Holiday Fun & Games

The Dreidel Game

While none of our wrapping papers have dreidels – we still think the Dreidel Game is a blast! Who does not like spinning a top – and winning some yummy chocolate (or money!)

So, how do you play the dreidel game?
The dreidel has four sides. On each side is a Hebrew letter Shin, Hey, Gimmel and Nun. These letters mean “A Great Miracle Happened There.” Players use chocolate coins (or real ones if you like to gamble a bit!) as tokens or chips.

The first player spins the dreidel. When the dreidel stops, the letter that is facing up tells the player what to do:

Nun – Nothing happens and the next player spins the dreidel
Gimmel – The player takes all the tokens in the pot
Hey - The player takes half the tokens in the pot
Shin – The player must put one token into the pot

At the end of the game, whoever has the most coins wins!

Potato Latkes

Admit it, you like those fried treats as much as the next person. And as all of us who have made latkes know -- they are a lot of work. So here's a little tip that my dear friend told me...buy grated frozen potatoes! The taste is honestly just as good and it's half the work. Of course you have to still use a bottle of oil to get that amazing taste. (I have made them low calorie in the past...but to be honest...it's only once a year and they taste so much better the old fashioned way!)

So here's is a tried and true recipe and use frozen potatoes! (you can easily double or triple this!)

1 lb frozen grated potatoes, thawed and thoroughly drained (bagged and in the frozen vegetable section)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (chop it really little - it makes a big difference in the flavor)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and a bit of pepper to taste
Olive oil (you need quite a bit)

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat a large non-stick skillet on the burner with about 1/4 inch of hot oil (not smoking). Spoon batches of latkes into the skillet (about 4-5 at a time). Reduce the heat to medium and brown each side for about five minutes. When done, place on either brown paper bags (they are a great way to absorb the oil and make reheating them later even better) or paper towels. Keep going until you are done and the house smells like a big french-fry!

You can make the potato latkes up to 8 hours ahead of your meal. Just reheat on a rack over a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, about 5 minutes. They'll turn out nice and crisp. Don't forget the Apple Sauce and Sourcream! (Home made applesauce tops these fried goodies very nicely -- see below).

Yummy Homemade Applesauce

This is such an easy recipe - for Hanukkah and all year long that we had to share it with you...no real measurements on this one...

Get a about 6-8 assorted apples (choose the ones that you like best - Granny Smith, Roma, Honey Crisp, etc)

Core, peel and cut, then coat with a bit of lemon to prevent discoloration. Pour in a pot with 3/4 cup or so of water, a few cinammon sticks (optional) and a vanilla bean split in two -- that's the secret to this recipe! The vanilla bean gives an incredible aroma and flavor. Add sugar to taste - you decide how sweet or tart you like it. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are tender. Remove the cinammon and vanilla bean.

Let the apples cool and then proceed to the food processor. It's up to you how smooth or chunky you like it, so choose the consistency you prefer and go for it! It should hold up in the refrigerator for 5 days.

An incredible recipe on it's own and on latkes!

Enjoy!