A MizFit Hanukkah.

by

How flattered am I that you guys are even remotely interested in how we celebrate up in herre?

While it doesnt make for a riveting post please to enjoy the minutiae of my life.

This year was different from years past in that the Tornado really “got” that something special was/would be happening for eight days.

Mostly, however, she was pumped as always that her dad came home early:

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Most years I bail and it’s all sufganiyot all the time around here.  Im more a fan of the sweet than the tater & typically we get together with other people who are happy to make the latkes.

This year I decided it was time for me to attempt a pancake of the non-protein variety.

Much to the horror dismay of this blogger and this blogger this decision involved my having to BUY A GRATER.

(I learned later that I could have used my food processor so Im not entirely pathetic in the kitchen. I do own me one of those.)

Taters were grated, rinsed & ready:

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Fried within an inch of their potato’y life:

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And DONE:

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And eaten.

Some people eat their latkes with sour cream (one of the many foodstuffs I do not enjoy) but Im an applesauce woman.  Ren Man? Tornado? Both ate theirs plain (I was totally betting on the Tornado demanding ketchup.  I was sorely mistaken.)

Yes the Tornado was in her pjs.  This is not a Hanukkah tradition. Ren Man & I were not.

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After we ate (why yes! we DO like to do things a little a**backwards in Casa Miz!) it was time for a pretty damn crappy Hanukkah picture book and some candle “lighting.”  If by lighting you mean “turning of the traditional light bulbs on a plastic menorah”—-which we do.

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Ahh groundhog day which is our life.

Cold latkes for breakfast. What’s not to love?

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And really that’s about it for us Hanukkah-wise.

We repeat the above steps nightly (more the reading & the candles than the latkes. we dont do those nightly.) with a few donuts tossed in for good measure

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and we’re done.

Im sure as the years progress (next?) there will be the requisite focus on a gift exchange but until then it’s all about the family, the (re)’flection, & the (traditional) food.

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Comments

  1. I think that having those family tradiation, regardless of the faith element, is so important. I appreciate you sharing your faith, as I don’t have any friends who are Jewish. I find that sharing eachother’s routines/rituals only helps us to be more compassionate, understanding and well-rounded people.

    Tornado is cute. enough said.

  3. The Tornado is sooooooooooooooooooo beeyootiful, what a smiley little person, she makes me smile whenever I see her. I hope one day to emulate that ‘i am happy with who i am ‘ glow that beams from her – what a role model. I HEART TORNADO!!!!!!

    Thanks for the glimpse into Miz-life! Happy Hannukah xxxx

  4. I am horrid in the kitchen. Mostly because I don’t want to go in there. I hate to cook. Which is why I’m totally up for eating other people’s latkes. Yours would be the first.

    I really looks dang good. Really. It does.

  5. I really enjoy your blog MizFit.
    I look forward to starting my days here because I learn and also because I enjoy the glimpse into your life as well 🙂

    You’re so normal.

    Happy Hanukkah.

  6. Hi Miz.

    Thanks so much for this post.
    Our hanukkah looks alot the same but there is a big focus on gifts now.
    I wonder if you could keep it away fromthe commercial aspect as, which I know you know, hanukkah is really a minor holiday.

    I really look back and regret that we began the focus on presents.

    Happy last night,

    Sarah

  9. Hooray for date night btw! We’re going to dinner at this awesome little cafe, starbucks for hot cocoa and hopefully to the festival of lights (if its not raining too hard!!) Have fun

  11. I love traditions, and especially love it when people honor them in their own way. This is a beautiful celebration and no doubt your daughter will remember them fondly as she grows and starts her own family.

    Happy Hanukkah to all

  12. Great pics of you daughter – she is so photogenic!

    We have always tried to keep the focus off of gifts for any holiday. It is hard to do as the children get older, but ours tend to have less of a focus on them than other kids their ages.

  13. I loved reading about your Hanukkah traditions. And I smiled when you mentioned that you had thought the Tornado would ask for ketchup; I would have at her age… 😉

    Happy Hannukah to you and your family!

  21. Love seeing/reading about your Hanukkah. My great grandmother was Jewish. She died before I was born. Last year we observed Hanukkah as well as Christmas..being Christians we also believe the Old Testament and love and serve the same God–Yahweh –and wanted to understand more about it and our heritage.

    In my great grandmother’s day and even my grandmother’s and mother’s there was still a lot of antisemitism, so people often kept the fact they were of Jewish lineage secret. I have a good friend whose older sister was in love with a Jewish man and her family was upset even in the 1960’s. They wanted to get married, but didn’t.

    I remember the show Bridget Loves Bernie…about a Roman Catholic girl who marries a Jewish boy. I think it ran in the late 1960’s or early to mid 1970’s.

  25. I love those little holiday traditions. So much fun! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    I like the Tornado’s style of pj-ing it up. I’m all about the pj’s.

  26. Thanks for sharing Miz…you have a lovely family!
    Have a great weekend!!

    Nikki from wet ‘n’ windy Vancouver Island

  27. I love the ‘turning of the menorah light bulb’! That’s great!

    And I love seeing the Tornado in all her princessy goodness!! 🙂

  28. I’m guessing ketchup on a latke just isn’t done? 🙂

    From the photos, it looks like your foray into latke-making world was successful. Kudos!

    And I agree: these holidays are about family and tradition and purpose. I have a wealthy friend who intentionally wraps inexpensive, ordinary items for Hanukkah, just to keep the focus in the right place. Her kids still love it. 🙂

  30. aww that was so nice- thanks for sharing your traditions with us! I’m a sour cream girl on my potato pancakes. 🙂

  31. Thanks for sharing with us! Traditions like that are so important. It’s interesting to see her reactions as she grows, isn’t it 🙂

  32. My personal tradition: latkes (with sour cream AND applesauce) every Christmas Eve.

    Starting this year I think I shall add in the pjs.

    Celebrated Hannukah with friends this week -and I think I’m writing about Kwanzaa next week. For this spiritual but not religious gal- I’m spreading my holiday actions around.

  34. Miz, thank you so much for sharing!!! I have wonderful memories of celebrations when I was younger with the dreidel spinning & just lots of fun. I loved this part of your post.. I loved it all but this: but until then it’s all about the family, the (re)’flection, & the (traditional) food. So nice!

    Pics… I love them & that smile of Tornado – how can’t that not light up your day!

  35. I made latkes the other night for a party and let my (non-Jewish) boyfriend sample a few. I too am an applesauce all the way (I like sour cream but for some reason, not on latkes) but he wants me to make them and he wants to put carne asada (Mexican-style grilled steak) on top…like think nachos with latkes as the base instead of the chips. Unfortunately for him though, I think my latke-making days are over until next year…what a lot of work!

  36. OH and P.S. I’m late on the game with your Fit Chicks podcasts but I’ve downloaded them to listen to on my walks with my puppy and I LOVE them! Kudos.

  38. Yes! Family and tradition! That’s what should be going on this time of year for all!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Of course the food ain’t bad either!

  42. Hapy Chanukah Miz…..my beautiful daughter and I gifted eachother with a much saved up for Wii and Wii fit plus…oooh la la! Since we’re going to be snowed in, we’re going to celebrate the last day by cleaning out some major clutter, and frying up some potato pancakes…..then wii all day!
    savor the day

  43. I love it when you share your life like this…the pictures are great and your light bulb menorah cracks me up! When will the Tornado be old enough to play with fire – uh, I mean light real candles? (says the mother of two boys…fire is fun!)

  48. Thanks for sharing Miz. Tornado looks like she is doing an imitation of her mom in ‘yoga pose.’

    I LOVE the instructions for the child and adult to make the sufganiyot together. It reminded me of when my nieces were little and would make donuts for me out of the ‘canned biscuit’ dough. (YUMM)

  50. Miz, can I just confess right now that I miss hanging out with the Jews? I was close friends (and a little more, with a couple of girls) with several of the Hillel groupies at USC. But Kansas (apparently) has no Jews. Or very few Jews, at any rate. I clearly have to get out of this part of the country!

    How’s the community in your area?

  51. I LOOOOOOVE latkes! They were one of the first things I learned to cook by myself. I’ve never had them with sour cream or apple sauce, but I’d definitely try that some time 🙂

    I’d love to celebrate Hanukkah one day. Same with Kwanzaa, and Thanksgiving and Independence Day and others 🙂 Mainly for the food 😀

  53. My eldest child is now 16 and really, it’s still about being together as a family…not to say the kids don’t appreciate the gifts…and the latkes (we are of the applesauce persuasion at our house too!)

  55. I am so happy you shared with us all…it’s what I love about blogs …just sharing the day to day with your friends!

    We are trying very hard this year to make our own way for the holidays. It’s been quiet but very nice.

    I just came upon a recipe for sweet potato latkes. They sounded wonderful!

  57. Aww I love family pics!! And I love potato latkes! 🙂 Having a sister-in-law who is Jewish I now get to be a part of some of those celebrations, it’s so nice to experience. And a Jewish foodie friend of mine is having people over Friday night to share in the EATING part of the holiday, YUM!

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