It's that time of year again! I don't know about you, but as lovely as Christmas can be, it's also quite anxiety-riddled and hectic. There's so much that needs to be done and so little time to do it in. My family always has such high expectations as well and that can be killer to a feline person.
Despite all of the panic and worry, I am a huge proponent of traditions. Maybe it's the Pureblood in me, but I do love a good tradition. I refuse to put up my tree or decorate before Thanksgiving is over here in America, for example. I always celebrate this season by baking enough cookies to fill what other HEXians have coined as my 'Cookie Freezer' and my kids and I always overindulge in Lindor truffles. So good.
That being said, Christmas is only one holiday and it's certainly not celebrated by everyone so I decided to branch out a bit this season and find y'all a recipe from another culture. Today I bring to you a very simple recipe for Latkes. You will commonly find this food in the Jewish culture and in Israel, they use them to help celebrate the season of Hanukkah. I have been told that this is a very big tradition for some people as this simple form of fried potatoes cooked in oil help to symbolize the children's story that the Maccabees found only one jug of oil to light the candles yet instead of only burning for one day as it should have---it burned for eight days.
INGREDIENTS:
4 medium potatoes, coarsely grated
2 medium white onions, finely chopped
2 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION:
1. Add all ingredients to a big bowl and mix well. Use your hands to create small balls and then flatten them.
2. Heat oil in a heavy pan over a medium flame. This will be a shallow fry, so a few tablespoons will do.
3. Fry a few latkes as a time, separated on the pan, for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden (but not brown.)
4. There are several ways to personalize the latkes to your own tastes, but I've been told that applesauce and sour cream are two of the more commonly preferred toppings!
So if you're like me and suffer from holiday stress and anxiety, please remember that it is ok to remove a task or tradition from your list when it all becomes unbearable. Life will go on. But also remember to live a little and have some fun! I've found that having a great support system, perhaps a few friends from HEX, who will listen to you vent or whine just a little makes all the difference in the world.
#GrinchLifeisFunToo #TraditionsRock
Tune in next time for another dish with international flair!