The holiday season is one of my favorite times to gather in the kitchen and create dishes that bring people together. There’s something so special about cooking for family and friends when the air is crisp, the house smells amazing, and everyone’s ready to slow down and enjoy each other’s company. Whether it’s a cozy breakfast, a festive main course, or a sweet treat to end the evening, these recipes have become staples in my holiday gatherings. They’re (mostly) simple to prepare, deliciously comforting, and perfect for sharing with loved ones. Here are a few of my go-to holiday recipes that I hope will bring warmth and joy to your table, too!
Pumpkin is often thought of as a fall food, but with the spices in this recipe wafting through the home, it's easy to see how it can feel like a holiday breakfast treat into the winter months.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe Courtesy of Allrecipes.com (click link above)
Ingredients
1 ½ cups white sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
½ cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
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Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
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Whisk sugar, oil, and eggs together in a medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and water until well blended.
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Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in a separate bowl.
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Add pumpkin mixture into flour mixture and stir just to combine, being careful not to overmix. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
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Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
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Enjoy! Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
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Goat cheese isn't necessarily a holiday staple, but the warmth of the dip and color of the tomatoes make it a perfect start to a cocktail party or after a long day of skiing.
Baked Goat Cheese Dip
Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Food Network Magazine (click link above)
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, parmesan and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor and season with pepper; puree until smooth. Brush a 1-quart baking dish with olive oil, then spread the cheese mixture in the dish, mounding it slightly higher around the edge than in the middle. Bake until golden and heated through, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, chives, vinegar, garlic, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of the dip. Serve with baguette slices.
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With the recent popularity boom of craft cocktails, it's fun to put a holiday spin on some of them to dress up your apres ski entertaining.
Holiday Pom-Pom and White Christmas Cocktails
Recipes Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
Holiday Pom-Pom
Combine 2 tablespoons each Lillet and pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds in each glass or flute. Top with sparkling rose. Garnish with a mint leaf. (The first time I made these I didn't have Lillet so I substituted Limoncello which was very tasty too!)
White Christmas
Put a few mint leaves in each glass. Add 2 tablespoons elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain) and a few peppercorns to each. Top with sparkling wine. (This is similar to my current favorite cocktail, the Hugo Spritz, with elderflower liqueur and prosecco with mint and lime.)
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This recipe is the most time consuming of my list, but is well worth the effort. The multitude of flavors are truly mouth-watering, and making a big batch means you'll be able to serve a large group or enjoy it for days.
Wolfgang Puck's Savory Squash Soup
Recipe courtesy of Wolfgang Puck's "Pizza, Pasta and More" cookbook (click link above)
Ingredients
Garnish:
Cranberry Relish:
Spiced Caramelized Pecans:
Cardamom Cream:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut each squash in half and discard the seeds. Brush cut sides with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Arrange the squash cut side down on a rack placed in a baking tray and bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool, scoop out the insides of the squash, and puree the flesh in a food processor. Reserve. (You should have about 4 cups of pureed squash).
- In a medium stockpot, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Over low heat, sweat the onion. Do not allow it to brown. Add the pureed squash and cook over very low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. Do not allow it to bubble up. Season with the salt, pepper, ginger, and cardamom.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, still over low heat, stirring often. Cook about 20 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the rosemary sprig. Remove the rosemary and pour the cream into the soup. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process, in batches, for 2 or 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.
- To serve, ladle the soup into heated bowls. Place a tablespoon of cranberry relish in the center, top with a dollop of cardamom cream, then sprinkle with chopped pecans. Drizzle pumpkin seed oil over soup.
- Note: If desired, bake small squash until tender, scoop out, and use as individual serving bowls.
Cranberry Relish:
- In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick and the berries are glazed. Allow to cool. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
- Yield: 1 1/3 cups
Spiced Caramelized Pecans:
- In a deep-fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees. (A deep-frying thermometer can be clipped to the side of the pan so that you can tell when the proper temperature has been reached).
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pecans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain in a large strainer, shaking off all excess water. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the nuts and then coat with the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans. Toss the nuts by shaking the strainer, adding a little more sugar each time, until all the sugar is used and all the nuts are coated. Do not use hands or a spoon to toss. The nuts should have a glaze of sugar.
- Carefully add the nuts to the heated oil, keeping the oil at 350 degrees. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray to cool.
- Yield: 2 cups
Cardamom Cream:
- In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of heavy cream and the cardamom to a boil. Reduce until only 1/4 cup remains. Allow to cool. Reserve.
- Whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir in the reserved mixture. Chill until ready to serve.
- Yield: about 1/4 cup
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It may seem crazy to think of cooking on a grill in the winter, but the cold doesn't stop us from wanting some of our favorite foods when there is snow on the ground. So why not? Many vacation homes have covered BBQ decks anyway!
Beef Skewers with Cilantro Chimichurri
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine (click link above)
Ingredients
Directions
- Make the pickled red onion: Combine the cider vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and whisk to dissolve. Add the red onion and 2 tablespoons cilantro and stir to combine. Cover and set aside at room temperature, 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, soak 20 wooden skewers in warm water, at least 20 minutes. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 20 strips, about 1/8 inch thick. Thread the meat accordion-style onto the skewers and set aside until ready to grill.
- Combine the remaining cilantro, the garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth; transfer to a small bowl.
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with olive oil, then grill the skewers until marked, about 1 minute per side. Serve with the chimichurri and pickled onion.
I hope these recipes bring as much joy to your home as they have to mine. Wishing you a season full of love, laughter, and delicious memories!
