your "specialty" during the holidays...

what is it? do you have a recipe that you can share so that we can all benefit from your expertise?

mine: green bean casserole (from the French's french fried onion can) and cheesecakes.

CLARIFICATION:

what i mean is--what do YOU MAKE for the holidays that everyone loves?
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Replies

  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    Cheesy potatoes. I dont think my brother would let me in his house Thanksgiving day with out them. That and crabbies.
  • DaniKenmir
    DaniKenmir Posts: 387 Member
    Oh christmas is a killer for my family, there's a HUGE lunch, and hot chips for breakfast, then there's dessert, apple slices, cheese cakes, caramel tarts, spice gateau ( my favorite) and SO many other things, there's no chance in hell I'll log christmas day!
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
    My grandma's chocolate & berry trifle...

    Went through around 2kg of it over the last couple of days. Oops.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    This: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/old-fashioned-paradise-pumpkin-pie/

    Everyone loves it and always asks for it.
    It's got a cheesecake layer, then a pumpkin custard layer, and a pecan streusel on top.

    Besides that, every year I make packages to send to all the family members. Always has a variety of homemade fudge, some festive cookies, and maybe some candy like a brittle, and some banana bread (the best recipe ever is Chef Bo Friberg's recipe, I make mini loaves) We haven't decided what we're going to do this year yet.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Not this past Thanksgiving I made some of the most amazing mashed potatoes ever. There were none left. You premake them the day before, then the day of, you bake them. O-M-G. Everyone was raving about them. I also make a stellar broccoli casserole. I can't wait for Thanksgiving this year! I'm moving into a new house next week and cannot WAIT to utilize my big kitchen!!
  • jdorsey614
    jdorsey614 Posts: 17 Member
    Mmmm.. My heart-attack-mac and cheeese!!!
  • JessicaBR0
    JessicaBR0 Posts: 256 Member
    Without the liver: http://www.marthastewart.com/338764/cornbread-stuffing

    Its a hit everytime!
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I bake cookies for everyone in the family... some of the standards like chocolate chip cookies & oatmeal raisin but I have specialties like chapel windows, date nut balls, peanut butter balls. I try to accomodate everyone's favorite but I change it up every year because I like trying new things and I bake a lot. The cookie boxes I gave out last year had 20 different types of cookies in them. (I start early and freeze them).
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,296 Member
    Broccoli and cheese casserole. It's usually called "Broccoli slop". It consists of broccoli, whole bag of shredded cheese, cream of mushroom soup, bit a mayo, onion, topped with Ritz crackers
  • zrmac804
    zrmac804 Posts: 369 Member
    Pumpkin pie! :love:

    I use the recipe that comes on RW Knudsen canned pumpkin, but I make mine with extra ginger and an extra sprinkle of nutmeg and cloves, and puree the pumpkin mix in the blender before pouring into the pie shell. Yum!
  • I bake cookies for everyone in the family... some of the standards like chocolate chip cookies & oatmeal raisin but I have specialties like chapel windows, date nut balls, peanut butter balls. I try to accomodate everyone's favorite but I change it up every year because I like trying new things and I bake a lot. The cookie boxes I gave out last year had 20 different types of cookies in them. (I start early and freeze them).

    what's your freezing method? wow, that sounds like a lot of work! do you mail them?
  • Broccoli and cheese casserole. It's usually called "Broccoli slop". It consists of broccoli, whole bag of shredded cheese, cream of mushroom soup, bit a mayo, onion, topped with Ritz crackers

    fresh or frozen broccoli? do you leave the ritz plain?
  • For Thanksgiving- family recipe for Pumpkin Roll... mmm (:
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I always serve soup at my Christmas Eve gatherings. Last year I did French Onion Soup and Spinach Tomato Tortellini Soup. The year before I served Chicken Tortilla.
  • Poppyseed chicken casserole (I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese instead of sour cream)

    http://www.food.com/recipe/Poppy-Seed-Chicken-Casserole-269300
  • mukamom
    mukamom Posts: 207 Member
    Almond poppy seed bundt cake....I give it as gifts and I get requests for the recipe all the time.. NO way!

    Eggnog pumpkin pie

    Caramel pecan pie

    Do you see a trend here?? lol
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    For Thanksgiving, it would be green bean casserole, mushroom bread stuffing, roasted garlic and parmersan whipped potatoes, and pumpkin mousse pie. Oh, I also make a killer pumpkin cheesecake trifle that literally takes five minutes to put together.


    For Christmas, the first three Thanksgiving recipes, cherry apple pie, sugar cookie cutouts (with sanding sugar only), white chocolate chip chocolate cookies, mint fudge cookie balls, marbled peppermint bark, and a chocalate cheesecake trifle.

    There's more, but I'm getting hungry just listing this stuff. And yes, every single item mentioned is asked for each year. My family is a bunch of greedy SOBs.
  • PittShkr
    PittShkr Posts: 1,000 Member
    I make amazing cream cheese filled pumpkin rolls!
  • Timmyttt418
    Timmyttt418 Posts: 103 Member
    My spinach lasagna. All left over cheese from the lasagna gets stuffed in baby portabello mushrooms. Christmas tradition around my house. Oh yeah, fresh garlic bread (from scratch) to go with the lasagna!
  • For Thanksgiving, it would be green bean casserole, mushroom bread stuffing, roasted garlic and parmersan whipped potatoes, and pumpkin mousse pie. Oh, I also make a killer pumpkin cheesecake trifle that literally takes five minutes to put together.


    For Christmas, the first three Thanksgiving recipes, cherry apple pie, sugar cookie cutouts (with sanding sugar only), white chocolate chip chocolate cookies, mint fudge cookie balls, marbled peppermint bark, and a chocalate cheesecake trifle.

    There's more, but I'm getting hungry just listing this stuff. And yes, every single item mentioned is asked for each year. My family is a bunch of greedy SOBs.

    Please share your white choc chip chocolate cookie recipe and the trifle! :)
  • lstnlondry
    lstnlondry Posts: 1,794 Member
    I make Tamales, LOTS of baked goods & caramel corn with peanuts, m&ms & a drizzle of chocolate. Most everything doesn't get eaten and gets sent to my husband's job.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Mashed potato casserole. Mash potatoes with diced onion, cream cheese, sour cream and diced red pepper. Bake uncovered at 350F for about 45 minutes.

    Effing yum. I don't even like potatoes, really, but this is just so good.
  • I come from Hispanic heritage (Puerto Rican/Dominican) so for the holidays my mother and I usually make a huge batch of pasteles which is basically root veggies/plantains shaped sort of like a tamale and stuffed with pork. They're fabulous. Also arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas) and coquito which is a Puerto Rican (very potent *kitten*) coconut rum egg nog.

    None of the above is light on the calories or fat just sayin. :flowerforyou:
  • BritneysStuntDouble
    BritneysStuntDouble Posts: 849 Member
    About an hour after the meal, gas that can clear the room.
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,296 Member
    Broccoli and cheese casserole. It's usually called "Broccoli slop". It consists of broccoli, whole bag of shredded cheese, cream of mushroom soup, bit a mayo, onion, topped with Ritz crackers

    fresh or frozen broccoli? do you leave the ritz plain?

    frozen broccoli cuts and you just crush Ritz crackers for the topping.
  • MichelleRenee13
    MichelleRenee13 Posts: 363 Member
    vegan green bean casserole
    cheese stuffed shells
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
    I make cake pops.. cover them in dark and white chocolate and sprinkle them in crunched candy canes! Holy calories!
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Bump
    I make a good turkey and dressing, gravy, etc.
    Bake my *kitten* off as well.
  • my "holiday rum and raisin cake".....to die for! :smile:
    but.....don't think i'll be indulging in that this year :sad:
  • Mina133842
    Mina133842 Posts: 1,573 Member
    hubs and I usually make an appetizer that everyone loves- ham & pickled asparagus rolls. you just take ham slices, and spread a little cream cheese (we do the lite cream cheese, and I usually stick it in a bowl, and microwave it for a few seconds to make it more pliable) then you roll up a pickled asparagus spear in it, stab a toothpick in it, and voila! usually I cut it into smaller pieces, about 2 inches or so (basically cut them in half) to fit them in our Tupperware better, and make more manageable bites.

    I also get requests from my brothers to make Grandma's cut-out cookies. Neither of their wives have mastered the recipe of the cookies or the frosting, and the "tree" cookies for my little brother - the spritz cookies..

    Red Velvet cake with Grandma's frosting- it's a butter frosting, but not buttercream..SO good- obviously have to eat in small doses-

    and Apricot rolls- homemade rolls, that you have to do each one by hand since they have an Apricot filling. Only made them a couple of times, since they're a little labor intensive. Yummy though - whole recipe is from scratch.