Happy Hanukkah…..
In our family we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. My husband is Jewish, so the boys have fun celebrating both holidays. Yesterday I made a Hanukkah feast for us. I made matzo ball soup, latkes, homemade applesauce, and rugalach. It was all so tasty. I especially loved the latkes. They were the best I have ever eaten. Josh did a great job making them.
latkes
rugalach
Little Bear enjoying some rugalach.
Boogie showing off his Hanukkah art. I love it.
I also did some baking late last week. I created a lemon poppy seed scone recipe. So good. But then, anything lemon is my favorite.
I decided to attempt to veganize a holiday bread recipe. Many years ago, I had tried this bread at a local gourmet grocer when I was vegetarian and I loved it. So I figured I would give it a go. It turned out amazing. The bread is called panettone, it is an Italian Christmas bread. So good.
Sunday morning I came up with the awesome idea of using the panettone for french bread. Holy wow! This was delicious. Yum!
Friday night I made tacos for us. I made homemade tortillas, and used seasoned soy curls. I made a simple lime coleslaw to put on top and a chipotle lime sour cream as a condiment along with salsa. These were some really good tacos. Even the leftovers were tasty.
The other day, I was thinking about our economy and how a lot of people are struggling. What boggles my mind and Josh said the same thing, is how we are the fattest nation in the world, yet we still have people starving. That makes no sense to me. We like many other people watch our spending as well and try to be frugal where possible. I think everyone everywhere is feeling the pinch of the economy. This being said, I started “The 365 Day Project”. I posted about it on Facebook and got some positive feedback. Several people said they were going to give it a try. If not for a year, at least for a while or do some cutting back. Check out the blog: http://eatinnotout.wordpress.com/about/
Well, I am off to deliver a loaf of panettone to a friend. She makes vegan soap and gave us 4 huge, beautiful bars. Hope you each have a wonderful day.
peas and love….
Krys and the boys
Two Vegan Boys Weblog 
I don’t think I could do 365 days (I could when I lived alone though!), but I’m pretty horrified at the amount of money spent on food last month, both groceries and restaurant food. I’ve already vowed to cook more at home, and more economically. I think I’ll take some inspiration from you and post more about ordinary dinners at home.
I love latkes! I need to make some before Hanukkah ends, just for fun. And the Xmas bread sounds awesome, especially as French toast!
We very rarely eat out, unless we’re somewhere, like Glasgow or Edinburgh, where we can’t get home for lunch. We take picnics, though. 🙂 I would grudge paying for eating out when I can cook as well as/better than at home!
Your food looks great, as always. :o)
Do you have ‘Hanukkah!’ by Roni Schotter and Marylin Hafner? I know you would love it! It’s a picture book and it was a winner of the National Jewish Book Award in the US.
A Holiday Thought…
Aren’t humans amazing? They kill wildlife – birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed.
Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative – and fatal – health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.
So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases.
Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.
Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and once a year send out cards praying for “Peace on Earth.”
~Revised Preface to Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates~
_____________
Anyone can break this cycle of violence! Everyone has the power to choose compassion! Please visit these websites to align your core values with life affirming choices: veganvideo.org & tryveg.com
“Any great change must expect opposition because it shakes the very foundation of privilege.”
Lucretia Coffin Mott, 1793-1880, minister, women’s rights leader, abolitionist, peace activist, humanitarian
Two holidays! Lucky kids 🙂
it looks like a great feast, toasted panettone is great!!!
ciao
Alessandra
I think kids love holiday regardless of what the are called! haha Little bear is tearing it up! 🙂
Oooh Krys – I would love that panettone recipe.
*flutters eyelashes*
🙂
Hi, I am on the austinmama’s list. i was just thinking of the paradox you mentioned of being one of the fattest yet we have poor starving. I think we have people living altogether different lives. It is complicated. You are blessed you have time to cook. I know why others go to Mickey D’s instead of cooking. Many are on the point of crisis for years. If you’re a single Mom with diabetes getting dialysis a couple times a week. It is all you can do to just pick up some food from McDonald’s cause it’s so cheap. Knowing your kids may have a predilection for diabets and probably should’nt eat that way is not a factor cause you are hanging on by your fingernails. Without outside help-they don’t have a choice. I think the answer is we all need to help others a lot more so we can spread the food, info etc.
Laura-Thanks for stopping by our blog. You have a great point. My family health history is awful. Pretty much every woman on my maternal side has had cancer at least once, including myself. With a paternal grandmother who was born with diabetes and a mum with diabetes, as well as heart disease running in the family, vegan was the easiest answer for me. Plus I am an animal lover. I understand parents being in a pinch. I cook, because I love too, as well as it is cheaper and I am pretty damn picky about food and the taste, and I know what is going into my body and my childrens.
I do think we should all help one another. I am glad I joined the Austin Mama list. I love the community, how supportive everyone is and would love to help out if someone needs it.
Hi Kry,
Everything looks wonderful as always…quick question…when you make vegan french toast do you use silken tofu. We have done it that way and it is yum, but I don’t always have it on hand. Have a great one.