Happy Chrismukkah Everyone!!

Some of you might not know what Chrismukkah is but I'm here to tell you that your missing out on an awesome holiday.

I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus but I've always had a fascination with Judaism. My aunt is Jewish and when I was in elementary school she explained to me and my brother the story of Hanukkah. I wanted to celebrate Hanukkah too. 

Then, years later, Seth Cohen explained how I could celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas, on an episode of The O.C. (Hands down one of the best shows of all time) and my Chrismukkah tradition began! 

Oh man, did I love Seth Cohen.

Last Saturday was the first night of Hanukkah, which means the first night of Chrismukkah. The traditional way to celebrate the first night is to exchange a gift and feast on Latkes. 

Latkes, the traditional potato pancake, are delicious, little potato discs fried in oil. 

The ingredients include:

4 medium potatoes ( I like to use 2 Russet and 2 Yukon Gold)

1/2 Onion

1 Clove of Garlic

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Flour

Olive Oil for frying

First things first, peel and shred the potatoes.

Place the potato shreds on a paper towel to absorb the excess liquid and dry them out a bit.

Throw the potatoes in a bowl with chopped onion, and minced garlic. Stir.

Then, add in the eggs and flour. Mix it all up until everything is incorporated.

Heat a large skillet with Olive Oil, take large heaping spoonfuls of the potato mixture and drop them in once the pan is hot. Be sure to flatten them out a bit so they fry evenly (the flatter they are the crispier they will be) and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Once they've firmed up a bit and you can see the edges becoming golden brown, flip 'em.

When they are crispy and golden on both sides remove them and drain well on a paper towel.

That's really all there is too it. Pretty simple. 

Traditionally, they are served with a side of applesauce. You could also top them with sour cream or cheese.  They're a lot like hash browns so you could probably top them with just about anything.

The best way to heat them up is to place them on a cookie sheet and throw them in the oven at 450 for about 5 minutes.

Brian and I exchanged gifts with a price limit of only $10. I'm really terrible at keeping things to myself and I accidentally slipped that I was going to get him a holiday beer with a matching pint glass. He followed my lead and got me the same. He got my a Winter Ale called Bad Elf, which was actually pretty good. I gave him an IPA called He'Brew (See what I did there?) I thought it kind of tasted like rusty pennies but he seemed to have enjoyed it. We invited some friends over and watched Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights. I think it was a great first night of Chrismukkah.