Oil is one of the iconic symbols of Hanukkah, meant to remind us of the oil that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit with a long-lasting flame. This miracle is celebrated with the consumption of all manner of fried treats, and the latke is front and center. Latkes are usually made from potatoes, but can often incorporate other vegetables, including sweet potatoes, celery root, apples, beets or whatever's on hand. This type of pancake is found in the cuisines of Luxembourg (gromperekichelcher), Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Belarus (draniki), Germany (Kartoffelpuffer), Poland (placki ziemniaczane), Ukraine (deruny), Hungary, Slovakia, Persia and the Czech lands (bramborák)—not to mention India and Korea (pa jeon), among others. It's a simple fritter—easy to make and easy to enjoy—with a very universal appeal. I made some last night for the first night of Hanukkah, and wished my dad were alive so I could share them with him.
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I'm one of those people who prefers to think of coincidence as convergence. You know those moments when you're hoping for a job and the phone rings and it's someone offering you one? Or you read about a restaurant, make a reservation and when you walk in your good friends are already having dinner there? It's not happenstance, it's meant to be. Well, something along those lines happened with 603 Here & There. First, I read an interesting interview with founder Nell Dodge on a favorite blog. Then, my friend Peter asked me to test-drive some maple syrup he's selling on his website—sourced for him by Nell Dodge in New Hampshire. So 603 Here & There became here, there and everywhere. It was time to investigate further. Turned out that I fell in love with Nell's online holiday pop-up site and was able to chat with her about some of the wonderful items she sells. The best part? Nell, a New Hampshire native who has returned to her hometown for a spell, features lovely work from local artisans. Two of them, Ann and George Saunderson, a couple married for 40 years whom Nell has known for most of her life (pictured above), really captured my fancy.
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You can run but you can't hide. I kind of hate to bring it up, but you'll love me when they're all said and done. The holidays, that is. (Hey, don't shoot the messenger. They're on their way whether I announce it or not.) Which is why I'm posting my collection of online shopping resources even earlier than last year. By the way, I still stand by all the suggestions of 2010, so you may want to have a look. Gwyneth already posted hers, and they're worth a gander, too. Because you really, really, really don't want to leave this until the last moment. If you look up hell in the dictionary, there's a picture of a mall on December 23rd. Don't go there. I do confess to feeling a little guilty about the carbon footprint of mail-order shopping, but then I think about the gas I would use to get to the store, and the karmic goodwill I am preserving by not having to engage with fellow humans in combat-shopping mode at this time of year. So make your list, and don't dwell too long on naughty or nice. Save your energy for finding gifts that will leave them all gob-smacked with glee.
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Today was one of those days when I was filled with a great love for New York City. The energy is always particularly high around the holidays, the streets filled with tourists, the shops crowded and a bracing chill in the air. I was walking up Central Park South, watching dogs chasing squirrels in the park, enjoying the lovely vistas, when I came upon the sweetest sight: a couple of chefs from the Ritz-Carlton feeding the carriage horses fresh carrots (greens and all) from a big market basket. So delightful, especially since I always get a pang of sadness when I see those horses gussied up in that cheesy frippery they really don't deserve. (I think I read Black Beauty just a few too many times as a girl.) Anyway, it was an especially New York-y moment—unexpected, extravagant, poignant. And it was the perfect set-up for an exceptional day that included lunch at A Voce, a facial from the incomparable Claudia Colombo, dinner at Nougatine, A Free Man of Color at Lincoln Center, and a night at The Jane.
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OK,  a few more suggestions for those of you looking to make your holiday shopping experience painless and effective. Whip up a nice gingery hot toddy, stuff your tootsies into a pair of wooly socks, curl up on the couch with your laptop and chuckle quietly to yourself as you think of all those poor slobs getting elbowed by German tourists at Macy's in Herald Square.
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I'm going to go way out on a limb and assume that, if you're reading this blog, you like to cook; or at least you like reading about cooking. Or maybe you just know someone else who does. At any rate, in a continuation of yesterday's gifting post, I've pulled together some suggestions for wonderful cookbooks—some new, some long beloved—that would make wonderful presents to the accomplished and aspiring chefs in your life (including yourself). I like nothing better than sitting down with something delicious to eat and whatever cookbook I've randomly plucked from my shelf. There are always stacks of cookbooks by my bed. Reading them is vicarious pleasure, inspiration, armchair travel, fantasy and practical preparation. Here's a compendium of some of my favorites, all highly recommended.
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As obnoxious a concept as is Black Friday—when all of America rushes into the mall, wallets clutched in chubby hands still sticky from the Thanksgiving feast—there is something to be said for getting a jump on your holiday gift shopping. We all know that once that turkey is gone, Christmas and Hanukkah are not far behind. For me, this means the annual frenzy of making caramels, then wrapping and packaging them by the hundreds. As far as other gifts for my nearest and dearest, I look for something personal, something that reflects my relationship with the recipients, that shows I've noticed what they need, what they covet. I try to buy things as I come across them during the year, or at least make a note to myself so I can remember to go back and pick up that perfect little something for my sister or goddaughter. But that doesn't always happen (and I know many of you think it's crazy to even dream of being so organized), so I often turn to online shopping. I can do it in the comfort of my own home, and I don't have to deal with the special hell that is the post office. The key is to start immediately, if you haven't already. Avoid paying extra for expedited shipping and banish the dread, the panic and the shame of sending something lame that arrives late. Because I love you, I'll share some of my secret sources for great gifts.
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