Serves 4 to 6

 6 medium potatoes

 1 large onion

 4 eggs

 1/4 cup all purpose flour, about (enough to make a pancake batter)

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Oil for frying

PEEL the onion and place in a food processor with a steel blade. Process until finely chopped. Place the onion in a large bowl and mix with the egg; set aside. Peel potatoes and shred them in the food processor. Remove and immediately put in the large bowl with egg mixture and stir to blend. This will stop the potatoes from turning brown. Add salt and pepper to taste and enough flour to make a pancake batter.

HEAT oil in the frying pan until it sizzles. Drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture into the oil. Flatten with the back of the spoon and fry at medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

DRAIN latkes on a paper towels and then transfer to a serving plate. Serve with apple sauce or sour cream.

Variations:

Substitute sweet potatoes for the white potatoes or use half sweet potatoes and half white potatoes for two-toned latkes.

For a fat-free version replace the eggs with 1 1/2 cup egg substitute or six egg whites. Use a griddle sprayed with cooking spray and cook until brown on both sides.

Rugelach

Makes 64 bite-sized cookies

Dough

 21/2  cups flour

 /2  pound butter (2 sticks)

 1 cup melted ice cream (vanilla or strawberry)

Filling

 1 cup chopped walnuts or combination walnuts and raisins

 2 tablespoon sugar

 4 tablespoons jam or preserves (raspberry or apricot)

Topping

 1 teaspoon cinnamon

 2 tablespoon sugar

IN A food processor or with a pastry blender, combine the flour and butter. When crumbly, add the melted ice cream. Divide dough into 4 portions; place each on sheet of plastic wrap. Pat each portion into 1-inch-thick circle, using floured hands. Wrap plastic wrap around each circle to enclose. Place in freezer for one hour to firm up the dough (or refrigerate overnight).

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. Mix walnuts or nuts and fruit with 2 tablespoons sugar and set aside. Roll each disk of dough into a 10- to 11- inch circle on lightly floured surface, lifting dough occasionally to add more flour to work surface as necessary. Spread each circle evenly with a tablespoon of jam or preserves.

SPRINKLE nut mixture over the top of the cookie disk, towards the outer edge or border. Cut each circle into 16 wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting from wide end. Place, point sides up, on prepared baking sheets; shape into crescents by pinching the corners. Sprinkle with combined cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Kamish Bread

 3 eggs

 1 cup sugar

 3/4  cup oil

 3 cups flour

 2 teaspoons baking powder

 1 teaspoon vanilla

  Cinnamon and sugar mixture

MIX sugar and eggs with fork, then add in all ingredients except flour, mix well (still with a fork) then add flour, a little bit at a time.

ON AN ungreased baking sheet form 2 log-like shapes, sprinkle with a good amount of cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes, then cut into 1/2 inch slices, turn each slice on its side, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 10 more minutes.

Cheese Latkes

Makes about 12

 1 pound cottage cheese

 3 eggs

 1/2 cup flour

 3 tablespoons milk

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Oil for frying

MIX all the pancake ingredients together.  Heat the oil in the frying pan.

Drop heaping tablespoons into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Drain latkes on a paper towels and then transfer to a serving plate.

Serve with apple sauce or sour cream.

Gelt Double-Fudge Cake

Makes 12 to 16 servings

Cake:

 2 cups granulated sugar

 11/4 cups oil

 3 eggs

 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 21/2 cups all-purpose flour

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 11/2 teaspoons baking soda

 11/2 teaspoons baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

 1 cup cocoa, measured then sifted

 11/2 cups warm, flat Coke or other cola soda

Chocolate Icing:

 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted and cooled

 2 tablespoons shortening

 3/4 cup unsalted butter or unsalted margarine

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 3/4 cup cocoa, measured then sifted

 3 to 4  cups confectioners' sugar, measured then sifted

 1/2 cup water, cola or half-and-half

Garnish:

 20 to 30 gold chocolate coins

  Colored jimmies or cake sprinkles

  Miniature decorative plastic dreidels

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. 

LIGHTLY grease two 9-inch layer pans and line with parchment paper circles.

IN A large mixing bowl, blend sugar and oil. Add eggs and mix until well blended and mixture is thick and lightened in texture.

IN A separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cocoa. Fold dry ingredients into wet, and mix, drizzling in cola as mixture blends. If using an electric mixer, use slow speed and mix about 3 minutes, scraping sides and bottom once to incorporate all ingredients evenly. This is a thin batter.

BAKE, on middle oven rack, 35 to 40 minutes, until cakes spring back when lightly touched.

Icing

Cream melted chocolate, shortening, butter and vanilla extract with cocoa and l cup of the confectioners' sugar. Add remaining confectioners' sugar and whip on high speed, adding in a bit of water, cola or half-and-half to get a light, fluffy consistency. If not using right away, re-whip before using. Add additional warm water to get correct consistency (a tablespoon at a time).

Decorating

Place one layer on a cardboard circle. Ice this with about 1/2 inch of frosting. Place top layer and ice cake,  sides first. Coat sides with colored sprinkles. Garnish bottom edge with coins. Garnish top with coins, placing them either flat on top of cake or standing up (you may cut some of the coins in half to garnish border of top layer). Place a couple of miniature dreidels in center if desired or Chanukah candles (can be lit when menorah is lit).

Soufganiyot

(Jelly Doughnuts)

 1 package dry yeast

 3 tablespoon. sugar

 1/4 cup lukewarm water

 3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

 1/2 cup lukewarm milk

 1 large egg

 1 large egg yolk

  Pinch of salt

  Grated zest of 1 lemon

 3 1/2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

  Vegetable oil for deep frying

 1/2 cup apricot jam

  Confectioners' or granulated sugar for rolling

DISSOLVE the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the water. Let sit for 10 minutes.  Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Add the dissolved yeast, milk, whole egg, yolk, salt, lemon zest and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Process until blended. Add the butter and process until the dough becomes sticky yet elastic.

REMOVE the dough into a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour. To prepare ahead, place the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then let it warm to room temperature before rolling and cutting. Dust a pastry board with flour. Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using the top of a glass, cut into rounds about 2 inches in diameter and roll these into balls. Cover and let rise 30 minutes more.

POUR 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees.  Drop the doughnuts into the oil, 4 or 5 at a time. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, turning when brown. Drain on paper towels. Using an injector (available at cooking store), insert a teaspoon of jam into each doughnut. You can also use a turkey baster, first softening the jam in a food processor. Simply push a knife halfway into the doughnut to cut a slit, then put the turkey baster into the slit and squeeze out the jam.

Roll the soufganiyot in confectioners' or granulated sugar and serve immediately.

Baked Soufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)

1  package dry yeast

 3 tablespoons sugar

 1/4 cup lukewarm water

 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

 1 cup lukewarm skim milk

 1 large egg

 1 egg yolk

  Pinch of salt

  Grated zest of one lemon

 3 tablespoons reduced fat butter, room temperature

 1/2 cup apricot jam

  Confectioner's or granulated sugar for rolling

DISSOLVE the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the water. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Add the dissolved yeast, milk, egg, egg yolk, salt, lemon zest and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Process until blended. Add the butter and process until the dough becomes sticky.

REMOVE the dough to a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour. To prepare the dough in advance, place it in the refrigerator overnight, then let it warm to room temperature before rolling and cutting.

GREASE 2 cookie sheets. Dust a pastry board with flour. Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using the top of a glass as a cutter, cut into rounds about 2-inches in diameter and roll these into balls. Place the balls about 1 to 1 1/2-inches apart on the greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise 30 minutes more.

PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Bake the doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes or until they're golden. Remove from oven, cool. 

SOFTEN the jam in a food processor. Using an injector , insert a teaspoon of jam into each doughnut.

Roll the soufganiyot in confectioner's or granulated sugar and serve immediately.