It might seem strange at first glance, but celebrating Hanukkah and Thanksgiving together makes a lot of sense.
Sure, this is the first time that the two holidays have overlapped since President Roosevelt formalized the official date for Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. And it’s true that the two holidays won’t coincide again for another 70,000 years. The popularized “Thanksgivukkah” portmanteau seems a bit forced, but let’s face it - each of these holidays has amazing traditional food.
It wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without some fall-colored squashes or roasted root vegetables, and it wouldn’t feel like Hanukkah without something (everything) fried in oil. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah go together like……well, turkey and gravy or latkes and applesauce.
We've compiled a few recipes that will help you make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate Thanksgivukkah!
Recipes:
- Cranberry Applesauce: If you want to embrace the “melting pot” of American culture and celebrate this historic Thanksgivukkah correctly, throw some cranberries and apples into a melting pot and make this flavorful Cranberry Applesauce to go next to your turkey. Made with Manischewitz wine, this condiment goes great on latkes too!
- Sweet Potato Latkes: Speaking of latkes, if you want to add a little Thanksgiving flair to your traditional Hanukkah dish, try these Sweet Potato Latkes. They’ll flip your potato-pancake’s world upside down.
- Horseradish Mashed Potatoes: Spice up your classic mashed potatoes to make them more appropriate for the Thanksgivukkah festivities. These Horseradish Mashed Potatoes give you all the creamy goodness of the timeless side dish with a little extra kick for the double holiday.
Shabbanukkah:
Hanukkah and Shabbat coincide this year - just as it does every year - but no one else seems to be talking about “Shabbanukkah.” Maybe that’s because we just made it up. Shabbat means plenty of challah (a traditional braided bread eaten with the Sabbath meal on Friday nights), and challah makes the perfect addition to any stuffing recipe.
- Challah Stuffing with Turkey Sausage, Leeks, and Cherries:
Check out this recipe for Challah Stuffing with Turkey Sausage, Leeks and Cherries for the best way to combine three holidays into one!
- Cranberry Orange Challah: If you’re feeling extra adventurous, we also found a recipe for Cranberry Orange Challah, but we haven’t tested it out yet. It may take a little time to make, but the result looks pretty darn good.
If you make any of these recipes, we'd love to know how they turn out! Here are some ways to challah at us: email us a picture, tweet it @BostonOrganics, share it on Instagram (@BostonOrganics), or post it to our Facebook page. Also, check out our Thanksgivukkah Pinterest Board for more ideas and recipes.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, a joyous Hanukkah, and a very filling Thanksgivukkah!
