Recently, over a blustery January weekend, my husband and I sojourned to Summit, NJ to celebrate my mom's birthday with family, good friends, and comfort food. There were three main entrees on the table (so to speak): potato latkes, beef brisket, and coq au vin.

Saturday was our belated Hanukkah celebration. We made the traditional Boskey potato latkes. It was probably our best batch yet; the outer layer of the latke was crisped to perfection while the actual pancake had this indescribable lightness, which is a total oxymoron for fried latkes. The trick is to beat the egg whites until they turn into stiff peaks, which my husband aced. He is now an official part of the Boskey/Olsen tribe.

We served the latkes with homemade apple sauce and a tender beef brisket, which just fell of the fork.

Sunday we cooked with our good friend Lynn. We chose a Barefoot Contessa Coq au Vin recipe. We doubled up on the vegetables and added a tad more wine.

I loved how succulent the tender white chicken breast tasted. You could taste wine and bacon flavor in each bite.

I recommend splurging on organic chicken--you can really taste the difference. We served the stew with a crisp green salad and a fresh baguette. Another perfect winter meal.