Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel - I made you out of chocolate

Martha Stewart is without a doubt incredibly inspirational. While winging our way back from NC over Thanksgiving, I found this great idea of making dreidels from marshmallows and Hershey kisses.

I took a chance and surprised my group of 20-something friends with the dessert activity of making them. Would this group take to making the dreidels as a silly, more 6 year-old appropriate, dessert craft? You betcha.

And I quote one party-goer,

“the most fun I’ve ever had making dessert.”

Here’s how you can get your own Martha on this Hanukkah:

Ingredients –

1 can of chocolate frosting (your preference, I chose Milk Chocolate Whipped since it’s easy to spread and delish)

1 package of large marshmallows

1 package of pretzel sticks

1 package of Hershey Kisses (your preference, I went with the classic milk chocolate variety)

Strawberries (optional)

Directions – 

1) TAKE one marshmallow and apply frosting to the bottom of it.

2) ATTACH one Hershey kiss and attach its bottom to the frosting.

3) INSERT a pretzel stick down into the center of the marshmallow (to be the dreidel top).

4) EAT! Or…

5) COVER the entire thing in chocolate frosting. Then EAT!

6) Or… (you’re seeing now why this is a fun activity, right?) Instead of the Hershey kiss, attach a fresh strawberry, cover in chocolate, then EAT!

Ah, sweetness and something to do. That’s what I call a great craft. Thanks Martha. Happy fifth night of Hanukkah to all!

Check out my spiffy impromptu tealight menorah below. Not being able to find my real menorah was definitely a big inspiration here.

Potato Pancake Perfection

Happy 4th night of Hanukkah tonight to everyone!

This weekend, Gus and I made delicious latkes (potato pancakes) for brunch and they were mucho yummy. I dare to say that they are perhaps the best latkes I've ever made or eaten! I'm especially proud because I concocted my own recipe AND managed to make them gluten-free. Huzzah, I am officially the coolest Hanukkah chef ever.

Anyway, without further adieu, here is how you can master amazing latkes with my official recipe! 

One short warning before you get started - frying these will make your house smell intensely like a restaurant and oil will penetrate everything! Literally, my bathroom towel smelled like latkes. I recommend keeping your windows open, running the fan, and saying a prayer or two. 

The best remedy for the smell ironically seemed to be cooking something different - in my case, ordering pizza soaked up everything well. I also think some vanilla candles helped. :)

Ingredients:

- 2 cups frozen shredded potatoes (defrosted/thawed to room temp)

- 3 eggs

- 2 tablespoons of Gluten-free baking mix OR all-purpose flour

- 1/3 cup of chopped yellow onions

- Vegetable oil

- Your seasoning preference amount of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder

- Scallions (optional)

Directions:

COMBINE the potatoes, eggs, baking mix (or flour), onions, and your desired amounts of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I used a small sprinkling of each seasoning. 

HEAT a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat with about 1/2 - 1 cup of oil. Use enough so there's is 1/4inch of oil covering the bottom of the skillet.

Once the oil is sufficiently hot enough, DROP a small spoonful of your potato mixture into the oil. Use a fork to press down on the patty and let it sit for 1-2 minutes (or until the side in the oil turns golden brown). FLIP the patty when ready and allow it to get golden on the other side.

REMOVE the potato pancake from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels.

TOP with a sprinkling of salt, a few chopped scallions, and serve warm. Nom!

Tune in tomorrow for a Hanukkah treat that has been deemed by a friend, "the most fun I've ever had making dessert!"

Happy First Night of Hanukkah!

Hanukkah oh hanukkah... time to celebrate Hanukkah. Two time Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman-ukkah, celebrates Hanukkah... ahhh

-Adam Sandler

Happy first night of Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends out there! Tonight, I may just have to make some latkes (btw frozen hash browns are a great shortcut for these guys). In celebration of the festival of lights - here are some wonderful Hanukkah and Jewish-inspired items I found around the net. 

You may also want to check out my earlier post with DIY decorations for Hanukkah. Enjoy!

Spaceballs-inspired T-Shirt from Etsy Seller JamJamTee's

$13.99 + s/h

Since there aren't that many great Hanukkah movies in existence. Why not pop in a Mel Brooks classic like Spaceballs while sporting a spiffy and witty shirt? Very swanky.

The Jewish Zodiac line of T-shirts

$24.00 + s/h

I first spotted this line of quirky merch at the Hollywood Bowl. A little pricey but totally unforgettable. The tiger and the ox are so last year - you could be the year of the Schmear like Gus. I think I'm the year of the Pickle - that should have been plainly obvious to me years ago though...

Adam Sandler's classic, "The Hanukkah Song"

We have a small but awesome catalog of rockin Hanukkah songs. We may not get our own radio station at Christmas.. but we have this guy. And he's kinda famous. And he's a Jew. Wooooo!

 20 things you can do with Matzah (the song)

I spotted this last year - very DIY-oriented song. So many uses for Matzah that I never knew!

Last but not least - I couldn't leave out the very festive (although not Hanukkah-specific) Muppets' version of "The Ringing of the Bells." Sorry folks, I'm just too Muppet-oriented not to include em.

LwA on Apartment Therapy today

Hi everyone! I'm delighted to announce that Living with Annie is featured again today on Apartment Therapy- one of my all-time favorite home decorating sites!

As you may notice, some comments on my Hanukkah post were not all positive and had a lot to do with my inclusion of a Holiday wreath project. To anyone interested in my thoughts about it - I offer them below:

I've always associated wreaths with my mother. She had a keen eye for home design and at every home we had, she always had a wreath hanging on our front door. Sometimes it had a purple bow, or pink, or red, with flowers, or berries, etc. It was always lovely, elegant, and welcoming. We are a Jewish family and I grew up associating wreaths with a welcoming front door- whether that be at Christmas time, or any other time really. 

I apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended by suggesting a Holiday wreath as an appropriate Hanukkah decoration. My post was solely meant to offer some entertaining counter-programming to Christmas decorating and share my personally chosen picks for an underrepresented holiday in the home decor world. Any offensive meaning derived from it is completely unintentional.

To all who enjoyed my post, thanks also for your lovely comments!

Best,

Annie

There's No Place like Home for Hanukkah

As I've poured through my dozens of home decorating blogs, I've noticed a huge influx of Christmas decorating posts crop up. How to make a wreath, how to decorate a tree, etc. and Christmas is weeks away!


Where are the tips for us home-decorating-loving Jews? Hanukkah is swiftly approaching on Dec. 11 and I need some inspiration. Here's some great fodder that I dug up around the web:

How make Hanukkah Wine Goblets for your guests

Better Homes & Gardens

This is a great way to spruce up Goodwill glasses!

 

Got a spare Hurricane vase lying around? With some glitter and some glam, instant Hanukkah Dreidel centerpiece.

Glittered Dreidels

Martha Stewart

 

Can't figure out where you stashed your menorah from last year? Martha's on it with this elegant and super easy project.

Menorah of Glasses and Beads

Martha Stewart

 

Use some spray paint to create a Hanukkah-friendly Holiday wreath

Holiday Wreath

Real Simple

Finally, I'm not a huge fan of personalized frames but everyone is allowed a little bit of this kind of stuff around the holidays.

Personalized Hanukkah Frame

Available from Gifts.com

I'll post next week with some scrumptious Hanukkah recipes :)