Beautiful autumn trees, crisp air, a warm fire, cider, eggnog, and big family celebrations are right around the corner. This REALLY IS the most wonderful time of year!
When it’s cold outside, I find so much joy spending time creating delicious food in my warm kitchen. I love to bake and I LOVE sweets, so that is usually what I contribute to potluck events. Here are some of my favorite tried-and-true holiday recipes. I get compliments every time!
I have a huge family and there are tons of kids, so I stick with traditional desserts that everyone likes. But I will search recipes like crazy to find the very best version of the basics, or I’ll add something special to a classic dessert. For example, I jazz up regular pumpkin pie by making the crust with crushed gingerbread cookies instead of graham crackers, garnished with cinnamon-spiked whipped cream. Another favorite is Icebox Strawberry Pie. It has the most intoxicating smell and a bright, beautiful, Christmas-y red color! Serve it with real whipped cream and it will change your life! And this Blackberry Swirl Pie and Bavarian Apple Torte always get rave reviews! This year I’m going to try to create a pecan pie/apple pie hybrid and perhaps flourless chocolate cake or tiramisu. (Tip: you can sub sliced angel food cake if you can’t find ladyfingers in the cookie aisle.)
For the kids, try this amazing gingerbread cookie recipe. It makes a rich cookie, not too spicy, with an orange cream cheese frosting. They are seriously delicious! Let the kids help you decorate them. Serve them with Fluffy Hot Chocolate and they’ll be set!
If you’re in charge of the holiday meal this year, why not try a hearty appetizer with mass appeal, like homemade potato skins or a sausage, cheese, and baguette platter? Roasting a turkey also is not as complicated as you might think. You can cut the bird into parts before roasting for quicker cooking time. Here is a helpful website to walk you through the steps. For side dishes, use real ingredients and keep it simple! Serve roasted heirloom carrots drizzled with brown-sugar butter, or this awesome roasted root vegetables dish (I use carrots, parsnips, and beets), red-skinned mashed potatoes, and sautéed green beans dusted with parmesan cheese. You can cook up something quick and delicious without feeling like you have to stay up all night making an intricate dish to feed 50 people.
Well there we have it! Now I am getting hungry and so excited for my next holiday meal! What are some of your favorite holiday recipes? Please share them in the comments!
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