If you like to entertain with fun elements, how about a cone holder (photo #3)?

Available in sizes from small to large, you can use them to serve:

 
We decided to try out the antipasto idea for cocktail nibbles.

While everyone can relate to ice cream cones, sushi hand rolls and a paper cone filled with popcorn, we didn’t know what to expect about antipasto.

But we bought a cone holder and paper cones and packed them with antipasto goodies.

The answer we found: It’s easy, and you can serve the cups with cocktail picks for people who don’t like to eat with their fingers.
 
 
WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR ANTIPASTO CONES

Pick foods that are possible to eat with the fingers.

You’ve got plenty of options: meats, cheeses, olives, cornichons and other pickled vegetables, crudites and much more.

And remember the optional cocktail picks. We like eating with our fingers (and lots of napkins), but not everybody does.

 
 
READY TO BUY A CONE HOLDER?

They’re not expensive (many are less than $15), and are:

 
If you don’t want to buy a cone holder, check out these flat-bottom cups that stand up on their own.

Have fun with it!

[1] Enjoy your antipasto from a paper cone. Here’s the recipe from Ain’t Too Proud To Meg (photo © Ain’t Too Proud To Meg).

[2] Feel free to add some fruit, like grapes and kumquats (photo © Spread & Co.).

[3] One of many design and size options. Once you have a cone holder, you’ll find ways both conventional and innovative (photo © Ice Cone Holder | Amazon).

[1] A special box of artisan chocolates, filled with winter flavors (photos © Burdick Chocolate).

[2] Close-up on the box of 58 bonbons and 8 winter flavors.

[3] A glass of mulled wine goes with any of these chocolates. Here’s a recipe (photo © Edward Howell | Unsplash).

Great chocolate flavors are made even more special because they celebrate seasonal flavors.

Thus, master chocolatier Larry Burdick has created a collection of eight bonbons celebrating the famous flavors of winter.

It’s a big box of chocolate. The total of 58 bonbons are enough to satisfy a family—or a chocoholic—who appreciate the best.

An exquisite celebration of the season, the bonbons include:

 
 
> GET THEM AT BURDICKCHOCOLATE.COM.
 
 
PAIRING WINE & CHOCOLATE

 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

What’s for brunch during Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival Of Lights?

Latkes!

Latke is the Yiddish word for a pancake made from grated potatoes. Some call it a potato pancake; but “latke” is original word*.

The name comes from the East Slavic oladka, “small fried pancake.” That in turn derives from Hellenistic Greek for olive oil.

And that comes around to why latkes are served at Hanukkah: to celebrate the miracle of the oil.
 
> Potato Latke History
 
 
LATKE VARIATIONS

As far back as the 1960s, the biggest latke variation was the the condiment: applesauce or sour cream,

In the last few decades, creative chefs have riffed on the recipe.

The first—and easy—addition was smoked salmon. Even fancier, smoked salmon and crème fraîche. And fancier still, a garnish of caviar (photo #3).

Then came sweet potato latkes.

Next, other root vegetables were substituted for the potatoes: beet, carrot, celery root.

Cauliflower and butternut squash also make an appearance.

How about fusion latkes: global flavors like garam masala latkes, harissa and kimchi latkes.

See more latke recipes below.

What’s next?

Shapes! The latke “pie” variation (recipe below—photo #1) and latke stacks (photo #2) are small variations.

But how about latke fries (photo #4)?
 
 
POTATO LATKE PIE (POTATO PANCAKE PIE)

Latkes and smoked salmon have long been a loving pair.

But this recipe from Wegmans adds an easy spin we haven’t seen before: sandwiching the latkes with smoked salmon and cream cheese, and slicing them like a pie (or maybe, a sandwich?).

Prep time is 20 mins, cook time is 40 minutes.

If you want to get frisky, use scallion or olive cream cheese.

Note: We used double the smoked salmon and cream cheese.

Enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner (especially a brisket dinner).

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. RINSE the potatoes in large bowl of cold water, changing the water 3-4 times until it runs clear. Drain.

2. COMBINE the potatoes with the onion, garlic and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

3. HEAT the oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan on medium, until the oil faintly smokes. Divide the potato mixture into 2 portions to fry in batches.

4. SCOOP the mixture in oil, flattening each with the spatula into a 6-inch circle. You will be making four latkes per batch.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, pressing down on the pancakes with the spatula as they cook, to maintain their shape. Cook until the latkes are crisp and golden brown.

5. DRAIN the latkes on paper towels. Then spread one side of each with cream cheese and top with smoked salmon. Top with a second latke. Cut into wedges for serving.
 

MORE LATKE RECIPES

 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF POTATOES
 
 
________________

*The word latke is not of Hebrew origin, but from the Yiddish language of Eastern European Jews. In Modern Hebrew, the word is levivah, a word used in the Book of Samuel to describe a dumpling made from kneaded dough—not exactly a potato latke! [source].

[1] Latke “pie” filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese. The recipe is below. (photo © Wegmans).

[2] You can make a latke stack with smoked salmon and cream cheese, or any other filling. This stack is filled with Lobster Thermidor (photo © Flavor And The Menu)!

[3] Feeling rich? Add salmon caviar. Feeling very rich? Add sturgeon caviar. Here’s the recipe from Earthly Delights Blog (photo © Earthly Delights Blog).

[4] Latke fries at The Tuck Room (photo © The Tuck Room | NYC).

[5] Beet latkes. Here’s the recipe from Williams Sonoma (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[6] Carrot scallion latkes. Here’s the recipe from Elana’s Pantry (photo © Elana’s Pantry).

[1] You can personalize a glass bottle of Coke here (both photos © Coca-Cola).

[2] In stores, you’ll find bottles with the titles of your Coke Heroes—some 40 different monikers.

The iconic “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” commercial debuted in 1971. If you don’t remember that charming commercial—it was a huge hit, with everyone singing the song for a long time after the campaign ended—here it is.

Rather than the holiday polar bears, this year Coke is encouraging consumers to honor their everyday heroes—by giving them a special bottle of Coca-Cola (photo #2).

The 2020 holiday campaign celebrates those who have gone the extra mile to support their communities, families and friends:

Healthcare workers, EMS responders, teachers and people who are often overlooked heroes, like store clerks, delivery folks, restaurant workers, volunteers and others who have strived to bring normalcy to our lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seasonal Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar packaging features more than 40 monikers dedicated to everyday heroes;

They’re available for a limited time in stores across the U.S.
 
 
A TREAT FOR EVERYONE

You also can visit CokeStore.com to send a custom-personalized 8-ounce “Share A Coke” glass bottle to your personal heroes.

Custom bottles, which are available year-round, make any occasion special.

Personalize bottles of Coke, Diet Coke or Coke Zero Sugar with a name or phrase, or choose custom designs like team logos.

One option features the Polar Bears, of course.

For a future Coca-Cola celebration, mark your calendar: May 8th is National Have A Coke Day.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COCA-COLA

*TRIVIA: Who got to sing in the commercial? Professional studio singers. The commercial looks like an outdoor songfest of a wide assortment of “just folks.” But 500 extras from Rome were hired to stand on the hilltop in Manziana, 25 miles northwest of Rome, to lip-sync the lyrics.

It’s been an unusual year, so how about an unusual spin on potato latkes, a traditional food for Chanukah / Hannukah (the difference in spellings)?

Lovers of fried potatoes and Indian food will enjoy these Tikka Masala Latkes—latkes flavored with tikka masala spices.

Mint Yogurt Sauce replaces the traditional applesauce an/or sour cream.

Infusing classic latkes with aromatic Indian spices will create conversation and palate memories.

The recipe was developed by Susan Palmer of Girl In The Little Red Kitchen, for the Idaho Potato Commission.
 
 
ABOUT GARAM MASALA

A staple of North Indian cooking, garam masala (guh-ROM muh-SAHL-lah) is an aromatic blend made with more than 15 spices.

Like other spice blends, the ingredients and proportions will vary by the cook, manufacturer and region. Most Indian cooks will carefully guard their family recipes.

It is a mainstay seasoning in chicken tikka masala, curries, dals and vegetables.

The word masala means spices in the Hindi language, and garam means warm or hot. However, garam masala does not generally have a lot of heat. The “warm” in the name refers to the warming effect the spices have on the body, according to the principles of the Ayurvedic diet.

It is used alone or with additional seasonings.

In Northern Indian cuisine, garam masala is typically used in powder form, while in Southern India, it is often made into a paste with coconut milk, vinegar or water.

In fine cooking, the spices are toasted and ground before use, to maintain the intensity of the flavor. But you can buy pre-ground blends, like McCormick’s garam masala.

Whole spices are toasted and then ground; among them bay leaf; black, brown and green cardamom pods; black cumin; black peppercorns; cinnamon; clove; coriander; cumin; fennel seeds; fenugreek; garlic; ginger; malabar leaf; nutmeg and/or mace*; mustard seed; saffron; star anise, tamarind and turmeric.

The spice blend, which originated in India, spread to the cuisines of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistani and Sri Lanka.

That’s the case with this “tikka masala” recipe, as you’ll see with the spice blend in the recipe.

To clarify:

 
Check out these other classic Indian spice blends.
 
 
RECIPE #1: TIKKA MASALA LATKES (INDIAN-SPICED POTATO LATKES)

These crispy delights with an Indian twist are a new way to think of latkes.

If you want to blend your own garam masala, there’s a recipe below.

If kids want to help, they can shape the grated potato mixture into flat discs for you to fry.

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

For The Latkes

 
For the Yogurt Mint Sauce

 
For The Tikka Masala Spice Mix

 
Preparation

You can make the sauce, Step 8, 2-3 days in advance and stored in a tight-lidded container in the fridge.

Latkes can also be made 2-3 days in advance, and either frozen in a single layer or stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Heat in the oven to crisp up before serving.

[1] Something different in a potato latkes recipe: Indian spices (photos #1 and #2 © Susan Palmer | Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] A second Indian touch is the minted yogurt condiment, instead of sour cream or applesauce.

[3] Conventional potato latkes are served with applesauce and/or sour cream—plus a French touch here, Dijon mustard (photo © Maille).

[4] Garam masala spices before grinding (photos #4 and #5 © Silk Road Spice Merchant).

[5] The whole spices are ground up for cooking.

2. PEEL the potatoes and onion, grate either by hand on a box grater, or use the shredding blade on a food processor.

3. PLACE the grated potato and onion in a large bowl lined with a tea towel and squeeze all excess liquid. This creates a crispier latke.

4. REMOVE the liquid from the bowl, trying to leave the potato starch at the bottom if possible and. Add the potatoes. Mix in the flour, salt, spice mix and baking powder. Toss to coat everything. When ready to fry the latkes…

5. HEAT a cast iron skillet over medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. Check to see if the oil is hot enough by placing a small amount of potato in the skillet. If it sizzles immediately you are good to go.

6. SCOOP about ¼ to ⅓ cup potato mix from the bowl, squeeze to drain any excess moisture that may have accumulated and flatten into a round disc. Gently place in the oil and fry about 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy. Depending on the size of your skillet, fry about 3-4 latkes at a time. You do not want to crowd the skillet while cooking. Once finished…

7. TRANSFER the latkes to a paper towel-lined tray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Keep warm in the heated oven. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
After the latkes are cooked…

8. PREPARE the sauce by mixing the yogurt, chopped mint and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.

9. SERVE the latkes with the sauce on the side.
 

RECIPE #2: GARAM MASALA BLEND

If you want to blend your own garam masala, here’s a very simple recipe—many fewer spices than a traditional blend. Start with these proportions and then adjust to your particular preferences:

________________

*Nutmeg is the seed of the nutmeg tree, while the more mild mace is the dried reddish covering of the seed.