I hope you, too, had an extraordinary Hanukkah! For us, we had FOUR nights of lighting candles with family who had come in from around the country. This can only happen when Hanukkah is as late as it was – and we drank in every moment. Here are four of my aha moments: Edible dreidels – 2 thoughts If you want to snap pix of the finished dreidels, best to do that right away, or they will all be munched down. Our dreidel makers this year were pretty experienced, so didn’t need much help. Change for next year: since the Nutella I used this year didn’t “stick” well between … [Read more...]
Homemade Hanukkah Gifts - Art
Like many of you, we are an interfaith family – with a rare opportunity this year to weave together our traditions. Hanukkah begins on December 22. When we gather this year, we hope to be together for several nights of Hanukkah, including Christmas. But we want to downplay the gifts. SO – we will follow my daughter’s lead and create themed nights, as they do when they are home for Hanukkah. Games night. Books night. Outside exploring night. And while we have all decided to limit gifts to one per child, we want them to understand the pleasure of giving to others, too. My hope … [Read more...]
TaDa - How to Make a Dreidel Cake
Is a dreidel cake better than any other Hanukkah treat? Not really, but . . . I love all kinds of desserts for Hanukkah – from the cookies I made when I was a kid and that I made with our girls and our niece (with cookie cutters and colored sugar) to jelly-filled doughnuts to chocolate gelt. But there is something truly festive about a cake for a family gathering. This year, why not try making a dreidel-shaped cake? You can use a simple box mix and bake it in a 9” x 13” x 2” pan. Dreidel Cake Directions Cut 2 triangles off the bottom. Then place the … [Read more...]
Save Recyclables Now for Hanukkah Crafting
Countdown - 45 days till Hanukkah! Thanks to this great post from creativejewishmom.com, I can share with you her reminder to start saving your recyclables now to make all kinds of fun Hanukkah crafts. It was definitely a wake up call for me! So here’s what she recommends holding onto: Cereal boxes to make gift packages – I would never have thought of that! What a great idea. Aluminum foil boxes and tubes to make Hanukkah menorahs. Toilet paper tubes – also to make Hanukkah menorahs. Milk cartons - to make gift packages and more. Again, I never would have … [Read more...]
Fave Food Fun for Hanukkah - Beyond Doughnuts
Want ideas for quick-to-make, kid-friendly Hanukkah food that is not fried in oil? Here are three of my favorites: #1 Hanukkah pancakes If you have large Hanukkah cookie cutters, you can make your usual pancake batter – we make cottage cheese pancakes – and cut them into dreidel, Jewish star, and shield shapes. When the kids are six and up, they can help cut the shapes. #2 Pretzel rod candles My daughter made these cute pretzel rod candles a few years back. Delish and easy to make. Here’s what she did: Dipped pretzels into melted chocolate (melted in Mason jars in a slow … [Read more...]
