What are your holiday favorite must have recipes?

[tokanm]

I am looking for new fun ideas for holiday fare. I may even attempt to make some stuff for gifts .

Maybe we can all share our favorites recipes, ideas or websites?

 

I was thinking about trying to make homemade kahlua?

 

I like this site www.northpole.com

[peppysfireball]

At my house it's Christmas Salad. My grandma died in January,. she had made it as long as my mom could remember. She was 93 and I started making it about 5 years ago when she couldn't anymore. I use the recipe written in her handwriting from many years ago. It'a a jello cream cheese layer salad. I am the candy maker in the family. I start right after thanksgiving and make everything. I make up about 15 trays to give out. Last year I made a new favorite. Peanut butter almond bark. It's my new favorite. It's just one pound white almond bark, 1 jar peanut butter, and a half package or full package of mini marshmallows. Melt the almond bark, stir in peanut butter and marshmallows, spread out on flat surface. Let cool break in pieces > I put mine in a huge sheet pan and cut for a cleaner look. Makes tons and is so good.

[Mandy4Matt]

Ooh Peppy! I'm gonna try that!

[jstluvem]

I am looking for new fun ideas for holiday fare. I may even attempt to make some stuff for gifts .

Maybe we can all share our favorites recipes, ideas or websites?

 

I was thinking about trying to make homemade kahlua?

 

I like this site www.northpole.com

That site is great ! Thanks for sharing

[Chewbybell]

My husband's favorite for me to make is peppermint bark- broken up candy canes, peppermint extract, and white almond bark. He also really likes white pretzels made with peppermint extract and white almond bark and sprinkled with broken up candy canes....see a theme? I make lots of other things too, but those are by far his favorite, and he is already requesting them.

[shopping4my3son]

At my house it's Christmas Salad. My grandma died in January,. she had made it as long as my mom could remember. She was 93 and I started making it about 5 years ago when she couldn't anymore. I use the recipe written in her handwriting from many years ago. It'a a jello cream cheese layer salad. I am the candy maker in the family. I start right after thanksgiving and make everything. I make up about 15 trays to give out. Last year I made a new favorite. Peanut butter almond bark. It's my new favorite. It's just one pound white almond bark, 1 jar peanut butter, and a half package or full package of mini marshmallows. Melt the almond bark, stir in peanut butter and marshmallows, spread out on flat surface. Let cool break in pieces > I put mine in a huge sheet pan and cut for a cleaner look. Makes tons and is so good.

How do you store that much candy so it doesn't go bad? Does it have a long shelf life?

[peppysfireball]

Candy has a long shelf like, the fudge I put in tupperware or ice cream buckets. It stays good. The covered pretzels would stay fresh forever. I save the divinity until the last week as it will get stale. Homemade marshmallows also last forever. Buckeys stay good also. It's all sugar, sugar doesn't go bad. The fudge will get hard after a few months I guess, but my mom just puts hers in tins and it stays fresh a very long time. My mom makes spritz cookies and starts same time as me. She stores hers in tins and they stay fresh . She sent them to my son in Iraq. THey stay good for a long time also.

 

How do you store that much candy so it doesn't go bad? Does it have a long shelf life?

[bugsette]

that web site is cute thanks

[tokanm]

Peppy that recipe sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing

 

A lady at my local grocery store told me she takes slice and bake sugar cookies cooks them till almost done, adds a kiss or rolo lets it semi melt then tops it with a red or green M&M or pecan. Easy but festive and good!

[faceofboe]

Fudge is always a must. I recently discovered that I'm allergic to dairy so I'm going to try and make it this year with coconut milk. Hopefully it won't be terrible. I also love oreo "truffles:" pulverize a package of oreo cookies, mix with a package of cream cheese, form into balls and dip in melted white chocolate.

[peppysfireball]

I will post my grandmas xmas salad recipe later. I love fudge too, peanut butter is my favorite. I don't care for chocolate. I put a whole jar of peanut butter in mine and use evaporated milk. I use the recipe off the marshmallow cream.

[Gator Pam]

I usually focus on main courses for favorites.

 

Thanksgiving

Judy Rodgers three day dry-brined turkey, then roasted Alton Brown's Good Eats method. I do skip AB's brining, since I do the dry-brine instead.

 

Hanukkah

This holiday is about fried foods; not good for someone low carbing, but 'tis the season, right?

If I can get a new rig out here (I seriously doubt Paul will ship me the one I own in Gator Town, even though he'll never use it), I may consider doing a fried turkey next year for my new family, if they'll let me, since Hanukkah falls extremely early in 2013 and Thanksgiving falls on the first day/second night of the festival.

 

Chr-stmas

Breakfast is one of several overnight french toast casseroles I have shared before. Dinner is all about standing rib roast with yorkshire pudding. While I don't worry about which rib I buy, etc., I do follow the suggestions of The Food Lab for dry aging (five days), salting (four days), and slow roasting followed by high blast of heat at the end. Absolutely wonderful stuff!

 

Any planned overs is made in to beef stroganoff within a couple of days. Heaven.

 

News Years

I've never really gotten in to cooking for New Years, whether eve or day. I do that more for Rosh Hashannah. Perhaps that will change, now that I'm in a new space.

Suggestions, anyone?

[dtwdmaty]

Love the ideas! I was laid off a couple of weeks ago, so homemade Christmas gifts are going to be a big thing this year.

[jade2002]

At my house it's Christmas Salad. My grandma died in January,. she had made it as long as my mom could remember. She was 93 and I started making it about 5 years ago when she couldn't anymore. I use the recipe written in her handwriting from many years ago. It'a a jello cream cheese layer salad. I am the candy maker in the family. I start right after thanksgiving and make everything. I make up about 15 trays to give out. Last year I made a new favorite. Peanut butter almond bark. It's my new favorite. It's just one pound white almond bark, 1 jar peanut butter, and a half package or full package of mini marshmallows. Melt the almond bark, stir in peanut butter and marshmallows, spread out on flat surface. Let cool break in pieces > I put mine in a huge sheet pan and cut for a cleaner look. Makes tons and is so good.

What size jar of peanut butter?

[jdoug]

I made these for the bakers in my family one year. I got a bunch of vanilla beans on line from Beanilla.

 

Vanilla Sugar

 

1 vanilla bean, whole or scraped

2 cups granulated sugar

 

If vanilla bean is whole, slice down side of bean with back of knife and scrape seeds into airtight container with the sugar. Bury bean in sugar and seal tightly with lid. Let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Use as regular, granulated sugar.

 

Vanilla Extract

 

1 vanilla bean

1 mini bottle vodka (can also use bourbon or rum)

 

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise. Remove a bit of booze from the bottle, and stuff both halves of the vanilla bean into the bottle. Close the lid and let the vanilla bean steep for at least one week. Like most things, vanilla extract gets better with age, so make a few bottles!

[pogiporkchop]

My DS took first at the state fair recently with a no bake pumpkin pie that tastes like nothing I've ever had... knew it the minute I was home sampling the leftovers. I need to find that recipe!