On the 12th night of Hanukkah

On the 12th night of Hanukkah, we kept the celebrating going.

Since Hanukkah fell so early this year, our Houston family didn’t have time for our annual Hanukkah dinner. We extended it to the 12th night, and pretended it was still time for latkes.

I have three new recipes to share with you–one for traditional latkes, one for veggie/feta latkes, and one for spiced nuts.

And then there are some more pictures of our dinner party.

Veggie Feta Latkes

These latkes are a new spin on a traditional dish. They aren’t really any healthier (I don’t think) even though they have more vegetables because they’re still pan fried and full of eggs and flour. My friend/reader Anne sent me this recipe to try this year, so I made them for our family Hanukkah. It’s more fun to make dishes when there are more eaters than just me.

Traditional latkes use a lot of grated potatoes. Jeffrey’s trick is to add one potato and onion onion to a pack of Manischevitz box latke mix. In the picture above, those latkes are on the right.

For veggie feta latkes, see recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 1 C russet potato, grated
• 1 C carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 C zucchini, grated
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 C matzo meal
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 C feta crumbles
• 1/2 C parsley flakes or fresh parsley, chopped
• canola oil for frying

Instructions:

• All latkes have the same steps: Make the mix, roll into patties, fry on the stovetop, let dry on paper towels or paper bags.
• For these latkes, you grate all vegetables and place in a collander. Squeeze all the liquid out with paper towels or by hand. There is a lot! Add salt to vegetables and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Re-squeeze all the liquid out. Add eggs, matzo meal, parlsey, and feta and mix well.
• Form into small patties and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned.
• Place on paper towels to cool and drain oil. Serve hot.

We made them earlier in the afternoon, refrigerated until we were ready to serve, and then re-heated in the oven at 435* for about 15 minutes.

Look at that sizzle. These are my veggie ones frying away.

Cooling station.

The veggie feta latkes were very dense. Much more than traditional. It was nice to try a new kind of homemade latke, but they weren’t as popular as the traditional ones.

They would also be a really nice appetizer if you made them smaller.

Spiced Cashews

Jeffrey saw a recipe by Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) for these nuts, and Jeffrey loves Ina almost as much as me. These nuts were delicious! And we had leftovers. They had a little kick from the tiny amount of cayenne, the rosemary made the kitchen smell great, and baking nuts makes them so much better.

This recipe is a keeper. And Jeffrey approved, if you’re keeping track.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through
• Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated. Serve warm.

Baked Brie:

We also baked a 1/4 wheel of brie with honey on top and served with crackers.

I think it needed more flavoring. I think Brie is a hard cheese to serve as an appetizer because it hardens quickly and it’s best served gooey.

Delicious roasted green beans and snap peas. Oven at 425* for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. So cheap, easy, and no cleanup when you line the pan with foil. I seasoned with EVOO, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Served buffet style. We had a smoked turkey too. Have you heard of Greenberg’s Turkeys? They are a famous turkey farm in Tyler, TX who ships fully cooked turkeys all over the country. If you didn’t click the link and notice their web address, it is gobblegobble.com. They are also an Oprah’s Favorite Things from a few years ago. It arrived at my house on Thursday, we refrigerated until Sunday, and served room temperature. They are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. We have it at Thanksgiving too as a second turkey.

Jeffrey carved the turkey very well!

A messy kitchen.

A lovely dining room table.

Dessert was Cake Batter Bark, and non-homemade gingersnaps.

And since it’s Hanukkah, there were presents! Another new toy for Lily. She is one lucky dog.

Do you host dinner parties during the holidays? Do you try new recipes or keep with tried and true ones?