Dear Just Be: Hanukkah starts soon and I don't have any great recipes to share with my family as we celebrate. Please help!!

Yes the Festival of Lights, otherwise known as Hanukkah, starts at sundown on December 11 and lasts for 8 days and 8 nights. Over the holiday festive food is prepared and we have some recipes just for you.

Potato Latkes are a favorite of many and there are different variations of them. Martha Stewart provides an interesting twist with her Potato, Sweet Potato and Onion Latkes:

1 large all-purpose or Yukon Gold potato, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1/4 large white onion, peeled
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

1. Grate potatoes and onion using the largest holes of a four-sided grater. Combine in a small bowl; add egg, flour, salt, and pepper, and stir well to combine.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the pan, and cook until golden brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Turn latkes over, press lightly with a spatula, and cook about 3 minutes more. Continue cooking latkes in batches until batter is used up. Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

3. Potato, carrot, and parsnip variation: Use 2 all-purpose potatoes, 1 medium carrot, and 1 small parsnip. Potato, onion, and horseradish variation: Use 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, 1/4 large white onion, and 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, liquid pressed out.
Yield: 12 servings

Egg Salad with Lemon & Fennel
8 large eggs
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 fennel bulb, finely chopped (1 cup), plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped fronds

Cover eggs with cold water in a medium saucepan. Cook eggs, uncovered, at a gentle boil 10 minutes. Pour off hot water. Shake pan gently so eggs bump one another (to crack shells). Run cold water into pan to stop cooking. Let eggs stand in cold water 15 minutes, adding more water to keep cold.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Whisk together with mayonnaise, lemon juice, zest, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Chop eggs and stir into dressing with fennel and fronds.
Note: Egg salad can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.

Easy Wine-Marinated Brisket

1 cup dry red wine
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 small onion, finely minced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 to 4 pounds beef brisket
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Feel free to add root vegetables around the brisket, if you wish. Keep an eye on the liquid level and add more if it evaporates.

Combine wine, soy sauce, grated onion celery, and garlic in a heavy-duty zip-top freezer bag large enough to accommodate the brisket. Add the brisket to the bag, squeeze out the air, seal, and refrigerate 3 to 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove brisket and place fat-side up in a roasting pan or dutch oven. Spread sliced onions around brisket and cover with the marinade. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover tightly with heavy foil or a lid. Bake 3 hours, until tender. Check midway during roasting time and add water, if needed, to keep brisket from drying out.

When done, remove brisket from oven and let rest 15 minutes. Carve slices against the grain and place on serving platter. Cover slices with pan juices and cooked onions to serve.
Yield: about 8 servings

Doughnuts

6 ounces (175 grams or 1-1/4 cups) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ounces (125 grams or 1/4 cup) margarine
1 ounce (25 grams or 2 tablespoons) sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
A little raspberry jam
Extra sugar for dusting
Cinnamon
Oil for frying

Sieve flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut and rub in margarine and add sugar, mixing to a light dough with beaten egg and milk. Turn mixture on to a floured board and roll out 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) thick. Cut into small rounds. Put a little raspberry jam on half these circles. Brush the other half with milk and put 2 together, pinching carefully round the edges to fasten securely.

Fry in oil heated to 360 degrees F - preferably in an electric deep-fryer for 6 to 8 minutes. Toss in sugar or a mixture of sugar and ground cinnamon.
Yield: 12 doughnuts (best eaten same day or freeze for 3 months)