Many people associate the month of December with Christmas, but for others it is all about Chanukah! Some people (like myself) even get to celebrate BOTH. This year Chanukah starts on Christmas Eve so what better way to combine the two than to celebrate with delicious food? Some of my favorite December memories growing up are associated with the food and games at Chanukah. Playing dreidel with my cousins to win gelts while my aunt made her famous matzo ball soup is something I will never forget.

As an adult, when started celebrating Chanukah on my own, I asked some of my family members for their Chanukah recipes and was shocked to find out that pretty much the whole time they were using Manischewitz boxed mixes for just about everything. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, in fact to this day the boxed latke mix is very nostalgic to me, that said, I wanted to experiment with some more refined recipes. So I did what anyone would do and took to Google. After a couple hundred trials and errors (mostly errors) I think I have finally found my go to Chanukah menu and I’d love to share it with you.

• Lox Bagel Bites– I love lox and cream cheese on a bagel, so I put my own little twist on it and started making bagel “bites” as an appetizer and I have yet to hear a complaint. The recipe is simple, cut mini bagels in half, toast in either a toaster oven or on the stove & let cool. Then spread cream cheese on top, add lox and some fresh dill or capers and you have a perfectly simple appetizer that everyone will love.
• Latkes- It’s not Chanukah without the latkes, but I have since put down the box and opted for the homemade version. This recipe from Kosher in the Kitchen found here has become my go to. Keep it classic and serve with sour cream and chives or apple sauce, or try my personal favorite and serve with a paprika hollandaise sauce! Recipe found here.
• Multi Veggie Kugel- Get your veggies in here with this amazing recipe, also from Kosher in the Kitchen, it is so good even the kids will eat it right up. Find the recipe here.
• Roasted Lamb with Sausage Crust and Fresh Grape Pan Sauce- Instead of brisket, I have started to go for lamb around the holidays, this recipe has never steered me wrong (although, it does take a few tries to master so I recommend trying it out before serving it at a holiday party) you can find the recipe here.

Don’t forget the chocolate gelts for the kids (or yourself, you know, whatever) and the candles for the menorah and you’ll be sure to have an incredible Chanukah party that everyone will enjoy!