Earlier this week on LAist we passed on a treasured recipe for latkes, and two Hanukkahs ago we ran the closest thing to my late Grandpa (AKA "The Latke King")'s recipe. Latkes (potato pancakes) are a tasty and traditional food long associated with the holiday of Hanukkah, which rocks its halfway point at sundown tonight. But soaking up the oil that is at the core of the holiday isn't just something for members of the......

Hanukkah is the one holiday of the year that celebrates oil. How could I not love it? Luckily for me, I grew up next-door to Mrs. Barton, an excellent cook and my "adoptive Jewish mother". Every year I remember her up to her elbows in the world's biggest Tupperware bowl, mixing up the potato pancakes. As a newlywed, I was terrified hosting my first dinner party. I went over to Mrs. Barton's house to......