Eight 8 Days of Chanukah, Lighting The Menorah 5780, 2019

Here's my pictorial "essay" showing this year's Chanukah candle-lighting. Night two was at our family party, and night three we had a guest.

Chanukah #1

Chanukah #2

Chanukah #3

Chanukah #4

Chanukah #5

Chanukah#6

Chanukah #7

Chanukah #8

Thank Gd, the oil and candles burned safely here in Shiloh. Enjoying "Zot Chanukah," the Eighth day of Chanukah and looking forward to a warm wonderful year until next Chanukah.

Enjoyable Chanukah Videos

Every year some new Chanukah Videos are released, some better and some... less so. Here in Israel the weather is stormy. Gd obviously decided to give us WINTER as a Chanukah present.

This is not the time to travel, even though I had some really important plans for today. Instead we'll sing.

Which is your favorite? Why?

חג אורים שמח

Chag Urim Sameach

May You Have An Enlightened Holiday

Chanukah 5780, 2019, Has Begun!

This year, Chanukah 5780, 2019, after preparing our Chanukiyot, Chanukah Menorahs for later lighting, I went to Jerusalem to attend the Begin Prize Ceremony. Actually we didn't stay there very long.

As soon as I got to Jerusalem I could see that the city is decorated for Chanukah celebrations. And then when I passed by Zion Square, the Center of Downtown Jerusalem, I couldn't resist photographing the street performers.

I hope they'll be out every night, since school vacation doesn't start until tomorrow.

"Pin The Tail on The Donkey" Genre of Homemade Games

Way back in the middle of the previous century, when I was a kid, "Pin The Tail on The Donkey" was a standard party game. My mother bought us some for my kids and their friends to play, too. It was a regular feature in the birthday parties I organized along with unattractive and unfashionably "healthy" birthday cakes.

As a savta, grandma, I reprised the genre as our traditional Family Chanuka Party Game by taking a large piece of oak-tag and drawing a chanukiya Chanuka Menorah sans candles or flames. Then I'd cut out candles/flames, and get the whole family to join in playing a version of "Pin The Tail on The Donkey."

Recently my daughter created a new version of the famous classic "Pin The Tail on The Donkey" for a birthday by drawing a birthday cake with candles sans flames. I cut out flames, and the children, blindfolded of course, had to try to stick the flame on the candles.

For some strange reason, most likely the result of the "Children Shouldn't Feel Like Failures" culture, instead of laughing at badly placed flames, they coached each other:

"A bit higher"
"To the right"
"To the left"
"Lower"
"That's perfect"

The kids had fun, but they didn't learn to plan and calculate in the dark to develop survival skills, which is the real purpose of the game.

You can take the basic idea and make up a game for children, teens or adults. It could be a lot of fun and very low tech, too.

Eight 8 Nights of Chanukah

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #1

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #2

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #3

 

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #4

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #5

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #6

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #7

Chanukah 5779, 2018 Night #8

Bibi Could Be an Actor, or is He? Bibi's New Chanukah video

Former American President Ronald Reagan said that he didn't understand why people thought that his acting career was a strange one for a politician, especially for an American president. He said that he couldn't see how an non-actor could do the job.

Six13 - Bohemian Chanukah (a Queen adaptation)

Here's a new Chanukah video

Six13Sings

Published on Nov 27, 2018

Is this just fantasy? No, it's our Chanukah tribute to one of the greatest and most epic songs of all time. Ready, Freddie? Kindle the lights, remember the Maccabees, and rock on. CHAG SAMEACH! Booking and more information about Six13: http://www.six13.com

So, Sue Me

I never remember from which side to light my chanukiyah, Chanukah Menorah.

Is it that awful a mistake?

Once the oil stops burning, I'll turn it around. At least the rest of Chanukah I'll get it right. OK?

5th Night of Chanukah

פרסום הנס

Pirsum Haness

Publicizing The Miracle

CELEBRATING CHANUKAH

Sufganiyot Made Easy! No Yeast!

This is my latest version of the Israeli fried doughnuts aka Sufganiyot, a favorite food for Chanukah. Our homemade version is absolutely nothing like the ones you can buy. I love the flavor of ours, and so do my children and grandchildren. For sure they are healthier, too. We make a batch every year at our Family Chanukah Party. This year the party was Friday lunch before Chanukah, since we're such a busy family, we couldn't find any other time to meet.

The Sufganiyot are dairy, made with a plain yogurt, Eshel-which has 4.5% fat. Of course you can use a lower-fat yogurt, but make sure it's pure yogurt and not adulterated with fillers to make it creamy. I've discovered some awful things about the American yogurts, which rarely have more than a symbolic 1/2 % fat. Check ingredients. You may be eating extra sugars and starches. This container has 200ml, just under a cup.

My basic recipe is derived from  one what used to be -is it still?- on packages of Israeli self-rising (white) flour. I first started preparing these Sufganiyot in the early 1970's.

Ingredients for a family-sized batch when you really don't want everyone to "pig-out." Of course they can all be doubled, tripled etc:

• bottle of vegetable (soy or canola) oil
• 1 2/3 cups of fine whole-wheat flour or 2 cups of white
• or if you have self-rising flour, then don't use the baking powder
• packet of baking powder, or recommended quantity according to the baking powder you have
• 1 Eshel 200ml, or 2/3 of a cup of plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs or 3 small/medium eggs
• a spoon of sugar and a dash of vanilla
• powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions:

• pour the oil into a small deep pot and bring to a boil
• mix the dry ingredients
• add the eggs, yogurt and vanilla
• The batter should be thicker than for pancakes/waffles.
• Test if oil is ready, by "double-spoon*" dropping a bit into the oil. If it gets all bubbly and the dough rounds and rises to the top, you can begin the cooking/deep-frying.
• Use less than a teaspoon for each, so they won't be too large, which can make it hard to cook thoroughly. 
• Don't overfill the pot.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, or a tea "filter," like the one I found in my gadget drawer.
• Place them on a plate or large bowl covered with white napkins or paper towels to absorb the oil.
• Open up one from the first batch to make sure it's fully cooked. You may have to recook it, adjust the flame etc. until you get the cooked/ready color right. It always happens to me!
• And then sprinkle powdered sugar! We give that job to the kids, since deep-frying has its dangers.

ENJOY!!!

*Watch my instructional video, double-spoon drop. It's the same technique as used for Kneidlach, Gefilte Fish etc.

Super Easy and Tasty Homemade Applesauce

We had all of the Israeli based descendants over for Friday pre-Chanukah lunch, since there wasn't a single evening during Chanukah when everyone was free to get together. And since this was the family Chanukah party gifts and all, so too was the menu. I fried your classic potato latkes, and one of my daughters brought over a half a dozen other sorts of "latkes" of all different vegetables. And since there was a vegan in attendance, she used mashed potatoes as a binder instead of eggs.

I made applesauce for the latkes. Here are the instructions:

Peel and cut up apples in a pot. Then add lots of cinnamon and some sugar, preferably brown. But white is OK if that's what you're used to. Then add some water and cook until soft.

Let it cool a bit and then mash it.

And you have the most delicious applesauce. 

ENJOY!! It's good on latkes or all by itself.

Chanukah, 5776, 2015, Day #8, Partying!

Well, we won't be lighting any more chanukiyot until next Chanukah!

Yesterday I had a busy time, since it was Rosh Chodesh. That meant rain or shine we, the intrepid Women of Tel Shiloh went off to pray there.

On the way back, after praying, we noticed that there are signs that the ground and plants are reviving due to the Gd given blessed rain. Next Rosh Chodesh, Shevat, will be Monday January 11, and Gd willing by then we'll see lots of green all over.

Later in the day, actually after I had lit my chanukiyah at home, I went to the "senior citizen" Chanukah party. Actually, I had been asked to help translate the talk from Hebrew to English.  It was a lovely party, and Shiloh neighbors of all ages had been invited to join in the festivities as you can see from the pictures.

Young and old, everyone had a wonderful time. And now it's time to diet...