Ugh.

[conuly]

Every year, I make a point of observing the first night of Hannukkah, because I believe that fried foods transcend religion. I like doing this, because its a simple menu that everybody loves that I don't have to think about - potato pancakes, applesauce, doughnuts. If you think for one second that I would ever pass up an excuse to gorge myself on potato pancakes and doughnuts, you have another think coming! Clearly, you don't know me at all.

But now it's bumping into Thanksgiving, and the whole world is excited, and I just can NOT get into it because doughnuts AND two types of pie AND a birthday cake (that's for Jenn) is really a bit much. There is a reason I don't "celebrate Hannukkah" every day of the year, and that is because I'm sure it is bad for you to indulge quite that much.

Also, I think potato pancakes and mashed potato at the same meal is overkill. There might be such a thing as too many potatoes, and if so, that's it.

So now I don't know what to do. I'm trying to juggle my menus, and every time I get the same result: something has to go.

Comments

[zhelana]

Celebrate the 8th night?

[conuly]

That bumps into St. Nicolas day.

[dogstar]

Make mashed potato frittatas instead of latkes? :)

[conuly]

The joy of the holiday is not innovating. Plus, the secret ingredient in my latkes is blooooood! and I don't want to try replicating that without a grater.

[steorra]

"Plus, the secret ingredient in my latkes is blooooood!"
-How very un-kosher :-)

[conuly]

And would you believe, I didn't scrape my knuckles once? I can live with that, I think.

[steorra]

Intact knuckles are generally a good thing.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

If you're not having that menu specifically in observance of your own faith's holy day, there's no particular reason not to make it a moveable feast where convenient. So have it for the last night of Hannukah this year instead; why not? Or have it for Buddha's day of enlightenment, Dec. 8, or for St. Lucia's Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy's_Day), Dec. 13:

"The rural custom involved the eldest daughter arising early and wearing her Lucy garb of white robe, red sash, and a wire crown covered with whortleberry-twigs with nine lighted candles fastened in it awakens the family, serving them coffee and St. Lucia buns, thus ushering in the Christmas season."

I see no reason why the Lucia Maid couldn't serve latkes with applesauce and doughnuts.

[conuly]

Last night of Hanukkah is probably what we're doing, or maybe just a few nights early (cooking on a budget this week, and it doesn't get much cheaper than apples and potatoes!) It doesn't help that their dad forgot he had them last year for Thanksgiving and wanted to have them this year as well, so our Thanksgiving is probably being shunted to the first anyway, which means that Jenn's birthday turns out to be the moveable feast. Alas, I'm moving it all the way to February. December is full, what with St. Nicolas day and Christmas and New Year's Eve, and January is when *my* birthday is.

[redbird]

There are eight nights; by Saturday or Sunday latkes may seem just the thing.

Combining the two festive meals seems to call for, at minimum, lots of kitchen space (or food being brought in already cooked) and probably several hours' separation in time: if you're used to serving a turkey closer to lunchtime, latkes and applesauce might do as a light supper. I suspect that the "let's combine these" looks better on paper than it will by Thursday in the kitchen. It's not as though all those excited people have tried this before.

[conuly]

Or will ever try it again! It's going to be a good 75 thousand years before the stars align and the two holidays duke it out once more.