The Seder plate is the most important part of the meal. I fill ours with store-bought horseradish (bitter herb), haroseth made by my husband, parsley (to be dipped in salt water), lamb bone I kept in the freezer from last year (I hate picking out the bone at the last minute), and a hard boiled egg. Also on the table for the ceremony are a candle, a small plate with three pieces of unleavened bread wrapped in a napkin, a small bowl of salt water, a wine glass to be passed around (4 times! take small sips!-children dip a pinkie or we fill the glass with juice), another wine glass "for Elijah", and a prayer book for each person old enough to read. Since everyone will want to eat the items on the Seder plate, I set the table with a second, larger, dish of each item represented ceremonially.
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Our haroseth is more or less equal portions of chopped apples, chopped walnuts, raisins, and honey, with hearty doses of sweet wine (Manischewitz) and cinnamon. We like it a lot, so my husband pulls out one or two 2-gallon ziplocs and makes as much as he can fit in there. For the amount he makes, we continue to enjoy it for a full week beyond the Seder meal (where it generally serves 8-12 people) and our Easter dinner the next day (another 10-15 people). I would worry about the alcohol for children, but a little wine goes a long way, a good portion drains off so their not ingesting much, and their portions are still fairly small. I've never come across anyone imbibing too much alcohol from the Seder haroseth.
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When the weather cooperates I harvest fresh parsley from our garden where it grows as a biannual. I've bought it as a fresh herb from our local grocery store before our personal supply was fully established or when the snow has covered our garden. In a separate small bowl or two is a bit of salt water: nothing more than salt mixed into boiling water and left to cool.
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This year we've budgeted to serve roasted lamb as the main dish. In the past when that was not affordable I've bought just enough for everyone to taste the lamb and used chicken as the main dish.
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One egg is on the Seder plate; a separate dish holds enough hard boiled eggs for each person at our table to enjoy one if they wish. Of course, salt and pepper are available and an empty bowl or two ready to receive the shells.
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We are not Jewish and only give a nod toward kosher food, even during our Seder. Everything is gluten free, however, so our "unleavened bread" comes from the gluten-free section of our local grocery store. Most people I know buy kosher matzoh unleavened bread crackers or forgo the kosher and use saltines. I cut our wraps into quarters or smaller and serve a big stack on a plate for everyone to spread on a token portion of horseradish and a heaping helping of haroseth.
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Side dishes include a salad, either a fresh broccoli-cauliflower recipe I only make once a year (to my husband's dismay: he'd love to have it weekly) or any green salad, mashed potatoes, and cooked broccoli (if using a green salad). Dessert this year will either be meringues with instant lemon pudding or ice cream. There will be wine available for the adults to drink and juice or pop or sparkling juice for the children and pregnant woman.
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The table is overfilling with all this food, so the actual meal is kept in the kitchen until we've finished the prayers. After using the ceremonial items we make room on the table for more by removing empty dishes and the salt water no one will be using again into the kitchen, and the partially empty dishes to nearby shelves where they're accessible but not in the way. Everything not used for dessert is cleared off the table after dinner and we usually need a little break in between (think Thanksgiving feast). If the weather's nice, we go outside; if it's not we enjoy each other's company in the living room. Yes, we warn our guests that our celebration begins around 4:00 and continues until 8:00 or 9:00. Come hungry!
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