Even though there’s no snow on the ground and I’m not wearing a jacket today, I feel a bit more like entertaining this year with the first and last nights of Chanukah landing on a Saturday. Brush off those latke recipes and pick-up some chocolate Gelt for your little Dreidel players ‘cause it’s that magical time of year once again!
To feed those out-of-town guests, I discovered a little secret at our Byerly’s St. Louis Park kosher bakery: they fry their own donuts so get them hot and fantastic in the mornings! They simply can’t be beat.
Our Challah is phenomenal, too. It’s baked fresh every day at Byerly’s St. Louis Park , meaning it’s moist and sweet every time. Our stores also have wonderful festive sugar cookies in the shape of the Star of David, Dreidels, and Menorahs this time of year. These are easy things to pick-up and fast solutions for the possibly not-so-relaxing holiday entertaining.
Of course the kids love Chanukah with its promise of gift giving and game playing. There’s excitement in the air as they can hardly wait to light the Menorah each night. I truly enjoy seeing the menorah lit on a dark winter night, glowing in the window. We celebrate for eight days with my family and friends. We eat special foods that are sweet and made with oil. And, we reflect on the ancient story of Chanukah, remembering the great miracle that happened so long ago. We are thankful for our family, friends, health and so much more.
December is such a festive month for many cultures and religions. It’s a great learning opportunity for all of us. To learn more about Chanukah, visit the Jewish Virtual Library.
Happy Chanukah! Wishing you a wonderful Festival of Lights from all of us here at Lunds and Byerly’s.
Susan Stillman, bakery category manager