<p>The bruschetta sounds like a great idea. You can purchase it ready made or make it with canned chuck style tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. Trader Joe’s has great ready made olive and sun=dried tomato tapendades that were already mentioned - as well as other options. What about the Hebrew National pigs in a blanket (what any oxymoron!!) Are they Kosher?</p>
<p>Cucumber sandwiches on little breads with a touch of mayo.</p>
<p>Hummas and pita.</p>
<p>How about a platter of veggies with aoili (it’s basically mayonnaise with lots of garlic)?</p>
<p>I just made spicy nuts using a Martha Stewart recipe. With gravlax you can serve it with pumpernickel and dill sauce. (If your market has konditori dill sauce it is perfect.)
Caviar (or lumpfish) with the trimmings.</p>
<p>NorthMinnesota, I’m laughing at the shrimp cocktail! I might just as well serve melon wrapped in prosciutto!</p>
<p>Calreader, thank you for posting the chickpea spread recipe. It sounds wonderful. </p>
<p>I am not up to making latkes - have tried potato pancakes for my German husband, with miserable results. What is the secret, anyway? Mine were soggy and disgusting. I did try to get out all the water. </p>
<p>Phyllo cups sound great!</p>
<p>I talked to my friend, and she prefers the lighter things, so that people are not stuffed before dinner. I am leaning toward a platter of smoked salmon (she has kosher crackers), olive tapenade on toasted baguette slices, and maybe I will try your bruschetta, michone. We use the Trader Joe’s jarred tapenade around here, I should have thought of it myself.</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone, for all the ideas! I plan try the recipes here. I know my family would love the mushrooms and the chickpea spread.</p>
<p>The pita bread at our Safeway and Giant/Stop 'n Shop is dairy. Sure surprised us! TJ’s is parve and is labeled as such.
If you go to Costco, the whitefish salad is excellent (and is also heckschered).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>just like the Pilgrims did :)</p>
<p>They needed that King George heckscher, though.</p>
<p>(Bwaaah, I want to eat at your houses)</p>
<p>Note: heckscher is that kosher “seal of approval” on the food labels</p>
<p>
Latkes are a bit different than German potato pancakes. There are a couple of secrets. First, grate the potatoes, don’t puree them. Second, grate some onions - one cannot have real latkes without onions. Third, add an egg and some flour to bind them.</p>
<p>Fourth, and most importantly, preheat a lot of oil, about an inch worth, and make the latkes thin, so that they get really crisp. Drain them on paper towels and you’re good to go.</p>
<p>I do agree, however, that you shouldn’t make them as appetizers to take anywhere. While they can be warmed in an oven, they’re really best eaten hot and fresh off the paper towels!</p>
<p>Have a great time and a wonderful holiday!</p>
<p>Thank you for the latke tips, Chedva. I did grate them - German potato pancakes are not made from puree, at least in my husband’s family. I did not use onions because my husband can’t eat them. I’m sure I did not use a lot of oil. It goes against the grain for me to deep-fry food - all I can think of are arteries clogging! I probably used a fairly small amount of mixed butter and oil. Does this doom my latkes?</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and thank you again!</p>
<p>Eggplant caviar is a lovely and traditional appetizer. It’s basically eggplant roasted until it collapses, mixes with tomatoes, peppers, chopped sauteed onions, and olive oil. It should be fairly chunky, not pureed like baba ghanoush. It’s excellent on rye toast points or mini pumpernickel squares.</p>
<p>Even though I suggested the mini-latkes, I have to agree with Chedva that they don’t hold well. Need to eat them right off of the paper towels ;). </p>
<p>Latkes are the one thing I make where I don’t mind standing over the stove for what seems like hours on end - when DS and nephew and assorted male bff’s are willing to sit at the table and keep on keeping on with their bottomless pit stomachs, and are so appreciative of my latkes, I will just keep making them until they finally give up. It’s a labor of love.</p>
<p>I also agree with Chedva’s key points re crispy latkes. However, I do not use a “ton” of oil. Really quite a thinnish layer. I think the other key is that the “batter” is largely potato (and onion, but I guess you can skip that) and only a truly minimal amount of flour. </p>
<p>I use my aunt’s “recipe” (which I’m sure was my mother’s as well, but my mother died too young for me to ask her). The loose proportions she gave me are:
2-3 baking potatoes (~ 3 cups)
1 onion
1-2 eggs
2-4 T. flour (or matzo meal)</p>
<p>After you grate the potatoes you leave them, salted, in a colander to drain a while. They will turn a funny pink color, but don’t worry. They will return to normal color while cooking.</p>
<p>Make your batter and pour just an amount for each that makes thin “pancakes” on your griddle or pan; then flatten each with a spatula. </p>
<p>Make sure the oil is hot when you start to fry them.</p>
<p>Some people eat lox with fork, no bagel, no cream cheese (I do). To a lot of people, just having lox is such a treat, they find a way to eat it. We bring lox by itself, and we serve it by itself to our friends. The best quality of lox and hummus that is available in our city is Costco. Their hummus is better then restaurant quality.</p>
<p>Also, to add to jmmom’s post, latkes are traditionally fried in olive oil (relating to the miracle of the oil at Chanukah). Butter adds too much of a different taste - canola oil would be OK, but skip the butter. </p>
<p>And adding about the lox: You can skip the cream cheese and just have lox with a slice of fresh tomato and onion - yum!</p>
<p>Foolproof potato pancakes (The recipe is from my son’s Mommy and Me…and he is 27!)
In cusinart grate potatoes until the canister fills up
Add two large onions in cuisinart and grate (more if you like in more oniony)
Put both mixtures in a large sieve and let the water drip.</p>
<p>Go to pantry: Get out one (or two depending on how many potatoes you’ve grated (in my house two boxes…two canisters or more) and get out Instant potato latke mix. Prepare as directed. When ready add the onions and the potatoes. Put in extra salt and pepper (to taste). If the mixture isn’t sort of holding together make another box and add as needed.</p>
<p>Fry in canola oil.</p>
<p>Guacamole? I don’t use sour cream in mine. Chips and Salsa?</p>
<p>Any kind of bean dip. I make hummus in the food processor and it is extremely easy. Also white bean and garlic dip.</p>
<p>How about good old-fashioned devilled eggs; I haven’t had those in ages. Hmmmm. I ought to make some one of these days.</p>
<p>Roasted cauliflower is good. Cut into florets and toss with olive oil (I use about half melted butter, but I know you are trying to avoid that). Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, any herbs you like, ground red pepper flakes, etc., and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes (just guessing on time - I have a convection oven and set it at 200 C.) Don’t crowd too much on the baking pan because that will keep it from browning nicely; turn once or twice during baking. It’s good at room temperature.</p>
<p>Oh, sometimes I add a little balsamic vinegar when I’m tossing it with the oil. Even people who think they don’t like cauliflower seem to like it.</p>
<p>ReneeV–the cauliflower sounds yummy! I’m going to buy one just so I can try it.</p>
<p>An easy and healthy appetizer I have discovered is Belgian endive stuffed with tabouli (homemade or in the Mediterranean refrigerated case next to the hummous).</p>
<p>ReneeV - I like the sound of the roasted cauliflower…</p>
<p>Do you roast it until tender, or are you watching for it to turn golden, or does it get a few “browned” spots but stay mostly white?</p>
<p>Just wondering about when it’s “done.”</p>
<p>I think I would classify the cauliflower as done when it is tender-crisp. It doesn’t get all-over brown, but it is mostly lightly browned with darker brown spots. We had some today, and it was a nice addition to the meal.</p>