Chag Oorim Sameach

Wishing you and your family a season full of light and miracles. Happy Chanukah.

Picture time

It's that time of year again - time for the obligatory Chanukah picture that I will send out to friends and family. LO is not always willing to be the subject of my photography and if it were up to her, I think this is the picture everyone would be getting this year...

A Chanukah Surprise

Well, I just got a nice Chanukah surprise. I got an e-mail at work that said that I was going to receive a one time bonus. I've been working for my company just shy of 10 years and never in those 10 years have they given us anything but maybe a pen or a t-shirt so I have to say I am VERY surprised.

So - I could be practical and pay some bills with the money or I could do something totally frivilous. Hmm...here are some ideas:

1) I could take a trip somewhere that I have never been like to Denver, Chicago, or Los Angeles.

2) I could have my Lexus serviced since it's about 10,000 miles past due for service.

3) I could give the money to the Salvation Army bellringer that loves Jack so much.

4) I could buy some expensive toy that LO wants which she will play with for 10 minutes before she gets bored of it.

5) I could give it as tzedakah to my shul.

6) I could go and buy a whole bunch of new clothes here, here, or even here.

7) I could support other J-bloggers and go and buy MoChassid's CD, and Psychotoddler's CD, and Elaine Soloway's book, or even get another copy of Amy Guth's book.

So many choices, what's a gal to do?

A Chanukah Song

Neil has hosted a Christmahanukwanzaaka Online Concert in the true spirit of the holiday season.

Since LO loves to sing, how better to wish everyone a Happy Chanukah then by singing "Oh Chanukah"?

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(BTW - since I sang with her this is Kol Isha even though I wouldn't exactly call this singing!)

Oh and here's an added bonus for LO's fans in Boston:

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Outside the Box

There was a Chanukah celebration for the parents at LO's Hebrew School this past weekend. For part of the celebration, each child was to light Chanukah candles on a menorah they made as a gift to their parents.

True to her form, LO thought "outside the box" and while all the other children had made your standard eight candles in a row type menorah, here is what LO's looked like. She asked if I loved it. I replied, "Of course I love it because YOU made it for me." Then I asked how we would know where the 1st candle goes - she had already thought of that and marked a star of David on the clay where to start (so is so smart that way!)

I didn't have the heart to tell her that on the last night of Chanukah with all eight candles lit I am afraid that putting the shamash back in the center is going to be a real challenge.

1 Guth, 8 Nights, 36 Bloggers

Amy Guth, the author of Three Fallen Women, had a great idea to do a Chanukah Blog Tour. The 1st night was Leah of Accidently Jewish, the 2nd night was Avi of Tikkun Ger and one of my favourite bloggers Jessica of Suburban Kvetch. I can't wait to meet the rest of the J-Bloggers along the way. Amy meme'd me for the Third Night of Chanukah. I received her book for Chanukah and if you want one of your very own, you can buy it here.

So, here are my answers:

1. Quick! You must turn a plate of latkes into an upscale gourmet delight(as if they aren't already?). What would you add to them to dress them up, flavor and/or garnish them?
I would have to add an Asian flair to it a la this recipe. (Hat tip to Velveteen Rabbi for the link and to Ethan for the recipe.)

2. What is the dumbest thing you've ever heard anyone say about Chanukah?
That's a tie between, "You can't celebrate Chanukah, you're Chinese!" and "Oh, I thought Chanukah was the Jewish word for Christmas."

3. What's the best possible use for olive oil?
With lemon on Israeli salad...yum!

4. Settle it once and for all. Latkes or hammentaschen? Which to you prefer? What about pitting the winner of that contest against sufganiyot?
After my 1000 latke fiasco, I am surprised to say... latkes. But who wouldn't want to eat something fried in oil vs. a cookie with prunes in it? And latkes beat out sufganiyot unless the sufganiyot are just out of the oil - then and only then do they rule over everything.

5. What's the best way to mix up a game of dreidel?
I say write the letters in Chinese - that would sure mix everyone up. (Although Jewish mah-johng players sort of read Chinese.)

6. My novel, Three Fallen Women, shockingly enough, is about the lives of three women. Which three women would you like to have over this year for latkes and why?
Laura Jarblum Margolis because of her work with Holocaust refugees in the Shanghai ghetto. Judaism and China...what more could a Chinese Jew like myself ask for in a dinner guest?

Mrs. Balabusta because you have to admire a Mom of six kids who manages to avoid insanity. (I only have one and sometimes I walk that fine line between sane and cukoo.) Oh yeah and she's Psychotoddler's wife and I would love to hear her side of his stories.

And my best friend "e" because no one could ever ask for a better friend than her.

7. Other than Three Fallen Women (har har), what book do you think would make a great Chanukah gift this year? What book would you like to receive as a gift this year?
I think that The Book Thief would make a great Chanukah gift. I love the choice of Death as the narrator. I read about Elaine Soloway's book, The Division Street Princess on Amy's blog and I would love for this to be my next book.

8. What bloggers didn't participate in Chanukah Blog Tour 5767 and you think should have?
Don't know if they've signed up, but just in case... Amishav, Yo Yenta and Neil.

Happy Chanukah

From our home to yours, we wish everyone a peaceful and blessed holiday.

Shabbat Shalom Um'vorach v' Chag Urim Sameach.

Does anyone smell latkes?

Well, I am pleased to report that I survived my 1000 latke fiasco. I consider this a modern day Chanukah miracle since I had never made them from scratch before.

I am still in awe of the fact that from this:

I was able to make this:

But don't be too impressed...I enlisted the help of a friend (todah rabah - you know who you are!) who cooks just as well as any gourmet cook you could think of (if not better) and a handful of women from our sisterhood. Potatoes were flying, onions were everywhere and I don't think I am ever going to get rid of the latke smell from my hands, but a good time was had by most.

The only scary moment was when one of them women starting talking about us starting to make hamentschen next month...hey, isn't Purim several months away? I need to get out of the kitchen!

Jewish Snowflakes

I got a meeting request in my e-mail at work. Usually these are for boring meetings that could put even insomniacs to sleep but this one said "Snowflake Holiday Decoration". I was intrigued and so I read further. Apparently on company time, right here in Corporate America we were actually going to do arts and crafts and learn how to make snowflakes to decorate our cubicles.

While I don't possess the same holiday spirit as Jack, I certainly have my latke issues and my neighborhood issues. So, in general I usually pass on these types of opportunities. And besides, we live in Miami, who ever heard of snowflakes in Miami? But for some reason I couldn't help but jump on the snowflake bandwagon. And really, what could be more exciting than a bunch of actuaries cutting up paper?

So - here's the outcome. I blame the Jewishness of them on a Jewish co-worker who egged me on...

Shabbat Shalom.

One Thousand Latkes?!

I'm one of those people who can never say no (well, almost never). I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing but every now and then something happens to make me question my eagerness to always offer help...case and point:

The woman at my Shul who is in charge of our big Chanukah celebration is leaving on a cruise today to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary. Prior to leaving for her big celebration, she sent an e-mail out to the sisterhood members and a bunch of other members asking them to help make latkes this Sunday and next Sunday. She explained that we will need 1000 latkes and how she won't be here this Sunday because she is going on her cruise. Then as I continued to read it said something to the effect of, so if you can help, please contact ... because she will be overseeing everything in the kitchen. I rubbed my eyes and did a double take - did the e-mail really say MY name and have MY e-mail address on it?

Is she MESHUGANAH?

I mean...

How did offering to help turn into being in charge?

How does one go about making 1000 latkes?

Can someone tell me how to put a food processor together?

What happens if no one offers to help and I am standing in the shul kitchen alone on Sunday?

Couldn't we have gone with my stereotype and made egg rolls and wonton soup instead? (Oh wait, those aren't traditional Chanukah foods - but at least I know how to make those!)

Does it matter that (as much as I hate to admit it) I have only ever made latkes using the Streit's mix? (Hey...I could never make them from scratch as good as my Grandma Rose Z"L, so I never even tried!)

Don't food issues disqualify me for this position?

The "recipe" she gave me was SO VAGUE (peel potatoes, peel onions, put them in the food processor, mix them with maztoh meal and fry)...should I be really scared?

Oy gevalt...how did this happen to me?

'Tis the season

Each year it seems like my neighbors start decorating for Christmas earlier and earlier. This year they all seemed to start about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Since then it seems that each day I drive through my community there are more and more houses COVERED with lights and decorations and every neighbor seems to be trying to outdo the next. Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday season and we too have decorated our home with our hannukiyot prominently displayed in our windows along with some driedel window clings, but I just can't compete with this:

or this:

I am ok with the fact that in a community of 72 homes where we are the only Jewish family, our house will look surprisingly barren. But a tiny part of me can't help but want to jump into this decorating competition. But am I going to have to resort to this?