Hanukkah Latkes

6 Potatoes
2 large Onions
Matzo Meal
3 Eggs
Salt and Pepper

Peel your potatoes
Cut into Cubes
Run through Food Processor with Shredder blade
Put in Large Bowl
Run Onions through the Food Processor
put into bowl with shredded potatoes
add 3 eggs beaten
matzo meal as needed to firm up somewhat
salt and pepper

heat oil in skillet (i use vegetable oil)
when hot add your latkes mix
flatten out slightly
let get golden brown then flip over
remove and put on dish with paper towels to drain off excess oil

Serve with Applesauce - they are delicious!

Secret is to add enough onion and dont cheap out on the salt!

Holilday Cake Pops

Love making these holiday cake pops - dont just have to be for the holidays even - I made them for thanksgiving but much larger - they were actually too big because they are very rich.  I also made them with a white pop stick in them for thanksgiving then realized I should try making them smaller and with a pretzel stick instead! Sweet and Savory goes so well together - so this is now how I will always make them! Here is the recipe its really so simple:

1 Box of Duncan Hines Cake Mix (I love the red velvet if you can find it - if not any kind you like is ok)
1 can of frosting - I use milk chocolate most of the time
Bag of pretzel sticks about 3 inches long and not the real skinny sticks use the medium size
Bags of Chocolate for dipping pops into - I use semi-sweet, bittersweet and white chocolate
any kind of nuts - just grind them up to sprinkle on
colored sprinkles or any type of decorations to sprinkle on

Follow directions on Cake mix - under bake by about 5 minutes
take out of the oven and let it cool down just alittle just till warm
put into a large bowl and crumble up
add the 1 can of frosting and mix up with your hands
make into balls
stick pretzel stick in and squeeze cake around stick so it will stay in
put in the freezer ( I put mine on a disposable cookie sheet covered with wax paper)
freeze for atleast 2 hours can be left in freezer for up to 1 week

Melt your chocolate in the microwave in a small dipping bowl follow directions on the bag on microwave melting - mine said 1 minute in micro and that worked fine
then dip your frozen cake pops into chocolate you will most likely need a spoon or little knife to smooth the chocolate all around and remove excess. Put back on the wax paper - I also try to seal the pretzel stick around the base of where it goes into the cake so it will stay in place and not side out
sprinkle immediately while chocolate is wet with whatever you want - sprinkles or nuts etc...
put back in freezer and take out 30 minutes prior to serving.

One note of caution White Chocolate is much harder to work with - it does not melt as easily as the semi or dark so just be more patient when working with white - but it does look great with blue sprinkles if you want to make those for hanukkah crowd!

If you make them the size in this photo - 1 cake mix will yield 40 cake pops!

They will be a big hit! Enjoy making them as much as I did:)

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark - Healthy For You

I found this recipe in a Health Magazine and it was so easy to make! It took me under 15 minutes to throw it together.  Here is the recipe:

12 ounces of dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon mint or peppermint extract
8 large candy canes (crushed up)

melt the chocolate over a double boiler till melted add in the mint extract and 4 crushed up candy canes. Stir very well. I used a metal disposable tin 13x9 size - line the bottom with wax paper.  Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the pan and smooth out with a spoon - then add the rest of the crushed candy canes on top - gently press into the chocolate.  Put in the freezer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes take out and break up into bark pieces! Oh and dont forgot to peel away the wax paper. This will totally satisfy those craving you may have similar to mine:) Dark Chocolate is very good for us! Enjoy it~