Are you ready for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday event? It's Thankgivukkah! On November 28th, 2013, the first full day of Hanukkah will coincide with Thanksgiving Day — an event that won't occur again for an estimated 70,000 years (even the other days of Hanukkah won't fall on Thanksgiving until 2070). So what's the best way to celebrate the double holiday? Combining all the best foods from each into a blow-out feast.
Not only do Thanksgiving and Hanukkah celebrations offer some of best food of the year (turkey, latkes, pie — need we say more?), but the two actually have more in common than you might think. They both honor triumph over a unique difficulty — Hanukkah celebrates a small amount of oil that supposedly burned for eight days after the rededication of a temple following the successful revolt against an anti-Jewish monarchy, and the first Thanksgiving celebrated a successful harvest after a rather grim period when the Pilgrims first came to America. Both holidays use food as a triumphant symbol and a way to remember our blessings.
Regardless of your religious beliefs, you can try your hand at a Thankgivukkah feast for a fun way to spice up the the holidays this year. We've got everything you need for an unforgettable meal, including plenty of hybrid dishes and creative ways to serve all your favorite Thanksgiving and Hanukkah foods together. Happy Thanksgivukkah!
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1
Fried Turkey
Thanksgiving dinner is all about the turkey and Hanukkah fare is centered around fried food, so why not combine the two? A deep-fried turkey ensures that your Thanksgivukkah table will have plenty of juicy turkey meat prepared with Hanukkah's most important ingredient.
Recipe: Fried Turkey
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2
Chili-Braised Brisket
Terrified of deep-frying a turkey? We understand completely! Instead, make your evening a two-protein affair. In addition to the centerpiece bird, serve guests a beautiful braised brisket.
Recipe: Chili-Braised Brisket
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3
Pumpkin Challah
Forget dry dinner rolls; Challah is the perfect starter bread and even better for sopping up gravy or brisket pan drippings. This particular version will bring some extra seasonal flare to the table with the addition of pumpkin puree.
Get the recipe at thatskinnychickcanbake.com.
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4
Challah Chestnut Stuffing
Naturally absorbent Challah also makes a great base for your classic Thanksgiving stuffing. And this recipe gets extra flavor from the schmaltz (rendered chicken or goose fat), which is used to cook the veggies in place of butter or oil.
Get the recipe at theshiksa.com.
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5
Beet-and-Potato Latkes with Thyme
No Hanukkah celebration is complete without latkes (potato pancakes). You can substitute the potato-centric patties for your typical turkey day mashed potatoes or make a vegetable-based version, like the Beet-and-Potato latkes pictured here, that can act as an additional side. Latkes are typically served with applesauce or gravy, but we recommend trying the tasty fried pancakes with a big ladle of gravy. Did we mention that latkes would make great "bread" for leftover turkey sandwiches?
Recipe: Beet-and-Potato Latkes with Thyme
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6
Sweet Potato Latka
Sweet potato latkes are just as tasty as their regular potato counterparts, so latkes can also be made as a replacement for a sweet potato casserole or yam dish. This recipe features a lot of the same flavors, like cinnamon and brown sugar, and would pair well served alongside some cranberry sauce. If you really want to get into the hybrid holiday spirit, sprinkle some marshmallows on top of the finished latkes and pop them in the broiler for a couple of minutes!
Recipe: Sweet Potato Latkes
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7
Cranberry Sauce with Apples
Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving with the cranberry sauce and the same goes for Hanukkah and applesauce. Here the two meet in a flavorful sauce (you'll never buy the store-bought variety again after just one homemade batch).
Recipe: Cranberry Sauce with Apples
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8
Cranberry-Orange Applesauce
The two iconic side sauces of turkey day and the festival of lights come together again, but this time in an applesauce. Adding cranberries makes the applesauce extra tangy and for an extra bonus, gives the dish a pretty pink hue.
Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Applesauce
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9
Sour Cream Smashed Potatoes
At a Hanukkah celebration, latkes are most commonly served with sour cream and applesauce. To combine that tradition with another, this "mash-up" uses creamy, tangy sour cream to flavor Thanksgiving's favorite tater side.
Recipe: Sour Cream Smashed Potatoes
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10
Cranberry Sauce-Filled Sufganiyot
Another of Hanukkah's best foods are the Sufganiyot (jelly or cream-filled doughnuts). But rather than jelly, these sweet treats are stuffed with T-Day cranberry sauce.
Get the recipe at thanksgivukkahboston.com.
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11
Applesauce Pie
While nothing can outshine the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner, the pie is arguably the best part of the meal. This version is an update on your classic apple, made with applesauce instead. You can also use different flavors of applesauce to spice up the recipe, even the cranberry-orange variety we mentioned earlier.
Get the recipe at suitableforconsumption.blogspot.com.
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12
Manischewitz Ice Cream
What's better than a slice of pie? A slice of pie à la mode, of course. Any of the pies that end up on your dessert table this year can benefit from a scoop of ice cream, but not just any frozen treat will do this year. Manischewitz wine is often used during the celebration of any given Jewish holiday, and here the already sweet alcohol is boiled down to a syrup and used in a creamy custard ice cream base.
Get the recipe at whatjewwannaeat.com.
