For the past five Decembers, I have had an absolutely wonderful time writing some kind of holiday recipe article for a local area magazine I contribute to. The articles usually involve multiple dishes and a whole lot of photography. Since The deadline is in November, a few times my daughter Jennifer was home for Thanksgiving and assisted me with the cooking and snapping of pictures. We always start out calmly and neatly, but by the end of the day it all somehow gets away from us and the kitchen starts to look like something exploded in it! The ultimate time was when I was featuring each writers favorite seasonal recipe. Jenny and I began the task of making around 15 different items such as cookies in the shape of bows, stuffing spiked with sherry and the best pull apart caramel nut rolls we ever experienced. We worked all day and into the early evening and by the time we were done, every pan let alone ounce of flour had been used!

This year I was asked to highlight traditional Hanukkah recipes. My Jewish friends happily gave me some of their family favorites. I have to say, everything was delicious! The fried potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts celebrate the miracle of The Festival of light; a single cruse of oil lasted for eight nights in a temple reclaimed by faithful Jews. The cookies are made from a fabulous cream cheese dough and the vegetable dish is now a new favorite in our family. But the best has got to be the beef brisket! The left overs make wonderful filling for street tacos or, with BBQ sauce, a great sandwich!