Thanksgiving with a side of Hanukkah: recipes for a once-in-a-lifetime event

by Vered Guttman for Haaretz

The delicious combinations are endless between the fall flavors of Thanksgiving and the extravagance of Hanukkah, which begin this year on the same day.

I can still remember the first time I heard about Thanksgivukkah. Well, it happened only three weeks ago. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, the most American of holidays and the most extravagant of Jewish holidays, coincide to make the once-in-a-lifetime mother of all holidays. What a concept! Little did I know that I would then hear about it again and again, at least three times a day, every day, from excited Jews and their media outlets.

Oy, the pressure. If this is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime, or for accuracy’s sake, a once-in-a-77,000-years experience, the meal too should be the best one ever made. And it should combine the fall flavors of Thanksgiving - pumpkins, green beans, turkey and pies, with those of Hanukkah (meaning, fry everything).

The combinations are endless: Latkes topped with cranberry sauce; yam latkes; brussels sprouts latkes; soufganiya stuffed with turkey and cranberry sauce; gelt pie; turkey in Manischewitz brine, stuffed with gefilte fish and roasted carrots and served with chrein.

My head is spinning!

Trying to make more sense of this unnatural situation, I’ll give a few more reasonable recipes in the upcoming weeks before Thanksgivukkah. This week, I’ll focus on side dishes, my favorite part of Thanksgiving. And this time with a Hanukkah twist: Brussels sprouts mini soufganiyiot, roasted tzimmes, and kasha with smoked turkey and butternut squash in bourbon.

 Continue here for recipe.