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How To Celebrate Thanksgivukkah, The Best Holiday Of All Time

This holiday won't happen again for 70,000 years. (Really.) So celebrate to the max: Manischewitz-brined turkey, pecan pie rugelach, a cornucopia of gelt, and lots more.

Christine Byrne
by Christine Byrne

BuzzFeed Staff

Photo by John Gara

Have you heard about Thanksgivukkah?

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On Nov. 28, 2013, for the first and only time in any of our lifetimes, the first day of Hanukkah falls on the same day as Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving + Hanukkah = Thanksgivukkah. (Yes, it's kind of like Sharknado.)

It's the best to happen to American Jews since Larry David's Thanksgiving rant.

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"Larry and I like the dark meat."

There are already posters and T-shirts on sale. Thanksgivukkah even has its own Facebook page and Twitter account.

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T-shirts and posters are being sold through Modern Tribe.

So BuzzFeed created a Thanksgivukkah menu.

With nine original recipes that combine the best foods from both holidays.

Coming up with Thanksgivukkah recipes meant BuzzFeed Food editors asked themselves some important questions, such as: How do you make pumpkin pie Jewish? (Answer: Add rye flour and caraway seeds to the crust, then teach it a Torah portion.) How much sweet potato do you need to add to a noodle kugel to make it taste like Thanksgiving? (A lot, and then some bourbon too.) Does challah make a good turkey stuffing? (OH MY GOODNESS, YES.)

After testing, retesting, and then asking other BuzzFeed writers with less cooking experience to test them again, we are ecstatic with the results.

We know that cooking this entire menu might be unappealing to sane people; it's just for fun, and the idea is that you can pick and choose the dishes that appeal to you. Feel free to email the BuzzFeed Food editors with any questions.

Plus fun DIY decoration ideas.

BuzzFeed's DIY editors added some ingenious DIY Thanksgivukkah decoration ideas to the mix — like gold-dipped pumpkins and yarmulkes adorned with buckles.

Happy Thanksgivukkah!

TO START:

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These are pretty traditional latkes. Because, while "mashed potato latkes" or "sweet potato marshmallow latkes" might have been interesting, there are some things you just don't mess with. These skillet-fried potato cakes are topped with cranberry applesauce, though, earning them a place on the Thanksgivukkah menu. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

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Richer than applesauce but less tart than traditional cranberry sauce, this Thanksgivukkah condiment — it's great with latkes and with turkey — is sweetened with just a little bit of Manischewitz. First, the cranberries are stewed with spices and wine, and then the apples are added near the end to maintain a heartier texture. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

THE MEAL:

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The star of this Thanksgivukkah feast is a pretty traditional bird, with one twist: It's brined in Manizchewitz, a super-sweet kosher wine. The sugar helps flavor the turkey, and the deep purple color of the wine darkens the skin of the bird, making it look even more appetizing. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

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A mash-up of noodle kugel and sweet potato pie, this dish is a soufflé-like casserole with a pretty serious bourbon kick. And don't skimp on the pecan-cornflake topping; it adds crowd-pleasing crunch to a dish that most non-Jews tend to roll their eyes at. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

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You've probably noticed that BuzzFeed's Thanksgivukkah is not kosher. (Because honestly, Thanksgiving is not possible without butter), but pork and shellfish have no place on a Jewish holiday table. Instead of bacon, these Brussels sprouts are flavored with pastrami, and a hefty sprinkling of pickled red onions adds color and crunch. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

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Stuffing is bread soaked in loads of butter. Challah stuffing is extra-rich, eggy bread soaked in loads of butter. Need I say more? Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

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Perfect mashed potatoes are a given on Thanksgiving, but sometimes they can feel a little heavy. These are still super decadent, but the addition of horseradish and chives — a common Jewish deli combination — adds some tartness that brightens them up a little bit. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

FOR DESSERT:

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"Ummm.... how do you make pie Jewish?" Admittedly, it was tough. The answer? Pour old-school pumpkin filling into a rye and caraway-studded shortbread crust. The verdict? Just, wow. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

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Some traditional rugelach recipes already call for pecans. But it's the light corn syrup that sets these apart. They taste exactly like pecan pie — only bite-sized. Recipe and step-by-step photos here.

See how that peacock menorah becomes a turkey when you hang a little piece of paper over its beak as a wattle? HIGH FIVE.

Photos by Macey J. Foronda

Styling by John Gara

Products: Squirrel candleholders provided by Jonathan Adler; bird menorah provided by Jonathan Adler; bobalt cake stand (Rye Pumpkin Pye) provided by Fishs Eddy; Jan Burtz dinner plates provided by ABC Carpet and Home; Farm to Table gourd ceramics provided by ABC Carpet and Home; navy placemats provided by ABC Carpet and Home; gold coasters provided by ABC Carpet and Home (not available online); antique silver flatware provided by ABC Carpet and Home; orange cereal bowl (Cranberry Applesauce) provided by Fishs Eddy; earthenware white baking dish (Sweet Potato Bourbon Noodle Kugel) provided by ABC Carpet and Home; white cake stands (Pecan Pie Rugelach) provided by Fishs Eddy; Jan Burtz deep bowl (Horseradish Chive Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pastrami and Pickled Red Onion) provided by ABC Carpet and Home; tan gravy boat (Manischewitz Gravy) provided by Fishs Eddy (not available online); metallic placemats by ABC Carpet and Home (not available online).

Planning to cook one of these recipes?

That's awesome! Take a picture of your finished dish, post it to Instagram, and tag it #Thanksgivukkah. The BuzzFeed food editors want to know how things turn out in your home kitchen. And, who knows? Maybe your photo will end up in a BuzzFeed post!

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