Hanukkah Dinner

In honor of the last night of Hanukkah my family made potato pancakes, served festive cocktails and had delicious cupcakes and macaroons for dessert. 

Inspiration: For my Hanukkah table setting I was inspired by the Hanukkah party featured on savvima.com, which was created by Paula from Frog Prince Paperie. I especially liked how this particular tablescape used apothecary jars and filled the jars with blue and silver ornaments. Once I knew that I wanted the apothecary jars to be the focal point of my table setting I also bought some blue and silver candles and candleholders to make the table look complete. 

Décor: I went with very simple Décor and decided to use a lot of candles in order to emphasize that Hanukkah is the festival of lights. 

Where I Bought Each Item: 

Apothecary Jars: Crate&Barrel, Delfina Covered Jar Small; www.crateandbarrel.com

Blue Ornaments: B&J Florist Supply, NYC; (212)564-6086

Tealight Candleholders: Crate&Barrel, Cobalt Blue Tealight Candleholders; www.crateandbarrel.com

Silver Taper Candles: Crate&Barrel, www.crateandbarrel.com

Crystal Candleholders: Val Saint Lambert,www.val-saint-lambert.com

Clear Votives: Bed,Bath & Beyond, www.bedbathandbeyond.com


Plastic Martini Glasses: Party Harty, Westport, CT; (203) 454-2525

Recipes:

Potato Pancakes: (family recipe) 
4 medium potatoes pared
1 onion
2 eggs 
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper
oil for frying


cut potatoes in chunks and onion in half. Place in processor with eggs and process using the steel knife of the food processor for 20 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except oil and process a few  seconds longer for a smooth, thick mixture. Pour oil to about 1/8"
depth into a large skillet. When hot, drop potato mixture by large spoonfuls to form pancakes. Brown well on both sides. Drain well on paper towels.

Homemade Apple Sauce:(Family Recipe)
1 dozen apples of your choice
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


Core, peel and cube apples and place them in a large saucepan. Add water, sugar and cinnamon. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and serve either slightly warm or cool if desired.

Turkey: Pre-Made turkey from Stew Leonards, www.stewleonards.com

Cupcakes: Billy's Bakery, NYC; www.billysbakerynyc.com/

Coconut Macaroons:(From Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook)


14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.


Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.


Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or two teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Blue Raspberry Martini Cocktail: Rose's Cocktail Infusions, Blue Raspberry Mix (bought at Stop & Shop) and then added vodka to the mix. 

* I rimmed the glass with blue sugar to make the cocktail more festive.