The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

(Hiles News) - How much ice is on the lake? That's where the attention of local sportsmen is now that deer season has come and gone. When is it safe to move the ice shacks onto the lake? And who is the brave soul that will be first out there? I hope they will all use caution and nobody ends up going through the ice.

Christmas Party for All

Don't forget the Fire Department's Christmas Party at the Town Hall this Saturday. It's a pot luck, with a meat course and beverage provided by the Fire Department, and the rest of the meal provided by you. Bring a dish to pass and bring everyone in your household - family, friends, or guests, for the best pot luck dinner in the north. Festivities get under way with the tree lighting at 5 p.m. and a treat by the kids of Christmas singing. This is followed by cocktail time and dinner at about 6 p.m. A special guest for kids of all ages will be that jolly old fellow, Santa Claus. A great way to start the Holiday Season!

And One for the Ladies

Tuesday, December 4 has been set as the date of the combined Hiles Ladies Pool League and Red Hatters Christmas Party. The party will be at Paul and Terri Jenkins Pine Lake Pub, with cocktail hour beginning at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m.

All the ladies of both groups are being contacted by phone. If you are a member of one of these groups or wish to join either of them and have not been contacted, please call either Kathy Bruenning at 649-3168, Marilyn Pfeiffer at 649-3381 or Pat Pfeiffer at 649-3568.

Paul has quite an extensive list of meal choices lined up for the gals, including chicken, rib eye steak, shrimp, prime rib, a combo of small rib eye and shrimp, or anything off the sandwich menu. Dinners include salad, choice of potato and dinner rolls, and of course Terri's famous rum cakes. Paul would like those attending the Christmas party to call him by the end of the week with their meal choice.

There will be a gift exchange, with the gift value of around $10, and this is voluntary - if you bring a gift, you get a gift. Also, the ladies are asked to bring a donation of a non-perishable food item or money for the food pantry.

New Look for Town

Be on the lookout for a new addition to the holiday season in Hiles. The new seasonal banners for the lamp posts around town will be going up. The banners were bought by the Hiles Service Club to brighten up the winter season. Last year's wooden plaques and Christmas trees were nice, but the new banners will hold up to the weather much better and give our town an up-to-date look all year around as they replace, for the winter, the banners that were put up in 2004 proclaiming Hiles as the Heart of the Nicolet.

Ouch!

Word has it that Louie Bruenning is confined to home with a broken ankle suffered while looking over a proposed job the other day. After emergency surgery he ended up with a plate in his ankle, and must stay off of his feet for a time. I hear he is getting pretty “shack happy” and would welcome company.

Phone Numbers

As mentioned earlier in Hiles News, Bill and Eleanor Dixon are living in a health care facility in Pewaukee. I have been given their phone numbers if anyone would like to give them a call to cheer them with news from home. Bill's number is 262-691-2538, and Eleanor's number is 262-691-2537.

What is Chanukah?

December 5 is the first night of Chanukah. We've all heard of it, but not having a very big Jewish population here in northern Wisconsin, very few of us are very familiar with the holiday, so being a curious person, I looked it up for us. Here's a short version of what I found:

Chanukah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. This year that is December 5 on the Gregorian calendar we all use.

Chanukah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as gift-giving and decoration.

The Story:

During the reign of Alexander the Great, Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV, was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, massacring Jews and prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion. They defiled the Jewish temple. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group. They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation and oppression by the Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.

A traditional food enjoyed at Hanukkah (Chanukah) is latkes, or potato pancakes. Many of us cook potato pancakes already, and if you don't, here's the recipe I found with the story that you might like to try:

Recipe for Latkes

Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes

� 4 medium potatoes

� 1 medium onion

� 2 eggs

� 3/4 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)

� salt and black pepper to taste

� vegetable oil

Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid (if using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. (You may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the veggies). Add a few dashes of salt and black pepper. (Don't taste the batter - it's really gross!) Don't worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries.

Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown.

Place finished latkes on paper towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce. They reheat OK in a microwave, but not in an oven unless you cook them just right.

If you'd like to try something a little different, add some bell peppers, parsley, carrots, celery, or other vegetables to the batter to make veggie latkes! You may need to add a third egg and some more matzah meal for this. For a zesty twist, add some diced jalepe�o peppers to the batter! This should definitely be served with sour cream!

Time-saving substitutions:

Grocery stores now provide many time-saving options for cooking. The substitutions below will save you time in preparing the batter and cleaning up. Sorry, nothing I can do to speed the frying time. You can substitute any or all of these:

* Substitute 3 cups hash-brown style shredded potatoes for the potatoes (Simply Potatoes brand works well)

* Substitute 1 cup frozen chopped onions (thawed and drained) for the onion

Potato pancakes are good with those fish the ice fisherfolk will be catching soon, and the variations with veggies and peppers sound good, too!

Calendar

November 30 - National Meth Awareness Day

November 30 - Stay Home Because You're Well Day!

December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month, Learn a Foreign Language Month, and Safe Toys and Gifts Month.

December 1 - Fire Department Christmas Party, 5 p.m., town hall. Bring a dish to pass

December 2-8 - National Handwashing Awareness Week - good way to prevent colds and flu!

December 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

December 4 - Pool League and Red Hatter's Christmas Party, 5 p.m., Pine Lake Pub

Remember, A good word costs no more than a bad one.

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