Adapted from a recipe from Food.com:

• 1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate (small can)
• 1 (12 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate (small can)
• 1 (12 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate (or 1 small can pineapple juice concentrate)
• 1 (2 liter) bottle ginger ale
• 1 (2 liter) bottle champagne

So I definitely recommend her proportions of onion/egg/potato, etc. But next year, here’s what I’ll be doing to make it easier on myself:

• Ensure that you have clean oven mitts on hand that cover your entire hand. Because you will be going in and out of the oven a lot, and this will increase the probability that you get burned.
• Don’t use aluminum foil. Sturdy cookie sheets with rims worked great. (Just make sure they aren’t warped, because otherwise the oil will collect on one side of the pan.)
• Use the recommended half-cup of oil per cookie sheet. It seems disgusting, but these are latkes, they really do need oil. Hey, it’s Channukah!
• Make each latke smaller than you think. Each one should be about 1/4 cup of batter.
• Turn the oven up to 450. I swear that my oven is pretty decent, but the batches I was doing took forever until I turned the oven up a bit.
• If you’re making more than one batch of the recipe, designate a second in command to help you with checking the latkes. Because you will get sick of it.

One of the memories I wish I’d gotten to have was cooking beside her. She was a solid German cook, making simple, hearty food that had little fuss. On the day we flew in, there was always a tasty broth-based soup waiting for us as lunch. (I still crave broth-based soups after a long plane ride). She also made delicious Christmas cookies, inventing recipes that my cousin Tina has passed down to me.

The other Christmas tradition that she did was make Pastetchen — pastry shells filled with a meat stew. It looks fancy, but it’s really peasant food. Tasty and very filling, my family still has it every year on Christmas Eve. Her recipe, written out in German, is above, written with her signature blue fountain pen. Below is my translation.

Quality Ragout for Pastry Shells.

Good-quality veal! (and neck when it’s not fatty) Let the butcher cut it into small pieces (smaller than for goulash). Brown it in half butter and half margarine with chopped onions. Dust with flour and lightly roast. Deglaze with white wine (cooking wine). Salt and some pepper, lemon juice, Worchester sauce [she means Worchestershire sauce]. Season to taste, and if it isn’t done yet, let it cook lightly a bit more.

Separately, prepare mushrooms in butter with onions (cut small), some parsley (chopped) as well and either mix it with the ragout and pour into the hot pastry shells, or serve on the plate next to the pastry shells (with the ragout). I find the latter better, as it looks better arranged on the plate. (A raw salad is good with this.)

——————

We make a few changes (beef instead of veal, and adding in peas and carrots), but for the most part, that’s the recipe we still use. And we do serve it with a big green salad!

Merry Christmas!

However, this year, I want to make latkes without frying them. Not that I don’t love my fried potato products (although I am in the small minority of humans who doesn’t think french fries are the greatest thing in the world), I just can’t stand the house smelling like grease.

Does anyone know any good no-fry latke recipes?

*For a good time, google Hanukkah! (Let it snow is also another fun one.)

Here are the ways I like to travel between Boston (home) and NYC (close to childhood home), ranked in order of preference (best first) and lowest agony levels (to borrow a measurement tool from Hipmunk). Afterwards, I’ll share what I did.

Jet Blue

Pricing: When flights are at their cheapest, it’s around $49 each way. Right now, holiday flights are ranging around $89-$181 and higher. You knew the little voices in your head were right when they told you to book a month ago.

Time: Worst case scenario: 1 hr (travel to airport) + 1 hr (security and boarding) + 1.5 hrs (flight) + .5 hrs (deboarding) = 4 hours. But it’s broken up, so it’s not that bad.

Agony levels: Minimal. During your security and boarding time you are free to buy things and use the restroom at your leisure. And while you’re flying… you can watch live television! This is one of my favorite benefits of Jet Blue. Also, their seats are so much roomier and comfortable than other airlines.

Delay potential: Low. Usually just weather related, and then your delay is experienced in an airport, which isn’t so awful. Again—opportunity to buy stuff and use the bathroom liberally.

Amtrak

Pricing: Acela trains are around $100 bucks right now, which is decent. Not great, but OK.

Time: Not awful. Worst case scenario: 1 hours travel to South Station and boarding + 3.5 hours travel = 4.5 hours.

Agony levels: Not awful (unless you’re not on an Acela train, in which case… awful). Trains tend to have wifi and outlets, and seats are generally pretty comfy (just sometimes you have to walk a bit to find one). I usually load myself up with DVDs and a couple of snacks and I’m fine.

Delay potential: Medium low. Generally just weather. If not, it’s usually just 15 minutes here or there. But if it isn’t… then you’re stuck on a stupid train. (See above re: not taking anything besides the Acela. It’s just not worth it.)

Bus (Bolt Bus or World Wide Bus and in a pinch MegaBus)

Pricing: Dirt cheap. Usually it’s around $20 bucks (but buy in advance in case seats run out).

Timing: Average scenario: 1 hour travel to South Station (or less if I’m going to Alewife for World Wide) and boarding + 4.5 ride = 5.5 hours. For best travel time, take a very late bus—I got on a midnight Bolt Bus and was in NYC 3.5 hours later ON THE DOT. You can do anything in NYC at anytime, so why not arrive near Penn Station? It’s perfectly safe now.

Agony levels: So high. People around you stink. There’s no elbow room or foot room or computer room. There are outlets (that may or may not work) and wifi (ditto). The bathroom is small and cramped. The pit stops are always in terrible locations (seriously, has anyone ever voluntarily eaten at a Roy Rogers?) and the view is 95.

Specific-company tips:

• World Wide Bus will sometimes give you water bottles. This is usually only from Boston TO New York, and not the other way.
• MegaBus will sometimes let you board the bus you bought a ticket for. Sometimes not. Get there early and fight like hell.
• Bolt will sometimes let you go standby for an earlier bus. If you bought a ticket, just wave that. If not, have $20 in cash.

Delay potential: So incredibly high. Traffic and weather can compound to create 7 or 8 hour trips (this has happened to me multiple times). DO NOT GET ON THE BUS IF IT IS GOING TO SNOW. Take an earlier or later bus until the storm has stopped. Otherwise you will spend 2 hours driving the 2 miles around the 90/84 interchange. And it will suck.

As you can probably tell, I hate the bus with an undying passion (but I also love holding onto my money). So I compromised and booked an Acela train ($101) for before Christmas and a Jet Blue ticket ($82, after taxes) for after. If it made sense to travel in more off-hours, I might’ve taken the bus. I don’t love that I just spent $183 bucks for services that I *could* have spent $50 bucks on (if I’d taken the bus), but I do love knowing that I’m less likely to spend 5+ hours feeling dead inside each way…

And like most Jewish holidays, the occasion is also an excuse for a feast: Whitefish, lox (which is not the same as smoked salmon), bagels (and all the fixings—which includes capers!), hummus, tabbouleh, and an enormous salad (with homemade dressing, of course). We used to do latkes, but we’ve abandoned them so that no one spends the whole day in front of the stove (and so the entire house doesn’t smell like a frying station).

Truth be told, I can do without the latkes—we all usually get our fix on one of the other eight nights. But there was one thing I do miss, that my mother used to make for years: A big batch of Mollie Katzen’s Hungarian Mushroom Soup. From The New Moosewood Cookbook, this is a beautiful soup that I crave during the winter months. It’s creamy and tangy, with a tiny bit of heat from the paprika. My mother used to make multiple batches of this recipe and then keep it warm on a hotplate during the parties.

The best, of course, was the day after the party. I would creep down to the fridge, ladle some of the glop into a bowl, and pop it into the microwave. Always better the next day.

If pasta sauce is the hand-me-down of Italian families, then salad dressing is the hand-me-down in mine. I watched my parents make salad dressing hundreds of times over the years, and then at some point, I started helping and learning.

It goes something like this:

• good (or at least decent) quality olive oil
• fresh lemon juice (must be fresh! bottled is decent but nowhere near as good.)
• freshly pressed garlic (DO NOT USE THE STUFF THAT COMES FROM A JAR)
• salt (we prefer kosher)
• freshly ground pepper

Those are the basics. The ratio of olive oil to lemon juice is about 2:1. We use a minimum of 2 garlic cloves in each batch.

Variations include:

• Balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice. To this I’ll often add some Dijon mustard and honey. Then extra pepper. I love pepper! This variation is dark and savory. Yummy in the winter.
• Rice vinegar instead of lemon juice. Add in soy sauce, reduce salt, and add some sesame oil for an Asian vinaigrette. You could even add some peanut butter or peanut oil instead of some of the olive oil.

My parents tend to be purists and just go with the original recipe, except they also have a little herb pot, so we often throw in a few sprigs of fresh thyme. To me, this is the taste of a delicious spring salad, usually arugula with shaved Parmesan and some fresh blueberries. Bright and delicious.

(And to all you garlic-phobics out there: Stop it right now. Garlic is amazing. Stop trying to resist and just accept it.)

On a recent visit to his store on Commercial Street, Scott explained how he’d gotten his start: “I used to make them for these kids I nannied for, and then friends demanded them, and, well, it’s a whole long story!” (See more here.)

Indeed. Apparently, Scott used to sell his wares on the street each summer, until permitting and popularity forced him into a storefront. And now he’s all the rage. Tasting a cupcake, it was easy to tell why. The vanilla cake is moist and flavorful, and the frosting is creamy, light, and just sweet enough. They taste like my memory of cupcakes from my childhood.

Well worth the $3 price tag (or buy 5 and get one free– you’ll find people to eat them). Highly recommended!

In addition to oysters, there was beer (including the Sam Adams Oyster Stout, made with actual oysters), clams, chowder, stew, and the occasional hot dog. But mostly, there were oysters. And since that is what I came for, I was extremely content.

My dear fiancee and I are in a contest. It’s on Facebook.

vote for us! we're cute!

Despite our best efforts, we are losing. (As it turns out, going into a Facebook contest against a school teacher is not a fabulous idea, what with her being surrounded by little adoring Facebook accounts all day.)

it's hard to beat this.

We have tried a lot to win. I have plastered my entire social network, from Facebook to LinkedIn to Twitter. We’ve written emails. We’ve made phone calls. We’ve even canvassed the very, very rainy Boston Pride and Dyke March with flyers and candy in an effort to generate more votes from the core queer demographic.

it's amazing what homos will do for a dum dum

But we are still behind. Now, would it be the end of the world if we didn’t win? No. Life would go on. Our wedding would still happen. But we like winning. And we like saving money. So we still want to win.

we feel an alliance with him suddenly

So I am asking for your help. In the off-chance that you haven’t voted, will you please vote? If you have, would you consider inviting your friends to vote? It takes 20 seconds, and you don’t have to sacrifice your Facebook soul or privacy to do it.

Everyone who votes gets free virtual gay cupcakes.

gay! cupcakes! gay!

Please, do it for the cupcakes.

Shred up the rest of that rotisserie chicken that you bought as a lazy weeknight dinner. Throw in a couple of globs of mayonnaise and stir to coat evenly. Add in a couple of teaspoons of sweet curry powder. Stir again. Add in about a half a cup to a cup each of golden raisins and chopped pecans. Mince one apple and add. Mix. Add about a tablespoon or so of honey (or to taste). Mix again. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve on bread or spinach leaves (or both).

So tasty! The sweetness was exactly what was called for on a hot summer day.

Virgin Mojitos

Muddle (or use a mortar & pestle) the mint and sugar together. Separate the mint/sugar mixture into two low ball glasses. Squeeze half a lime into each glass and mix. Add ice cubes, and then pour tonic water over all of it. Stir and garnish with a strawberry (if you happen to have one, as I did).

There. A mojito you can feel OK drinking at 10 am.

The start was a local bar in downtown Boston. There were over 130 teams! We checked in and got our blue t-shirts and our numbers. A brief costume contest ensued, won by Team Guinness (two men in kilts drinking Guinness, they were a shoe-in). Then they passed out the clue sheets and we were off! Winners would be the team that completed all of the clues and tasks and got back to the starting location first.

Team #956 at the starting line!

There were 11 clues plus a bonus clue (which gave you a 10 minute bonus). One clue was a photo hunt (find three people to do “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” and get two people to reenact the famous WWII kiss from V-J day. Those were my favorite.

Our very sweet V-J Day Kiss reenactors

The other clues involved very skilled googling, which would get you a location in Boston. The real skill came in trying to figure out what order to do the clues, i.e., doing all the downtown ones, then the Back Bay ones, etc. You could take public transportation, walk, or run. No taxis.

Poor confused German tourists that I talked into doing this..

I’m delighted to say that Catherine and I came in 16th out of 137 teams! I had no idea we were that close to the top! It was lots of fun and we certainly got our exercise—we probably walked/ran about 5 miles. The winning team came in at 1:32, and we were just about 30 minutes behind them at 2:07. Not shabby!

Our only complaint was that the entrance fee of $45 per person was a bit steep. However, about a week or two before the race, there was a Groupon for 50% off. Thanks to our procrastination, we were able to take advantage of that, so that made it a lot more affordable. It would also have been miserable if the weather had been bad, but thanks to a brief lull in the wrath of the rain gods, it was an utterly gorgeous summer day.

Here are my recommendations for anyone considering doing an Urban Dare:

• Wear sneakers and athletic clothing. In other words, dress like you’re going to the gym. There were people dressed in jeans and impractical shoes and I have no idea how they survived.
• Bring water, but not food. Eat a good breakfast. Chances are, you won’t have any time to eat while you’re running the race. However you will get thirsty.
• SMARTPHONE. You’ve got to have it, or some sort of access to the internet. If there is any way for both teammates to have one, you’ll be a hell of a lot faster.

(Moments like this are why I need a smart phone. I could get inspiration at the grocery store and then look up recipes right then and there! But oh well, I don’t have one.)

Anyhow, I went home and searched using the new Google recipe feature. I found a very basic recipe, which I modified slightly, and which was both a.) incredibly easy and b.) incredibly tasty.

Quick ‘n’ Easy Haddock

Preheat oven to 350. Cut up about a pound of haddock (or other white fish that’s on sale) into bite-sized pieces. Grease a baking dish and place in the fish. (It’s OK if they’re crowded together.) Melt about half a stick of butter, and mix with a cup of panko (or bread crumbs), a teaspoon or so of garlic powder, about two teaspoons of lemon zest, and a generous portion of your dried herb of choice (the recipe called for parsley, I used dill). Mix all together and spread lightly over fish. Bake for 20 minutes.

Kaffee und kuchen is most common on Saturdays or Sundays, but if you walk into, say, Cafe Hindenburg on a Tuesday afternoon, you will find it packed with little old ladies sharing cake, coffee, and gossip.

And this is not your saccharin, achingly sweet cake that you get in the US. This is not the boring dry iced stuff you get at the grocery store or, god forbid, at a wedding reception. This is CAKE. It is serious. It is large. It is amazing. On this particular day, the three of us had a chocolate cake, a berry torte, and a cheese cake. They were all delicious.