresh dillweed
6 large eggs (or 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites)
1 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
2 cups milk (skim or 1%)
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
 

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13-in. glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the bagel pieces evenly in the dish. Top with lox and sprinkle with the grated cheese, green onions and dillweed.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, milk and seasonings; blend well (you can use a blender, whisk or large food processor). Pour evenly over the bagel-cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (If desired, you can prepare the recipe up to this point and refrigerate for 24 hours.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until the mixture is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes for easier cutting. Serve with a large Caesar or mixed garden salad. Yield: 12 servings. Keeps for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator; reheats well. Freezes well for up to 2 months.

 
Variations:

Use your favourite savoury-flavoured bagels such as sun-dried tomato, spinach, multigrain or all-dressed. You can also make this using whole wheat or multigrain bread, cut in 1-inch pieces.

Instead of lox, use 2 cans (7-1/2 oz. each) of sockeye salmon, drained and flaked. You could also use 1-1/2 cups of leftover cooked salmon. This can also be made with canned tuna.

 Other cheeses can be substituted; try Monterey Jack, cheddar, Jarlsberg or a mixture. For a different twist, add 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese.

 
Base
1 cup butter or margarine, cut in chunks
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
 
Topping
4 eggs
1/4 to 1/3 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
 
Preheat oven to 350. Process base ingredients on the steel blade of the food processor until crumbly, about 20 seconds. Press into sprayed 9×13-in. baking pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden.
Process topping ingredients until blended, about 10 seconds. Pour over base. Bake 25 to 30 minutes longer, until golden. Cut into squares when cool. Yield: About 48 squares. Freezes well.