What would a traditional Seder be without horseradish root, a lamb bone, a sprig of parsley and ... jello shots? Should you be looking to liven up the holiday with some non-traditional additions, author Kathi Kamen Goldmark gives us two recipes to try.

Jello shots: Chill a bottle of Manichewitz concord grape Passover wine; then substitute for the cold-water portion of the grape Jello recipe on the box. Pour into shot glasses or 3-oz. paper cups and chill until firm.

The Popsicles are a bit more challenging, as it's difficult to freeze alcohol. However, since there isn't much alcohol in Manichewitz, it works just fine for this application.

1. Boil half a bottle of Manichewitz with a half-cup of sugar, until it is thick, syrup-like and reduced by half. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Add some club soda until the mixture is back to the original Manichewitz liquidity. Freeze in those little plastic juice-popsicle holders or ice cube trays, at the highest setting your freezer can manage. I like to use star-of-David candy molds (they come with lollipop sticks) and have been tearing the house apart looking for my old star-of-David ice cube trays. If you have any extra ones, let me know!

3. Make extra. There will be breakage, as these are delicate little critters ... but they're very refreshing after a heavy meal.


Kathi Kamen Goldmark is the author of And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You, a novel published by Chronicle Books.