“I like to sauté a bunch of onions and leave them in a bit of oil in the fridge. I also roast different vegetables, so they are easily ready to be pulled into a side dish or a salad.” 

—Estee Kafra 

“For me it’s all about the menu. I create a calendar with a section for each meal. Once I fi gure out who’s joining us and what I’m actually cooking, I can break it down and do a little bit at a time up until Yom Tov. Because my menu is all color-coded (make fresh or freeze in advance) and computerized, I can easily reference previous years and mix and match my family’s favorites with some new and exciting ideas. It also helps me create my grocery list in advance and just overall keeps me super organized in what is generally a hectic time of year.”

—Chavi Feldman 

“One thing I like to do is think about the Erev Yom Tov food. Kids that are fed tend to behave better. With lots of Erev Yom Tov days, it’s important to add to our menus some foods that are easy to rewarm and serve buffet style. Some ideas are apple cobblers, kugels, meat pockets, or grilled veggies.” 

—Renee Muller

 “I always buy some extra lettuce before erev sukkos just in case they run out over chol hamoed. I also usually try to have some extra frozen cauli rice/broccoli in my freezer in case I feel like I need an extra emergency side dish at some point!”

—Chanie Nayman 

“Oy! I’m that last-minute gal, so Erev Yom Tov is a serious marathon. The most important thing I can do for myself and my family is make sure I have cleaning help late in the day, up to candle-lighting, if possible.”

—Faigy Grossmann 

“I find one of the biggest challenges is having enough challah for all those seudahs, so starting at the end of Av/Elul I start stockpiling challah and challah dough in my freezer. Whenever I can, I bake extra cakes and cookies as well — if we had a quiet Shabbat and we didn’t use up all the cookies, into the freezer they go (instead of lying around the rest of the week begging me to eat them). Also, we make a lot of simanim and I try to get those out of the way fi rst before tackling the main dishes and sides.”

—Barbara Bensoussan

 “I find that prepping minor things makes a big difference at the end, especially if you have a lot of things that you prefer to make fresh. Preparing sauces, marinades, and dressings in advance means less dirty dishes and ingredients on the counter Erev Yom Tov. Peeling, cleaning, and cutting vegetables and herbs the day before cuts so much time the day of.” 

—Esti Vago