Handmade Holidays Part Two

Latkes, Rugelach and Babka, Oy Vey!

Three and a half years ago I converted to Judaism.  It was a momentous decision for me and involved the better part of a year spent taking Judaism classes, celebrating the Jewish holidays and soul-searching.  Hannukah is definitely not the most important Jewish holiday, Passover and the High Holidays of Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur definitely trump it, but because I grew up celebrating Christmas it is a big deal in our house.  It has been an interesting journey trying to find a perfect fit for both my husband and I’s ideas about what the holiday should look and feel like.  I tend towards lights and decorations while he can’t wait for the food…well who are we kidding, I can’t either.  So here are some of my favorite things to eat at Hannukah time- latkes and rugelach, which is not a traditional Hannukah food, but I always make them because they are so delicious.

Here is a great recipe for Latkes from The Comfort of Cooking.  I use peanut oil instead of vegetable but both work great.  Just make sure to top them with apple sauce and sour cream!

The rugelach recipe I use is Joan Nathan’s from her book Jewish Cooking in America.  She uses a cream cheese dough that is awesome and I substitute preserves for the traditional fillings.  You can find the recipe here on Food.com which is easy to print out and follow.  You can make Joan’s fillings or just buy three different fruit preserves (Trader Joes has great options).  I usually go with boysenberry, raspberry and cherry because they compliment the cream cheese dough really well.  Sorry no pictures!

Here are a couple of other recipes that look worth trying out:

Baked Bree also has a cream cheese rugelach recipe that looks delicious.

Smitten Kitchen has rugelach and chocolate babka recipes!  Yum Yum Yum!

I hope these recipes fill your home and kitchen with light and love, whatever holiday you celebrate!  If you are interested in finding out more about Hannukah you can find it here.  You can also find Part One in the Handmade Holiday series here.  Coming soon…the third and final part of the series –Handmade Holiday Gifts!

Happy Monday!

 

Free printable from Peonies and Poppyseeds.  Click on over and check it out!

Handmade Holidays Part One

What To Bring to a Holiday Party

As I’ve been surfing the internet lately, the handmade holiday gift craze has been making my mouth water and my hands itch to get baking!  So, to feature some of my favorite blogs and to share ideas for cool holiday gifts I am going to do a three part series.  Today I will feature delicious sweets that are perfect to bring to a holiday party and will make everyone ooooo and aaaahh over your cunning and prowess in the kitchen.  Coming soon I will share some of my favorite Hannukah goodies and handmade holiday gift ideas that you can give to friends and family that won’t break the bank.

Cheeky Kitchen is one of my new favorite food blogs.  She has great ideas and a cheeky personality .  Check out her recipe for Cool Peppermint Brownies below.  And what’s even more fun- you can do the icing in any color you want!

Baked Bree is another one of my go-to food blogs.  Here is her Cherry Rocky Road Fudge- guaranteed to make your tummy rumble.

I’ve featured Smitten Kitchen before on the blog and she never disappoints.  Her lemon bars look like they are heavenly.

Delicious!  I hope you all enjoyed this post and are having a joyful, stress free beginning to your holidays.  Coming soon:  Holy Hannukah!  Wonderful Jewish delicacies that anyone can enjoy.  Happy Wednesday!