it's hanukkah!

so light the menorah and spin the dreidel!  really, take a minute and have some fun.

if you stop by our blog this time of year, you've probably seen my many posts about hanukkah.  while i'm not jewish, i do have a fondness for some of their holidays, especially hanukkah.

and what's not to love -- it starts with the heroic battle of the maccabees against antiochus and his troops and the miracle that the holy oil from the temple lasted eight days instead of one.

then there's delicious food (latkes are my favorite!) and games! even great music, like adam sandler's hanukkah song, the maccabeats' candlelight, or utah senator orrin hatch's eight days of hanukkah.

this year i was sitting on three pounds of sweet potatoes, so i made sweet potato latkes.  just as delicious as their idaho potato variety.  (and probably better for us!)

latkes are so easy to make -- you can whip them up in a few minutes, and even faster if you have a food processor.  shred about a potato per person.  add shredded onion (one onion per 3-4 potatoes). mix in about 1T. of flour per potato, along with an egg for every two potatoes you've added.  sprinkle on a little salt and pepper.   make into small patties, and fry them up!  (or bake them at 375F, with a little time under the broiler to crispy them up.)  they are delicious hot as an appetizer or side. i like mine with sour cream and applesauce.  (and i could eat a whole plateful for a meal!)

happy hanukkah, from the pikes! shalom!

a special hanukkah post

i love hanukkah! and while it may not be the most important jewish holiday, it's sure a fun one! spinning dreidels, eating latkes, lighting the menorah, sharing gifts. and you celebrate for eight glorious nights! what's not to love.

my dear friend veeda over at white lotus cooks asked me to be write a guest post about my hanukkah traditions and share my potato latke recipe. so stop by to read my special guest post. it'd be the best hanukkah present you could give to me this year.

happy hanukkah, everyone!

spin that dreidel!

happy hanukkah, everyone!

baby girl pike hasn't gotten the hang of spinning the dreidel, just chewing it.

in honor of the maccabees, their courageous fight, and the miracle at the temple -- we fired up a vat of oil, made a batch of potato latkes, and celebrated hanukkah this weekend at the pike home. (i love those potato latkes!)

we began this year's festivities with the debut of senator orrin hatch's new song eight days of hanukkah. who knew his musical repertoire had expanded into new religious genres! it's well worth a listen. the catchy beat and chorus will have you in a hanukkah celebrating mood in no time.

it was baby girl's first hanukkah. it's too bad that she's still a little young for potato latkes and gold coins. something to look forward to for next year!

happy hanukkah!

i know it's a little early in the season to celebrate Hanukkah, especially since it doesn't start until sundown on dec. 21. but, i couldn't resist spreading some holiday cheer -- so for the pikes, Hanukkah came on saturday.

i grew up celebrating Hanukkah at school. we spun the dreidel, ate potato latkes, sang dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, i made you out of clay. i loved it.

my last year of college, my sister and i decided instead of the traditional Christmas party to host a Hanukkah party. we dug through our childhood memories and started a potato latke frying frenzy.

it had been over 15 years since my last potato latke, but once i tasted its delicious goodness, i have not missed Hanukkah a year since.

now mr. pike celebrates with me. he's still learning the story of the maccabees, and i'm trying to convince him that he should give me eight days worth of presents! he did master the potato latkes this year. they were so yummy! good job, mr. pike.

if you've never had potato latkes before, give them a try. and you don't have to have them at Hanukkah. they're great any time of the year, especially for breakfast. here's our recipe.

POTATO LATKES
8-10 potatoes, any kind (although latke experts recommend yukon gold)
2-3 onions
salt
pepper
3 eggs
1/4 c. flour
oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and onion together. (The onion will help the potatoes from turning colors.) Place grated mixture in a colander and press down on the mixture to remove any liquid. Once thoroughly drained, return mixture to a large bowl. Add salt and pepper. (I like to put in a lot of salt; Mr. Pike doesn't. So whatever you feel most comfortable with.) Add eggs and flour and mix everything together.

In a skillet, heat 2-4 inches of oil on medium heat. Once hot, make a ball of the potato mixture and then flatten into a pancake shape. Add to the hot pan. (You can make the latkes as big or small as you like.) Fry 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat until mixture is gone. Add several potato latkes to your pan if you have the room.

Serve with sour cream and applesauce, if you'd like to try them the traditional Jewish way.