Eight nights;

We run from party to party, and celebration to school performances, and yet another holiday party-

Sometimes there’s time for an evening spent at home.

We light the candles; sing a little (or a lot), with friends or just family, play Sevivon {draddle } with new rules every night, and eat. Of course.

Every night we incorporate a dish inspired by the holiday to the dinner meal, while trying to minimize the amount of oil we inhale.

For example, baked sufganiot: somewhere in between fried donuts and baked rolls. They’re especially nice because they come without that side dish of guilt and additional pounds.

Potato pancakes we make without much pomp and circumstance, we gather all the usual suspects (potatoes, onion, eggs, salt and pepper, flour, and baking powder) send them on a quick trip to the food processor and with a few simple pchhh pchhhs you get a quick batter that doesn’t absorb much oil, and most importantly – come out delicious.
(Thanks Mom for the wonderful tip!)

You can also accompany your supper’s soup with a few pieces of baguette or bread dipped in olive oil (seasoned or just plain delicious) and baked in the oven.

Even today there are olive oil miracles!

This year we included another Chanukah dish to our repertoire –

Home made chocolate coins.

I could stand here and philosophize that they represent the struggle between light and darkness and how the good defeats the evil, or the few (us, moms) against the many (industrialized, mass produced, gold wrapped chocolate coins).

But me, I don’t say such things. No, all I’m saying is that:

It’s fun to make these coins with kids,

That they’re quick and easy to prepare ,

That you only need three ingredients,

That the result is always beautiful and delicious,

And there’s practically no way to mess them up.

(There’s even a use for ones that break!)

So is there really anything else you could ask for?

Light and Darkness Chocolate Coins

Makes 60 coins

Ingredients:

8 0z dark chocolate (you can use high quality bars broken into shards or chocolate chips)

3.5 oz white chocolate (same rule applies)

1/2 +1/4 teaspoons oil

Tools:

A 25X35 cm flat baking sheet (or similar size)

Baking paper

Plastic ziplock bag (sandwich size)

Small circular cookie cutter ( about 3.5 cm circumference or similar)

Spatula

Some room in the freezer

Directions:

Melt the white chocolate with a ¼ tablespoon of oil in 15-second pulses in the microwave, mixing after each round careful not to let the chocolate overheat (microwave times vary, mine took a little under thirty seconds). You should be left with a smooth and even consistency.

Place the melted white chocolate into the ziplock bag.

Place baking paper on your baking sheet.

Cut off a tiny corner of your ziplock bag (keep it small!) and go wild zigzaging all over the baking sheet (let your inner conceptual artist shine!)

Place the sheet in the freezer for about ten minutes or until the white chocolate hardens.

In the meantime, melt your dark chocolate with a ½ tablespoon of oil in thirty second pulses, mixing well after each round in the microwave.

When your dark chocolate is melted, pour the dark chocolate over the white chocolate, so it covers it entirely. Smooth over the top of the dark chocolate with your spatula and send it off for another ten minutes in the freezer.

When your chocolate hardens cut out round coins using the circular cookie cutter.

And there you have it, your symbolic, metaphorical light and darkness chocolate coins.

And the leftovers?

Keep in a sealed container to decorate cakes, or to top ice cream or morning yogurt.

Or of course, a late night snack.

Happy Yummy Chanukah!