"Love You a Latke"

Mom enjoying her latkes

I recently went through some old family videos of our holiday celebrations over the years. I always find watching the chaos and commotion of the kids so much fun. The piles of presents and the hours spent watching everyone open their gifts seemed exhausting at the time, but what I loved even more was our family tradition of making and eating potato latkes! A small batch of the potato goodies turned into platters and platters of the fried deliciousness! There was always plenty left for both me and my         brother and we usually kept eating them until we couldn’t move

Latkes are traditionally cooked on Hanukkah, along with other fried foods, to commemorate the miracle of the menorah oil lasting eight days in the Jewish Temple.

In my family, we had a tradition of making latkes and having a huge family Hanukah party every year. I loved all of the food and the presents, and I just recently found out how this tradition began.

Apparently, two of my Bubie's (yiddish for grandmother) brothers had been drafted into the Russian army and sent to opposite sides of the country to fight. Their family, who lived in the town of Belarus, figured they would never see them again because of the hardships of the war and the landscape of Russia. By coincidence, both of her brothers arrived home on the 5th night of Hanukkah, surprising everyone. They had a huge celebration cooking up latkes and trading gifts together. Since then, the tradition has been carried on every year in our families!  

Latkes can be topped with most anything, but our condiments of choice were sour cream and applesauce. (As a kid, I wouldn’t let the applesauce touch the sour cream, but love it all mixed together now).

When our son was born, my husband decided to carry on the latke-making tradition in our family. With our then 6 month old in the kitchen playpen, Jack instructed him on the step-by- step process, and has made latkes every Hanukah since.

Latke maker extrodinaire

All ready to help make the latkes

It’s a tradition that makes us feel close to family, even though we live in different places around the country and around the world.

This year was no different. But having moved from our house to a smaller place, we had trouble finding all of our typical “tools” of the trade. (because when you make latkes, the whole neighborhood knows from the smell).  The cookbook with our dog-eared latke recipe was stuffed in a box in our storage closet, but we finally dug it out. Making them fresh is the only way to go!

Some years we shred the potatoes; some years we chop them. More egg, less flour. More salt, less pepper. Fewer people, but we did our part eating the latkes. 

Still has the seal of approval

We all live in different cities and even different countries, but the latkes always connect us. 
Carrying on a tradition that takes me back to my childhood, I love that our kids and now our grandaughters are still eating the crunchy potato latkes and in some way, honoring their ancestors from 100 years ago in the process.

"It's All About The Beans..."

Coffee has been my defining fuel of choice for as long as I can remember. It got me through early morning classes in college and late nights of grading papers when I was teaching. It gave me the energy to stay awake after sleepless nights with young kids, and fueled my 5 AM workouts. When I taught high school, my students used to say I had a cup of coffee surgically attached to my hand since I was never without one.

My first screen name on aol was gabbyjava and one of my blogs is Fitness Barista; so, you get the picture.

I used to settle for anything with caffeine just to get going, but over the years, I've come to appreciate the complexities in the brews that different coffee shops and roasters can offer. But, as much as I love coffee, my son takes it to another level. He and his family live in an area surrounded by incredible coffee shops, so they have developed a taste for amazing roasts.

When the quarantine all but stopped everyone's daily coffee runs, I figured my Keurig would have to suffice. I still wanted to support local stores, especially my neighbohood favorites like Kaldis and Northwest Coffee, so I sent my son and his family some of Kaldi's Gratitude blend. He sent back a picture of it being brewed in a French Press. With the full bodied beans, a pourover kettle at the perfect temperature, and the patience to wait for the brew, it looked better than anything I'd had in a while!

A few days later, a French Press arrived, and he ( my son) told us exactly how to brew our own perfect cup. And seriously, what a difference!

It was like sitting and watching the baristas make our order. If I though the K-cups were giving me bursts of energy, this took it to another level! We more than double our workout distance and pace on the days we make coffee in the French Press. Since we are still social distancing, we actually have the time to grind the beans, "wake" them up, let the coffee brew another 5 minutes and enjoy!

My daughter-in-law also introduced me to oat milk, which makes for an extra creamy taste in a latte.

It's a far cry from the vending machine sludge in my college dorm and the stale pots of coffee in the teacher's lounge.

I know places are opening up, and there's always curbside or drive through, but it's kind of fun and almost meditative to take the time to make it yourself. And you can use your own wi-fi!!

I'm partial to my local roasters and have tried a number of blends these past few months. And we need to support our neighbors.

The proceeds from Kaldi's gratitude Blend went to the Gateway Resilience Fund which provided short-term relief for independent restaurant and bar owners.

And you can support Black owned business by trying Northwest Coffee in the Central West End. Jason Wilson is unique in that he is a coffee roaster as well as a retailer. Plus, their Roaster's Choice and Rocky Bay  blends are outstanding!