My mother's plastic was also very tight. She was actually had it custom made when she bought her couch!

About 25 years later she finally removed the plastic and of course the couch looked brand new.

My husband's aunts in Germany have two kitchens, one upstairs and one downstairs. I hadn't realized that Germans did that too, until they carried a a huge meal into the dinng room, from the hallway. The upstairs 'company' kitchen looked brand new.

A lot of homes built by Italians, in San Francisco's Marina District had two kitchens when I was visited childhood friends.

If I ever build a home, I think I'll have a complete set of duplicate rooms, one up and one down. You'd never have to clean for company - just a quick swipe here and there.

Nina, two kitchens! That is so funny because although I have never seen that here, in a small (like 500 residents) village in southern Italy the family had two kitchens. One on the ground floor and one one the second floor of their house (which they call the first floor). Rather the same thing.

It was explained to me (in Italian of course so think I understood the explination) that all the cooking was done on the ground floor. The upper level kitchen was where the wine was opened, the cheeses, olives etc. were put on the platters and of course brought into the dining room.

The other courses, pasta, meat, veggies and so forth brought up from the downstairs kitchen. Oh yes, the fruit and a beautiful cake were on the counter in the upstairs kitchen.

And Faina, you behave yourself! 8-} LOL

Thank you, so much for telling me why we had two kitchens in Chicago bungalows, LoveItaly. My aunt's upstairs kitchen was so pristine that it looked like a time warp when her husband died and she sold that home. She also had a plastic runner going from the kitchen down the hallway to the bedrooms. The granddaughter who took the plastic off her couches when she was in rehabilitation is the bravest person!

I'll put the kolacki recipe on later today. No time now. I'm so happy because last night ATA got permanence at Midway and Southwest is leasing 6 of their gates and carrying the slack of their reduced scheduling. YES!

Well here it is. This was worked out with two very dear ladies who translated their cheeses into right proportions of our cream cheese about 32 years ago and we have used this ever since. And I notice that the German and the Polish copies have different spellings of Kolacki:

350 degree oven - preheat

Dough for Kolacki- Combine & Mix:
1 lb. unsalted butter
1 large Philadephia Cream Cheese
4 tablespoons Sugar
4 Cups flour

Dough is mixed well but not too long (as pie dough- you don't want to make it too tough)
Then you roll it out into sheet about 1/4 thick. (I use large shot glass - round floured edge to make shape and have marble pastry flat and marble rolling pin- you can use any surfaces but these work great because you can flour surface and it remains cool and doesn't stick)You reroll the portion that is not "cut" after each cutting.

The round shapes are cut with floured shot glass and lifted out of dough layer and put on baking sheet. If you get the right amount of flour and surface correct, the circle will come right up with the shot glass and you can drop it on the baking sheet with little shape distortion necessary. Of course, not all are perfect.

Toppings for Kolacki:

Cheese-
1 large cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
Combined and mixed well.

Fruit-
I use Solo brand that is good for baking in various flavors. Do not use jam/jello as they melt away in the oven-a MESS. I have made my own and they run too much, except for my blueberry. You can also use poppy seed or almond paste toppings. We love the poppy seed Solo topping.

*Top all rounds on baking sheets with cheese, or solo fruit/topping. I drop a good portion about the size of a quarter on each. The cheese will puff and fruit will spread somewhat.

15-20 minutes in oven and watch closely until starting to brown. Rack and powder sugar. Box after cooling only.

They are delicious and delicate. We don't twist or pinch, they are too delicate. The cakier kind are tough enough to do that, but not ours. These are easy to do after some practice.

I always do them for New Year's because it was my grandmother's birthday.

Enjoy!

To follow Jed's earlier message -

<i>LoveItaly - Chanukkah is the commemoration of the military victory, in 165 BCE, of the Macabees over the Assyrians who ruled Palestine and wanted to end all Jewish practices. What is celebrated, though, is the miracle of the oil which, when used to relight the eternal flame, lasted 8 days when it appeared to be enough for only one day. The custom of frying something in oil is a memory of this oil miracle.

Purim celebrates the thwarting of the plans of the evil Haman to kill all the Jews in ancient Persia, probably in the fifth century BCE.

L'chaim!</i>

When folks ask us about the meaning of various Jewish holidays, we tell them (didn't invent this but have tried to perpetuate it - ;) ) that most Jewish holidays can be summarised as follows:

They tried to kill us. It didn't work. Let's eat.

Thanks so much for the recipe, JJ5! I'm definitely going to try to make this. And my kids' favorite flavor is the cheese.

Warm wishes.
Susan

Ours too! I make about double the cheese because they are always gone first. Warm wishes to all cookie lovers!

Jeanette

Who is still around? Who is cooking what? Any new recipes? New jokes?

As usual, Chabadniks are lighting the chanukiyah in the Union Square. Opposite the Christmas tree, that is.

And I'll miss the big ceremony again - having guests and don't feel like walking there with them, then back to the table... too much!

Oh, latkes, unhealthy latkes, here I come :) To make it healthier - homemade apple sauce. To lessen the guilt.

Tried Speed Latke last night...my own creation, delicious. but I'll only do it for my immediate family. I 'll do &quot;real latkes (my own speedy version) for the big family. Speed Latke: 1 package of fresh shredded potatoes,i shallots, minced coarsly, salt, papper, and a sprinkly of olive oil (maybe 1-2 tablespoons). mix it all in a greased 8x8 baking dish, spread evenly, and bake at 400 degres for 30-45 minutes (depends on the brand of shredded potatoes you use), til browned and crispy on top. cut in squares (square dish) or wedges (round dish). You end up with one giant delicious latke and no mess or smell of frying! I aslo discover that the shredded potatoes are a lifesaver for the good old fashioned latkes-no grating (just the onion) and no squeezing the liquid out!.

We're hosting a New Year's Eve/Hanukah party this year. I will probably put mini latkes on the menu, and decorate my buffet table with chocolate gelt. I'm trying to figure out a good way to put some menorahs outside on my deck (where the beer and wine will chilling) without blowing out in the wind and most likely snow.

Chag Samayah to all!

Bringing to the top for popcorn to view and because it deserves it.

Bringing to the top for popkrn3 to view and because it deserves it.

ttt

Happy Chanukah, Nina
We're not Jewish, but my mother used to make potato pancakes out of leftover mashed potatoes. I LOVED them! I know I would love latkes, too.

I was looking for something on the Internet, and Google pulled up this old thread! A blast from the past :heart: