Passover starts Monday night so that means I’m breaking out the Ten Plagues Puppets and Mazzy and Harlow (especially Harlow) are singing about being slaves in Egypt and we’re all starting to remember just how hilariously tragic Jewish holidays are.

First, we make the kids sit at the table for two hours before they are even allowed to touch dinner. When we finally let them eat something, it’s a piece of parsley with salt water. I kid you not. The salt water represents our tears. Does it feel like a celebration yet? Wait until you have a shard of Matzah that’s been hiding out under a couch cushion for dessert!

But the weirdest thing about Passover is that KIDS LOVE IT. It’s always been my favorite Jewish holiday by far and Mazzy and Harlow think Matzah is DELICIOUS. Personally, I think Matzah tastes perfect with a simple slather of butter, but if you want to get a little more exciting— Matzah Pizza is where it’s at.

Last week, my good friend Daniela from Kulinary Kids came over to Seri’s (aka Little Miss Party) to give a little Matzah Pizza cooking lesson to Gavin, Luke and Harlow. (Mazzy was missing in action because she had Brownies that afternoon.).

Daniela led the kids in a cooking lesson and even shared her secret homemade tomato sauce recipe, while Seri and I got to sit back and watch.

Matzah Pizza Recipe with Daniela’s No Longer a Secret Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

4 Sheets Matzah
1 Ball Fresh Mozzarella
1 Bell Pepper (optional)
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 ounce tomato paste
4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 Tsp dried oregano
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried basil

Directions:

1. Whisk together crushed tomatoes, paste, oregano, garlic, black pepper and basil.

2. Grate in parmesan cheese.

3. Allow flavors to blend for one hour (sit for 40 minutes and simmer on low for 20 minutes)

4. Shred fresh mozzarella to sprinkle all over the saucy matzo.

5. Cut up pizza toppings of your choice. Harlow, Luke and Gavin chose bell peppers (and snacked on them while they worked.)

6) Line a baking sheet with tin foil and cover with the Matzah.

7. Spread sauce on top of the matzah.

8. Add cheese and toppings.

Ta da!

9. Put in oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

While the pizzas were in the oven we broke out some crafts for the kids. Daniela showed the kids how they could put the matzah under paper and rub the crayon on top to make a texture on the paper.

Then the kids made Matzah covers with plain white linen napkins and gold glitter letters hand cut to spell Matzah in Hebrew.

The kids used markers, glitter and jewels to decorate their covers so that we could all have something extra special and handmadeon our table at the seders next week.

Once they finished crafting, Daniela sat with the kids to read a book about making pizza called “Pete’s a Pizza.”

I call Daniela “The Harlow Whisperer.”

Once the pizza came out of the oven, the kids devoured it so quickly that all the adults forgot to take a photo of their work. OOPS.

Now, I’m hoping I can convince Mike to share his Matzah Brei recipe. That stuff is OUT OF THIS WORLD.

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If you live in NYC and want something fun to do with your kids after school, you should totally check out Kulinary Kids. They give in-home cooking classes for kids.

Photos by Keelyn Oxley Mitchell of Oxley Photography