I feel like I just got through planning COVID-19 Thanksgiving 2020, and now it’s already time for COVID-19 Hannukah 2020! Hannukah has always been eight days filled with family, fun, and, my favorite, fried latkes. I am determined to make this year as close to normal as possible by starting with latke making!
Making latkes is a Hannukah tradition that I love. When my oldest child was in preschool, my friend Karen and I used to get together at each other’s homes and make 100’s of latkes each. Whoever traveled to the other’s home would arrive with a bag of potatoes, a bag of onions, a dozen eggs, all the other necessary ingredients, a food processor, cookie sheets, plastic baggies, frying pans, and paper towels. It was a lot to transport but so worth the fun of making them together!
We peeled, chopped, shredded, pulsed, and fried. During all of that, we laughed and created wonderful memories! The kitchen would be a disaster after, and the house would smell like fried potatoes for days, but it was so much fun! I do miss those days!
One of the funniest memories I have is the year I was pregnant with my son. I recall going from latke making to the DMV to renew my driver’s license. When I got there, I realized that I smelled like a latke. I truly hoped no one noticed, but I probably made people very hungry!
The house would smell like fried potatoes for days!
Over the years, to help decrease the fried odor in the house, I started using an electric frying pan outside. That worked well except for on the random cold or rainy days here in southern CA. Recently, I’ve started opening all the windows and sliding doors, turning on my kitchen fan high, and frying them indoors. It’s much warmer!
No matter how or where I make them, making latkes is a favorite Hannukah tradition. They make everything feel just right.