(C/K)Han(n)uka(h)

Apparently you can spell that beast with a K, too! Who knew.  However you spell it, this is how we spent it:

 Num num num.  I have actually come to make pretty yummy latkes, but I use (gasp!) defrosted shredded hash brown potatoes.  Oh, the horror.  Luckily, Jesus loves me despite my flawed Jewish cooking, so we're cool.
Shiksa Latkes
(In the south, y'all, we call them hash browns!)
1 30 ounce bag of shredded potato hash browns, thawed
2 medium or 1 very large onion, shredded (see, I still put my fingers at risk!)
1 t salt
2 large eggs
pepper to taste (yes, I put pepper in my latkes.  you wanna fight?)
1/4-1/2 cup Matzo meal.  I prefer Streit's brand to Manishewitz.  (I said it....so now it's all out on the table)
Mix.  Fry in hot vegetable oil.  I know coconut oil is better for your and blahdy blahdy blah.  They're fried potatoes, friend, I don't care if you put magical rainbow powder on them, they're still not good for you and they may as well not taste like a pina colada spilled in them.  When you put them in the pan, LEAVE THEM ALONE.  Seriously.  Don't keep peaking or test flipping, because they'll be gross.  Your oil should be hot enough that the end of your wooden spoon bubbles (I think that means it's 350) and usually on medium heat mine take 4-5 minutes per side to get crunchy and delicious.

Then we had carrot slaw (was supposed to be cooked carrots, but I got lazy), pomegranate arils, applesauce (I like to use the slow cooker- just toss in your peeled apples, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon to taste and a little water and let er rip on low until it's, well, saucy), peas (were supposed to be green beans, but the kids wanted peas), and some london broil, which is not traditional but was OH.SO.TASTY!
London Broil (is falling down)
In a ziplock bag mix 2 cups of red wine, 3T worchestire sauce, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 3 T dijon mustard, herbs of your choice (I had a provence spice blend) add meat.  Let sit overnight.  Remove, pat dry, and broil on high for 5-7 minutes per side depending on desired doneness.  I cooked 3 separate pieces so our serving platter actually ranged from bloody mess to my shoe leather, but all of it was tender and very flavorful.

Then, there was the epic fail.  I proof my yeast every time, but my donuts and my challah were EPIC fails.  The challah in the picture? It came out like a 2 week old stale pretzel.  Now I must conquer Challah.  It's on egg bread, it's on.

 Yes, that's my husband and kids lighting the advent candles with the shamus from our menorah.  If you don't like it, look away.  In our house, Christmas (which the kids spilled the beans to the other homeschoolers is probably "not Jesus' actual birthday") and Hannukah are about the fact that God is faithful and keeps his promises.  If God says he'll make some oil last or kick some Greek booty, he will.  If he says he's going to send a Savior, you better believe it's going to happen. He's not playin.  That's what I like about God.

Savannah dressed for dinner.  I was inredibly jealous I don't have a purple sparkle ballet recital dress to wear for dinner! This is daddy with his extra-special desert (since the donuts didn't rise he got us donut holes from DD) from the kids! We melted candy cane pieces in the oven to make Star of David shaped candy.  It was fun!

Directions from my facebook: "You just break the candy canes into pieces and make equilateral(ish) triangles on a greased cookie sheet and bake them for 2-5 minutes at 300 degrees. Take them out, stack one on the other, back in for one minute to set them together, and then out to harden. Use a metal spatula or board scraper, the plastic ones are too fat and roll the candy. These are SweetTart candy canes, and they're pretty yummy :) Blueberry ones would be cute and the right colors :) When they're hard, you wipe any non-stick spray residue off with a napkin, and then you can hang them up or eat them after you light your candles :) You can use little pieces all put together, too- actually my favorite one was all the different leftover colors together!"


Savannah's class had a Channukah Party thanks to her buddy Alison's mom, and Savannah came home with her very own driedel (she did not, in fact, make it out of clay) and explained to us that "How you play drey-dull is you spinned the drey-dull and then Ow-ison's mom gives you a chocolate coin."  When I tried to explain the actual rules she rolled her eyes and repeated you need Ow-ison's mom in order to play.  We invited them for dinner on Friday night (I should have taken a picture of that dinner!) but Savannah and Alison ended up playing dolls and tea party the whole time, so it was just a fun dinner with no work involved handing out gelt :)