Don't Make A Big Tzimmes

Fine.  Go ahead and make one.

Hard to predict how many times someone will say, "Don't make a big tzimmes" at my mother-in-law's Rosh Hashanah feast tonight.  Once her tzimmes hits the table, I know I'll say it at least once.  After all, it's fun to say and sums up our family dynamic.  Historically, we're big tzimmes-makers.  Take my mother-in-law, the decorator.  For years she's been talking about getting a computer.  But before she can get a computer (and learn how to use it) she has to get the downstairs bedroom just right.  Over and over, we've told her she doesn't need a special room, a laptop can go anywhere, on the kitchen counter, on the dining room table.  And she sits there and smiles, pretending to listen, but what she's really doing is envisioning how to make the same room she's reinvented 82 times look fabulous. A tzimmes of epic proportions, one that involves finding the perfect sofa and the perfect fabric and a lengthy debate over whether to leave the carpet or sand the floor, lose the dated shutters or refinish them.  And what about the pillows that will tie the computer room all together?  The pillows are the key to this makeover.  When she finds them, after scouring the city, she'll call me up and say, "Guess what?  I found the most stunning pillows."  Stunning is a big word in her vocabulary.  Meanwhile, my father-in-law will try to keep this particular tzimmes from boiling over.  Deep down, he knows he's wasting his time.  The tzimmes-maker always has the upper hand in these matters.  Tonight, I'll make a big tzimmes over her tzimmes.  "This is the best tzimmes you've ever made," I'll tell my mother-in-law.  "If Betty Crocker had a tzimmes cook-off, you'd win, hands down."  Here's my mother-in-law's recipe, more or less.  God forbid someone in my family should write down a recipe.

SWEET POTATO AND CARROT TZIMMES

12 c. salted water 6 med. (about 3 lbs.) sweet potatoes, peeled & diced 1 lb. carrots, peeled & diced Salt, to taste Vegetable oil for pan 1/2 c. pitted prunes, halved 1 c. orange juice 1/4 c. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tbsp. butter 1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained (optional) 1 can mandarin orange pieces, drained (optional) In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and carrots and simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash. Add salt. Place in a greased 6 quart casserole with the prunes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine orange juice, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour over sweet potatoes. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and taste. If tzimmes tastes sweet enough, dot with butter, bake uncovered for 15 minutes more. Otherwise, add pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges, then dot with butter and bake an additional 15 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings.