The Early Bird Rosh Hashanah Dinner

"The Early Bird catches the chopped liver."

The SJG family, a tight knit group of enthusiasts and rule-breakers, likes to move the Jewish calendar around when it doesn't suit our schedule. Why wait till the real Rosh Hashanah eve to consume too much food? Why not shift such a celebration to a more convenient night? Take last night. Early Bird Rosh Hashanah dinner at my mother-in-law's involved chopped liver and chicken soup that turned out to be turkey soup with a matzoh ball. "I'm re-writing the rules," my M.I.L. announced, and it wouldn't be the first time. She likes to do that when it comes to cooking. "There are ginger snaps in the stuffed cabbage," she told us moments later. "Ginger?" her youngest son asked.  "No, ginger snaps." "You mean ginger snap cookies?" I asked, getting a little worried. "Yes. I saw it a recipe." Well, why not? Turned out to be delish. Just between us, I couldn't detect any ginger snaps in the stuffed cabbage, which may have been a good thing, but it was fun knowing they were in there. Then came the tzimmes-inspired non-tzimmes. "Don't make a tzimmes," my brother John said, and it wouldn't be the first time. "It's not tzimmes," my M.I.L said. Sure, there were carrots, but not the rest of the dish. It was tzimmes-adjacent, much like the evening itself. In a nearby neighborhood of Rosh Hashanah, but not quite the same zip code. Early Bird or perfectly in sync with the calendar, a sweet way to bring in a new year that with a nice helping of mazel, will go a little better than the one before... God willing.