(Enjoy my Rosh Hashanah table setting from September 2011!)

Dear Hostesses,

Even though Rosh Hashanah came a little bit later this year, for some reason I was still scrambling till the last minute. Thank goodness  it all came together somehow by the time it was time to light the candles! Setting my table took about three days, (believe it or not), and of course it always looks so effortless when the guests walk in.

1- My tablecloth- a simple linen hem stitch cloth was the backdrop for the beautiful dishes that my mom packed up as a gift to me before the holiday. She had owned them for about 40 years, and I seem to remember the navy dishes with the gold scrollwork being piled high at the the disco-dinner party that my parents had made for my older brother back in the 70’s. Looking back, she still wishes that she had ordered more than service for 18. Out of curiosity,  I checked on Replacements.com and actually found these dishes! Unfortunately they are out of stock but will let me know if they ever uncover any more.

2- My napkin rings are lucite each napkin ring has a small hole to display a flower. You can purchase them at The Jewish Hostess Shop.  I didn’t want to deal with keeping real flowers alive with water that would spill on everyone’s new holiday clothes, so I sent my daughter to the flower district on 28 Street between 6 and 7th  in Manhattan to find very real looking orchids which we snipped with scissors and slid into each ring.

3- Honey dippers- I bought these wooden honey dippers from www.craftparts.com. They were so inexpensive! About $30. for 50 of them. The little kids had a great time sliding them into the lucite napkin rings, and I also bought honey sticks (not shown) which we also slid into the napkin rings on the kids table.

4- I have about 6 of my grandmother’s little crystal shot glasses (above), so I poured some honey into each of them and spread them along the length of the table.

5- I had a lot of fun putting together my centerpiece of “new fruits” for my Rosh Hashanah table. Last year I purchased this L’Objet centerpiece bowl from Parci Parla, and I knew that it would be a perfect match for my mom’s gold dishes. I purchased a gold apple for about $15 from “Aimee”, and a gold butterfly from Karen’s Invitations on Avenue U  and then ran into Ouri’s fruit store to get whatever new gorgeous fruits that were still left on the shelves. Ouri had the best Medjool dates, mini pineapples, dates on the vine, concord grapes, champagne grapes, raisins on the stem, Meyer lemons (which gave a pop of color), and several more fruits which I cannot remember the names. (If you really want to know ALL of the names of these fruits then I give you permission to email Martha Stewart with any questions and I’m sure she will answer you right away- let me know!)

6- I love these little tasting spoons and bowls that I found online from  http://www.worldmarket.com, and I especially loved how cool all of the red pomegranates seeds looked lined up in the white ceramic tasting spoons before we said the Beracha.

7- Sugar in a mini silver dish…. (above), and “sillet”(next to the apple and the medjool date) made by my mother in law- which is a Syrian recipe for the gourd. I will hopefully post this gourd recipe by next Rosh Hashanah!

After this pic was taken, we put out the rest of the berachot which included leek edjeh, (fried patties made by my mother in law) sugared quince, and loobiah (meat stew made with black eyed peas)

8. Note the natural honey in the wood crate  from Ouri’s fruit. Ouri warned the women in the fruit store not to let their families eat the “waxy” exterior which he said is not kosher. Just serve the delicious honey that drips out!

Shana Tova Oometukah to all of my Jewish Hostesses!!!! Love, Marlene

P.S. Check out Candy Gabbay’s Missoni Mania Rosh Hashanah table!!!!

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