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Tasty Treats for Hanukkah

Posted by Suzie Canale on Wed, Dec 17, 2014

The Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, consists of a wonderfully eclectic variety of cuisine that can be easily compared to culinary art at its finest.  Traditionally based on foods containing oil (one cruse lasting for eight days) and cheese (based on the book of Judith), the selection is endlessly yummy and includes favorites such as latkes, donuts and scrumptious challah bread.  From family to family, there are amazing variations of dishes, bringing in their own story and personality to the table.   Recipes are passed down from each generation in the hopes that some of our ancestor’s time honored recipes will be included in the celebration of the Festival of Lights.  Here are few of the top rated Hanukkah recipes that are not only customary to this holiday feast but have been praised as mouth watering delicacies by Boston’s top chefs.

 

Parsnip Latkes

PARSNIP_LATKES                                                                 Photo credit: bettycrocker.com

Here’s a great spin on the customary fried potato latke where parsnips and sweet potato are used as the main ingredient.  Start by grating 2 large parsnips and 2 large sweet potatoes in a food processor.  Combine root vegetables with 4 egg whites, 3 thinly sliced shallots, 1½ teaspoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of dried thyme.  Mix together thoroughly.  Heat a frying pan with canola oil and place a quarter cup of the batter on the pan, pressing down to brown the cake with a fork or spoon for 3 minutes per side.  Place on paper towel to relieve the latkes of excess oil.  Makes up to 20 latkes and can be served immediately or kept warm in a low temperature oven. 

 Jelly Donuts

jelly_donuts_hanukkah                                                    Photo Credit: Food.com

These are so good and wicked easy to make!  Grab three eggs and combine them with ¾ cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, ½ cup of sugar and mix together well.  In another bowl, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1½ cups of flour with a teaspoon of salt mixed in as well.  Combine the two bowls slowly making sure that a smooth doe is formed to make a sandwich like shape.  Heat a deep fryer at 375 degrees with canola oil and add a precooked donut that consists of two layers of doe with a layer of jam in the middle.  I prefer strawberry but any kind will taste superb including raspberry and blueberry.  Making sure not to overcrowd the pan, fry donuts for about 4 minutes each until they reveal a golden color.  Let them cool on plate and sprinkle with confectionary sugar for an attractive presentation. 

 Maple Applesauce

Chunky-Applesauce-OR

This is a wonderful recipe for tart applesauce with a little kick to it that also pairs well with a large variety of main courses.  Gather 8 peeled apples with a sour taste (such as Jonathan apples or Granny Smith’s) and 3 sweet apples (such as Golden Delicious).  Slice apples into small pieces making the process of cooking them easier.  Place in ½ cup of boiling water and reduced heat to medium allowing the apples to soften until they begin to pull apart.  Once ready, mash down the apples to a desired consistency and then add 4 tablespoons of Vermont Maple Syrup (only use the good stuff).  Once you have thoroughly mixed the sauce, add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to add zip to the flavor.  Refrigerate the dish until the desired time of serving.

suze Suzie Canale, Union Oyster House, Boston, MA August 2014

Suzie lives in Westwood, MA. She is avid chef and makes an amazing New England clam chowder.

Tags: Jewish Holidays, Hanukkah Decorating, Holidays, Chef, cooking

Hanukkah Flowers - What is Hot ?

Posted by Suzie Canale on Sat, Dec 06, 2014

Great Colors for Hanukkah Arrangements

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Hanukkah is a special time to celebrate with friends and family where the festivities include beautiful candles, delicious foods and elaborate decorations, particularly floral centerpieces.  Traditionally, the colors used within the arrangements made for The Holiday of Lights are blue and white but that doesn’t mean that we can’t step out of our comfort zone and try new palettes of design!  Hanukkah demonstrates an explosion of color throughout the flickering of menorah light and scrumptious homemade cuisine so why not incorporate these two concepts together?  Now, you’re probably thinking that contemporary vase work ideas will be too ostentatious, perhaps composed of chartreuse and hot pink, a combination maybe be unsuitable for your holiday table but I assure you there is another way…

How about we mix and match using some of the more recognized colors with a new flash of color!  Although there are millions of combinations, these are my favorites for Hanukkah celebrations!

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Blush, cream and white are extraordinary together because they compliment one another to blend a stunning and elegant floral presentation.  Beautiful as a larger center centerpiece or utilized within small accented bud vases, these tones create the ideal dining décor by promoting a stately but relaxing visual appeal.  White flowers are numerous in many species but hydrangea, lisianthus and roses are excellent choices.  Hydrangea also works well within the cream category as well as roses and lisianthus.  For your blush, spray or garden roses are very sweet or you can pick gerberas as the pink accent, which can be bought in many varying shades.  If you still think your vase needs a little added color, carefully tuck a conservative amount of greenery sporadically throughout the arrangement.  My go to greens are usually October weed, lady’s mantle or lambs ear.

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You’d be surprised but blue can be easily intertwined with yellow so keep this in mind as a possible option for your Hanukkah florals.  The bold colors are sensational and reflect the theme of light, joy and happiness quite well.  If the pairing is too bright for your taste, try mixing in a few stems of white or cream to soften the look.  September weed, freesia or lace flower are great choices because of their breezy and flexible appearance.  Stay away from larger headed blooms such as white pom poms, tulips or lilies because they will clump up the piece and deter from the grandeur style that we’re shooting for.   For your blues, try stocks of delphinium, mountain thistle, statice or hydrangea.   Possible yellows could include roses, freesia, sunflowers, lilies or even football mums but this shade is also available in a massive selection so select something that really reflects what you love!

all photos in this blog post can be attributed to Flower Factor and Aboutflowers.com

suze Suzie Canale, Boston MA Summer 2014

Suzie grew up in Andover, MA and is a graduate of Salem State College.

Tags: Jewish Holidays, Holiday Decor, Hanukkah Flowers, Hanukkah Decorating, Holidays

Boston Flower Buyer Jon Bornstein Writes About a Kosher Christmas

Posted by Rick Canale on Thu, Dec 06, 2012

Hanukah. Chanukah. The Festival of Lights. Kosher Christmas. Kwanza’s hebrew brotha from anotha motha. Call it what you like, it’s December and the three-pronged multi-cultural holiday monster is rearing its ugly head once again. Unless, of course, you love this time of year, in which case let me say it (or sing it) differently: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

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The ”eight crazy nights” (Sandler’s words, not mine) of Hanukah carry thousands of years of history and tradition with them. But for those of you who have only a passing familiarity with the rites and rituals of your Jewish counterparts during December (or the month of Kislev, for you Jewish calendar sticklers), I thought it might be fun to lay down a little fact or fiction. So fasten your seat belts, kids, and get ready to take your first steps into a much larger world as I drop some knowledge…

 

1)   Hanukah is not a major holiday on the Jewish calendar. Fact. You want the heavy hitters form the Hebrew holiday set, check out Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) or Yom Kippur (the day of atonement). The hullabaloo surrounding Hanukah is due in no small part to the gift giving, a tradition borrowed from our Christmas-observing brothers and sisters. Why co-opt a tradition that has nothing to do with our holiday? You parents out there know the answer. How many times can you listen to your kids ask in a pleading tone why their christian friends get presents for their holiday and we don’t? Exactly.

 

Hanukah commemorates the Jews reclaiming of the Second Temple from their oppressor King Antiochus. The wicked King had desecrated the Jews’ sacred house of worship while it was under his control in an effort to force them to embrace Hellenic religious beliefs. The Jews refused, observing and teaching the laws of their Torah in secret, and a small Jewish faction called the Maccabees hid and ultimately led a successful revolt to reclaim the Second Temple.

 

The central symbolic miracle that defines Hanukah occurred when the Jews were restoring the Temple, and went to relight the Ner Tamid (Eternal Flame). They only recovered enough oil to light the flame for one night. Miraculously, the flame stayed lit for eight days by which time new oil had been created to sustain the flame. Hence, the miracle that explains both the eight day duration of Hanukah, and its alternative name - “The Festival of Lights”.

 hanukah flowers in newton resized 600

2)   The eating of fried food is not only allowed during the holiday, it’s encouraged. Fact. Like all Jewish holidays, there are foodstuffs associated with it. Since the defining miracle of Hanukah centered around the oil used to keep the Eternal Flame lit, foods prepared in oil, like potato pancakes (we call them “latkes”) and jelly donuts (we call them “sufganiyot”) are served during the eight day span. The pancakes are served with applesauce and sour cream. The jelly donuts are truly more like beignets with fruit filling, and in other parts of the world these tasty treats have a variety of filling options.

 

3)   The holiday is lousy with gambling. Fiction. Fact. Well, sort of both. Back during the rule of Antiochus, Jews were forbidden from studying and practicing the teachings of the Torah. They did so in secret, and they would cover up their activities when agents of Antiochus came around by pulling out a dreidel and a pot full of gelt (coins) to create the illusion that they were gambling. The dreidel, for those of you in the dark, is a four sided top with Hebrew letters on all four sides that stand for how much of the pot gets distributed on any given roll. The game is played with modern day “gelt” (gold foil wrapped chocolate coins), and the letters of the dreidel also stand for the Hebrew phrase which translates to “A Great Miracle Happened There.”

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Look at you. Five minutes of your attention and you’re a hebraic holiday maven (that’s Yiddish for “know-it-all”). Thanks for tuning in this year, and don’t be such a big shot that you overlook the opportunity to send something nice to your friends and loved ones from Exotic Flowers. They’ve got more in their bag than just the pushing of petals So don’t be such a shnook! Check it out! And Chag Sameach! (Happy Holiday!)

 Jon Bornstein

Enjoy Every Sandwich

 

Follow me on Twitter @Zucrow

Tags: Jon Bornstein, Hanukkah Flowers, Hanukkah Decorating

Celebrate Hanukkah with Flowers from Boston's Premier Flower Shop

Posted by Rick Canale on Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Hanukkah CenterpieceHanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of the Jews over Greek persecution. When the Maccabees, the leaders of the war against the Syrians, reclaimed the Temple, they only had one flask of oil to light their candle lit Menorah. Miraculously the Menorah stayed lit for eight days - thus the eight days of Hanukkah, which begin on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. In 2010, Hanukkah begins on December 1st.

In partnership with the Society of American Florists and www.aboutflowers.com - Exotic Flowers in Boston is honored to present some flower decorating ideas for Hanukkah.

Hanukkah FLowers
Ask the staff at Exotic Flowers to design a festive arrangement featuring flowers in the traditional Hanukkah blue and white or in all white - perfect for a centerpiece or to greet guests on a table in the foyer.

Use fresh evergreens to decorate around the menorah. Place colorful dreidels and chocolate coins around the table for kids to enjoy.

If you are having an open house is and many persons will be in a room, it is important to give special attention to the larger display areas such as the front door, foyer, mantle, buffet or serving areas, powder rooms, windows and staircase. This decorating tactic will help you get maximum impact because with many people in a room smaller arrangements placed around will not be seen at all times. By focusing on a few focal areas in each room, more space is made for glasses, cups and food plates and there is less chance of an accident.

As guests leave, have a vase of loose flowers by the door and invite them to take one home as a gift.

For an elegant celebration, take advantage of all places where candles could be displayed:

Line a walkway with votive candles in luminaries leading up to a door.

Place garland on the mantle with fresh flowers and candles to beautifully grace your room and make the most of light by enhancing the fire.

Float candles and flowers in treasured crystal or silver bowls to create a fabulous effect.

Place scented candles with fresh blossoms in each powder room.

Ask Exotic Flowers about Hanukkah Flower Decorating and Entertaining Ideas.

Festival of lights Flowers

Tags: Entertaining with Flowers, Hanukkah Flowers, Hanukkah Decorating

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