I got the best Chanukkah present from my younger son – he brought over his littlest daughter, the only one of his brood of four who was available. The two middle ones went with their school to Orlando, accompanied by their mother who is also the head of the school’s counseling services, and the oldest…
Tag: Chanukkah
Vinaigrette – a Russian Winter Salad
He is called Father Frost or General Frost. He lives in Russia, and he could be very cruel, especially to those who do not show proper respect to him. He has defeated many invaders, from the khans, to Napoleon, to Nazi Germany. He likes to decorate fields and forests, covering them in pristine snow and…
Summer Latkes in December
I am not done with latkes yet, Beautiful People! In 1989, the Supreme Court ruling upheld displaying Chanukkah menorahs in public places as a symbol of “universal religious freedom.” Last night, on the last night of Chanukkah, our Rabbi invited the entire community to light the menorah outside, at Miami Beach Marina, with festive music,…
The Holy Hole-less Doughnuts
When Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden in a hurry, they hadn’t thought of packing a lunch box. Supposedly, He Who had kicked them out, sent them a comfort parcel with a dozen hole-less doughnuts filled with jam. Yum! The Hebrew word for doughnut, sufgania, is here presented as an abbreviation of…
Ukrainian Borsht for Sultana
Nobody seems to know where the word borscht came from. The best guess is that it is a combination of schti (Russian cabbage soup) and buryak (beetroot in Ukrainian). It is first mentioned in the legend about the two-month siege of the Ukrainian fortress Rohatyn by the Crimean offshoot of the Turkish army in the beginning of the sixteenth century….
Coconut Latkes Full of Light
On the second night of Chanukkah, two lights are on, spreading their warmth and glow throughout the house. We use the old-fashioned olive oil and wicks, rather than candles, as it has been done since that original cruse of oil in the Temple that lasted for eight days (for explanation of Chanukkah miracle of oil, please see But Hannah…
Pollo Fritto Artistico
I have a long-standing love affair with Florence, Italy. It is my second favorite city in the world, after Yerushalayim, or course, and on par with my native Odessa. Listen to its name – Firenze! – and imagine walking, breathing, eating and drinking art. You are literally walking on art because the streets are paved…
Gambling for Education and Retchene Latkes
To continue with the story of Chanukkah and latkes, Judea was eventually captured by the Romans. Some of the Roman rulers could care less about various religions of the occupied territories, or provinces, as long as the taxes were collected regularly and accurately. Some others, however, persecuted Jews relentlessly; Emperor Hadrian even earned the nickname “Destroyer of the…
But Hannah Did Not Have Potatoes! Latkes with a Tropical Twist.
Chanukkah is coming, and kids are looking forward to stuffing their faces with latkes – potato pancakes. When I was growing up, we had all kinds of latkes on Chanukkah, and sometimes my grandmother skipped the deruny (potato latkes) altogether because of the variety of other, more interesting ones: carrots with apples, zucchini with raisins, and my father’s favorite rechene (buckwheat) latkes. When a guest inquired about…
How Stanislavsky Ate the Grandmother
Technically, these are also retchene latkes, even though they don’t look or taste anything like my grandmother’s stellar creations. What makes them different is a ton of plump juicy HUGE blueberries which we obviously did not have in Russia in December. Enjoy this healthy treat, Beautiful People, and don’t forget, Kool Kosher Kitchen e-book is…
Pollo Fritto Artistico
Originally posted on koolkosherkitchen:
Tonight is the first night of Chanukkah. I am repeating a Florentine Chanukkah recipe that I published quite a while ago. Happy Chanukkah – enjoy! I have a long-standing love affair with Florence, Italy. It is my second favorite city in the world, after Yerushalayim, or course, and on par with…
Ukrainian Borsht for Sultana
Nobody seems to know where the word borscht came from. The best guess is that it is a combination of schti (Russian cabbage soup) and buryak (beetroot in Ukrainian). It is first mentioned in the legend about the two-month siege of the Ukrainian fortress Rohatyn by the Crimean offshoot of the Turkish army in the…
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