Bloggers, like all writers, can’t always choose their subject. Sometimes a subject chooses you. So while I would prefer to write a light, meaningful or amusing post in honor of Chanukah, you will be reading (if you dare) about a rather heavy subject: I’m talking about Sufganiyot, the traditional jelly doughnut with its loose connection to the Chanukah miracle, because doughnuts are fried in oil . Bakeries begin offering them about 6 weeks before the holiday and continue until close to Purim about two months afterward.

Israeli Bloggers! Don’t miss our event on Saturday evening, December 26, with Jacob Share.

Our preparations for Chanukah, which starts tonight, have been low-key. My husband had to use up vacation days so he took our 8-year-old to Seattle for a week to see my father-in-law. I thought it might be a mini-vacation for me to have only three kids home most of the time, but there is always something to do! My husband does 99% of the shopping.

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My brother-in-law wrote his report about our annual Chanukah party here. He has to be nice, because he knows I read his blog. (I even send him the occasional unsolicited suggestion.) It was my idea to blog about the dancing on the side of the road.

Aaron was quoted today in the Wall Street Journal, in an article on poems about the economic downturn:

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From the Motherlode blog at the New York Times, on Jewish couples who have conflicts about holiday customs similar to those of intermarried couples:

I heard recently from Tami Kamin-Meyer, a lawyer with two sons, ages 10 and 14, living in Columbus, OH. “Both my husband of nearly 16 years and I are Jewish,” she wrote in an e-mail. “But his brand of Judaism is far more American than mine. My family is Israeli, and while I am a first generation American, my celebration of Jewish holidays, including traditions and attitudes, are closely aligned with Israeli customs rather than American.” When their first child was born, her husband wanted to hang stockings in the living room, but she did not. (They don’t.) He is more comfortable with prayers and holiday songs in English, which she prefers them in Hebrew. (They incorporate a little of both.)

I didn’t know that hanging stockings is a Jewish-American Chanukah custom. But then I’ve been away a long time.

(I am being sarcastic here, but I guess it didn’t come through. Sarcasm doesn’t work so well on blogs.)

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Chanukah Sameach! My camera is broken and I’m too lazy to scour the net, so you will have to manage without the traditional picture. As compensation I present some links.

• Standing Together has ideas for supporting Israeli soldiers this holiday.

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My friend Masha Faygel surprised me by inviting me out to lunch last week. She explained that this was part of a Chanukah challenge from her rabbi and mentor, Reb Chayim. For each of the eight days of Chanukah, she needed to complete eight tasks that were intended to stretch her personality, her spiritual level, and her compassion for others. As one of the few to complete the Chanukah challenge, Reb Chayim invited her to continue to the next level. Her first task was to find new participants in the basic level. I agreed for three reasons:

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Reading the ingredients on purchased food spoils my appetite. Even canned tomato paste now contains fructose, making it taste like catsup. (Luckily I can still find the “pure” variety.) And I don’t like to think about what’s in food from restaurants, bakeries, and caterers. When I see borekas I just think “transfat.”

Read more on Is Homemade Food Worth the Effort?…

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My son called from yeshiva to make sure I would be serving latkes and applesauce when he comes home tomorrow. Homemade applesauce is easy to make, especially if you can find someone to peel the apples. My husband bought apples with brown spots in the shuk just for that purpose, and they waited in the fridge for a victim available child. A, my 11yo, peeled all 14 apples in two sittings.

An addition of a few ripe pears will keep people guessing; I didn’t use any this time. We did use a gadget that cores and cuts the fruit into eight slices simultaneously. Put the slices in a bowl of (diluted) lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown, in case you get interrupted or your peeling staff is slow.

Pour out the lemon juice and put the slices into a microwave-proof bowl; slices don’t have to be even. The bowl should be big enough so that the juice doesn’t boil over, even though this isn’t generally a problem with apples (but could be with pears). Cook them on high for about a minute per apple, stirring every few minutes until the fruit is soft.

Run the fruit through a food processor, but not too much; I like the sauce to have some texture. You could also mash it with a fork. Add cinnamon and lemon juice to taste. We don’t add sugar. The sauce freezes well, but I prefer to keep it for up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a latke recipe, I use the same batter as for potato kugel.

Enjoy and happy Chanukah.

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I received the following in an email from Adi Friedman of Connections Israel:

Sderot, which is home to a large population of Jewish immigrants from around the world, is only 3 miles from the Gaza border. The families in Sderot live with the daily threat of rocket attacks. Over 6,000 missiles have been launched at this small city during the past 7 years.

Read more on Help Sderot for Chanukah…

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I’ve adapted this idea from an earlier meme called “Eight things about me.” (A meme is a cross between a chain letter and a themed blog post.) I changed the number to seven, in honor of the seven days of Sukkot (Tabernacles festival).

Read more on Seven things about Sukkot…

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