This past Friday night we were included in our friends’ Chanukah party. Normally on Friday nights, Shabbat, the Sabbath is observed. With the first night of Chanukah and Shabbat occurring together, we began the evening with many blessings, songs, candle lighting, and delicious challah, (egg bread) observing both holidays’ traditions.
The food came right out of Bon Appetit and Food and Wine Magazines.
Chocolate-coffee mole topped the traditional brisket. Zucchini, sweet potatoes, and Yukon Gold potato pancakes tasted divine. Homemade applesauce, a salad with grapefruit segments and arugula, and sautéed green beans rounded out our festive meal.
As the adults sat and talked the children went to play with the draidl. A three-pound bag of Belgian Chocolate coins was evenly divided amongst the seven children. Even my eldest child agreed to play and came home with quite a large bag of chocolates.
For this year’s Chanukah gifts, our friends children agreed to buy animals from the Heifer Foundation. A goat, some chickens, and some ducks were offered to the children. Our family became the recipients of a llama. Of course, we won’t actually meet any of these animals but we will be able to imagine what they are doing to help the real recipients here in the USA and around the world.
Check out the Heifer Foundation’s website to gift unusual “do good for someone else” gifts this year!
