kelleynr, wow that sounds delicious – and a must try for me. Potato pancakes with leeks and Gruyere cheese, could be the new Chanukah dish ! Thanks for sharing.

Steve and Sam, the chocolate gelt getting under your fingernails – unavoidable. Might as well accept it as a tradition in itself, no ?!

Oh and Steve, about getting the blue design symmetrical, it’s all in the folding. Hence my recommendation to use a ruler !

Julia, last year I had all blue and white candles, tall and slender. But this year they are shorter and multi-colored – the very ones I grew up with in fact. I found the same small blue box of candles at the Jewish Museum in Berlin that we used to get as kids at Hebrew School. So there’s also red and orange and yellow too, but my favorite is blue of course ! That was always part of the fun growing up, getting to choose what color candles for each night !

Thanks Mom ! I knew you’d be upset about the pastry shop closing in Paris. I would always go there – to get them for YOU ! And yes, I am totally a dark chocolate girl now. But Chanukah gelt doesn’t count – I’ll always love those. Ah, tradition…

xoxox