Sephardic Fish for the Lazy Chef

Sephardic fried fish is a traditional dish during Hanukkah. Fried foods are a staple at Hanukkah, because of the connection to the miracle of the oil. I really like it when it's prepared well.

This version is not it.

This is not the best way to make sephardic fish. It's just that I'm lazy. When I get home from a full day of work, even I don't want to take a lot of time making dinner. It's also hard to get really good fish, that doesn't cost and arm and a leg, in Utah. We're landlocked, after all.

Here's what I do. It's cheating, I know. I'm not really sure its kosher, either, but I'm not up on most Jewish dietary requirements. Maybe one of you will know the answer.

Go buy some decent frozen fish fillets. Get the whole fillets, not the “fish pieces” crap that's really just over-sized fish sticks. Make sure it's the battered kind, not breaded. I think they taste better.

Make sure it's a good brand. You're already compromising freshness and flavor by doing it this way. Don't compromise any more than you have to.

Sprinkle the frozen fillets with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cook according to the package directions. Serve with apple cider vinegar and/or apple sauce.

Don't worry. This is still fried food. The manufacturers fried it before they flash froze it and packaged it up. Frying it again would be overkill.

Literally.

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Celebrating Hanukkah, Mormon Foodie Style

Today is the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. It actually started last night with the lighting of the first candle on the menorah. What a cool time of year.

As a Mormon, I don't really celebrate Hanukkah in any traditional way. I do like to use it as a time to honor and remember the shared heritage that both Jews and Christians have.

Whether or not some Christians choose to accept this or not, we owe the Jewish people a lot. The Old Testament comes to mind. The first Christians were Jews. Our Savior Jesus Christ was Jewish and it's likely He celebrated Hanukkah.

So I like to gather my family together at this time of year and share the story of the Macabees' victory over the Greek invaders, and the miracle of the oil (one-day's-worth of oil burned for eight days during the re-dedication of the temple).

These Godly heroes didn't only defeat the Greek army, they won their right to worship as they believed. Their spirit and determination is worth celebrating, evening if you're not Jewish. For me, Hanukkah is a gentle reminder of the importance of family, and having faith. It's a celebration of light in the darkness of winter, of standing up for what you believe in, and of winning against all odds.

As a foodie, it's also great excuse to eat Jewish food. I really enjoy putting together a dinner of sephardic fish, potato latkes, and a chunky salad of tomatoes, celery, and cucumber. It's always a hit with my kids.

Especially the sufganiot (Israeli-style jelly donuts).

For more information on Hanukkah, visit Chabad.org

Stringing a Family Christmas

Now that December is upon us, many people find themselves observing their own holiday celebrations. Those celebrations are likely filled with family traditions. Traditions are important. They help us discover and define who we are.

Tradition is about connecting the present with the past. It's a time to remember the people and activities of yesterday and honor them. I wanted to connect with my past this year, so I decided to do something I've not done since I was a little boy. String popcorn for the Christmas tree.

We've had our Christmas tree up since Thanksgiving. My wife likes to start early. Normally I'm quite a humbug but, for some reason this year I'm looking forward to Christmas.

For Family Home Evening my wife and I gathered our daughters up and decided to string popcorn and cranberries for the tree.

The early Utah Pioneers didn't have stores to go and buy their decorations at. They had to make them on their own. Why not try some fun crafting with the family and make our own, as well?

Getting three young girls together to do anything is a chore, and yes, this did require some work. We had to get things started for all but our oldest daughter, threading the needle, tying off the first cranberry so everything wouldn't just slide off the end. Microwaving the popcorn.

Okay, so the Utah Pioneers didn't have microwaves. We don't have smallpox, so I guess we even.

The only trouble with that is the butter flavoring. Some of the kernels are yellow and have a distinct buttery odor. They aren't the lovely perfect white that I'm sure Martha Stewart would insist on.

I don't care. Martha Stewart doesn't live at my house.

Anyway, we settled down in front of the TV to watch a recording of “It's a Wonderful Life” (another Christmas tradition) and started threading.

Cranberry, popcorn, popcorn ... cranberry, popcorn, popcorn ...

Everything started out okay but, the yarn we started with wasn't working very well. It kept falling apart. Between three kids and two adults I think we only got two salvageable strands and each of those was only a foot long.

Undaunted, we found some thread and smaller needles. It was sort of a hassle, but in the end we were able to add a bit of homey cheer to our tree. It gave our tree a nice finishing touch, I think.

Popcorn and cranberries are a classic look, you know.

To be honest, the hassle was pretty minimal, and it was a great family activity. We (mostly) had fund and it didn't cost much. Three dollars at the most, and that's if you count the needles and thread.

But, those three dollars did a priceless thing. They got a family together, with love, for a few hours one December evening.

Do you have any Christmas traditions?