Spend the Day of Rest slaving over a hot stove, says "The Forward"
Devra Ferst, at SeriousEats.com and also "The Chewish Forward", makes the following recommendation on preparing for Rosh Hashanah:
Day 4: Saturday
Get Cooking: Turn on your stove and oven and start cooking! Use the day before your meal to prepare things that can be reheated like soup and cakes. If you have the time, do the prep work for your other dishes.
It's also time to set your table. Get creative with decoration: pomegranates, apples and honey are all traditional holiday foods and look beautiful when arranged on a table with candles.
Wait, what?
Seriously, has "The Forward" food editor never heard of something that we Jews observe, called Shabbat, a day when cooking and preparing for other days (including holidays) is strictly forbidden? And actually recommending that people should spend two freaking days slaving over a hot stove, when everything can be accomplished the day before, even if you are hosting a crowd?
Yes, we understand that not all Jews observe Sabbath or keep kosher, but still enjoy the holidays. At the same time, the food editor of a news source that calls itself "Jewish" should at least be familiar with the basic customs and traditions of Jewish observance, and not commit the blunder known as "Do not put a stumbling block before the blind," which really means, do not cause someone to sin inadvertently. Of course, don't deliberately trip blind people, that's really mean, but the commandment is meant to be more than just taken literally.
That said, here is our recipe for Rosh Hashanah Honey Challah which we shared 2 years ago. DO NOT bake this tomorrow, there is plenty of time on Sunday.
