Blog Archives
Oy Hanukkah, Oh Chanukah…
Every winter brings the same dilemma… how do you spell Hanukkah?! The first spelling above is the spellcheck’s preference, but ask 2 Jews and you’ll get at least two opinions. Ask a Hebrew speaker and, in this case, you’ll get only one:
Despite the miracle which occurred during the rededication of the Temple following its desecration by the ancient Greeks, Hanukkah is really a very minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, which has gotten a leg up in the Diaspora because of its proximity to Christmas and other winter holidays. Here in Israel, however, the holiday centers around family get-togethers, lighting of the candles, singing songs, and, of course, food.
Add to the name confusion the special menorah that is lit during Hanukkah, the Hannukiyah, which has 9 candleholders, 8 for each night of Hanukkah and one separate one for the “Shamash”, the candle which is used to light all the others. Like many religious objects, the Hannukiyah is a folk art object and over time and varied cultures has taken many shapes. Nonetheless, the basic requirements above, 8 holders for candles or oil wicks, plus one for the Shamash, are what unite them all.
And because you can’t have a holiday without food, here are a few classic recipes. For obvious reasons, oil plays a big part in Hanukkah foods. 
Janna Gur, Israel’s Diva of the Kitchen, Ashkenazi Potato Latkes
King Arthur Flour Easy Does It Latkes
Easy Jewish Recipes Yeast-free Sufganiyot
And here’s a recipe for the yeasty-type of sufganiyot that I shared with one of my mailing lists many years ago. Enjoy!
Hannukah Doughnuts (Sufganiyot)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp dry yeast
3 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 c lukewarm milk
2 1/2 c flour, sifted
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
25 gm margarine, softened (my guess a little less than 1 oz)
2 tbsp brandy jam of your choice (IMHO strawberry is best here)
oil for deep-frying
powdered sugar
Method: Dissolve the yeast and 2 tbsp sugar in the lukewarm milk. Place flour on a board and make a well in the centre, add the yeast mixture, egg-yolks, salt, cinnamon and the remaining sugar. Now add the brandy (which keeps the doughnuts oil-free). Knead well. Add the margarine and knead until the dough is elastic. Cover and let rise about 2 hours.
Sprinkle flour on the board. Roll the dough out thin; cut into rounds 5cm (2″) in diameter with a cookie-cutter or glass. Cover and let rise 15 minutes more. Pour 5cm (2″) of oil into a heavy pot and heat to a slightly hotter degree than medium heat. Drop the doughnuts in the oil 4 or 5 at a time, turning when brown. Drain on paper towels.
If you have a kitchen syringe, fill it with strawberry jam and inject about a teaspoonful of jam in each doughnut. If you don’t have a kitchen syringe, using a tiny spoon take some jam and fill the doughnuts through a small slit. Dust with powdered sugar and serve while still warm. This recipe makes about 30-35 doughnuts.
Israelis favor sufganiyot to latkes to celebrate Hanukkah and in case you think donuts are a small change business:
Wishing you a Chag Urim Sameah, Happy Festival of Lights!
Sheeee’s baaack!
Wishing all my friends who celebrate, a very happy and safe Halloween. (Once upon a time, of course, you didn’t need to add “safe” to your greeting and it makes me infinitely sad that we do now.)
In spirit, I’ll be going with you door-to-door, pillowcase in hand trying to quell my insatiable craving for mini-Butterfingers.
PI users: if you’d like the UFO for Emily (figure only), just drop me a comment with a working email address. The font used here is Gorey, both on the headstone and a bit distorted for the greeting itself.
More Ghoulish Goodness on this site:
Vincent
The Zombielections Are Coming!
One for the Ghouls
So Long & Thanks for All the Fish
So long and thanks for all the fish
So sad that it should come to this
We tried to warn you all but oh dear
You may not share our intellect
Which might explain your disrespect
For all the natural wonders that grow around you
So long, so long and thanks for all the fish
The world’s about to be destroyed
There’s no point getting all annoyed
Lie back and let the planet dissolve around you
Despite those nets of tuna fleets
We thought that most of you were sweet
Especially tiny tots and your pregnant women
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long and thanks for all the fish
If I had just one last wish
I would like a tasty fish
If we could just change one thing
We would all have learned to sing
Come one and all
Man and mammal
Side by side
In life’s great gene pool
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long and thanks for all the fish
via Lyrics, So Long & Thanks for All the Fish Lyrics >>
Other Towel Day posts you may also enjoy:
Happy Towel Day! (from Yarnaholic Confessions)
Towel Day 2008 (from this blog)
So Long and Thanks for All the Fish (a flickr set)
Better shared!
Best.Captcha.Evar.
(IP address specific captchas?)
And in other news, Even Microsoft says stop using IE6
It's not often that we encourage you to stop using one of our products, but for #IE6, we'll make an exception: http://bit.ly/g0wt4m—
(@Microsoft) March 04, 2011
According to W3 Schools, XP users make up 42.9% of the browsing public, but won’t be able to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, IE9. You’ll need Vista or Windows7 to do that. Thankfully, other browsers continue to fill the browser wars gap. (Chrome 10 if you were wondering…)
Windows7 and Vista users will soon discover that IE9 will be a part of their future, like it or not.
On a humorous note (I hope), “Save IE6!”
Better shared!
How to Support WordPress (via WordPress.tv)
Curious to know what happens at the back end of your WordPress.com Support requests? Here’s Sheri Bigelow, a Happiness Engineer, describing the process.
via WordPress.tv
(Blogging will continue to be light for a while…)
Better shared!
