Homestyle Holiday Recipes: Traditional Favorites On The Family Menu

By La Cuisinière | All Recipes

Oct 01
Homestyle Holiday recipes © ingridat

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Merci!

Homestyle Holiday Recipes – Everyone has favorite holiday recipes. Most likely these are recipes your Mom or Grandma used to make only around the major holidays.

A few years ago, I decided it was time to collect and organize all those recipes clippings, and then, create a virtual personal cookbook.

[yellowbox]In a hurry? Click on the link for ALL the yummiest Holiday recipes[/yellowbox] Scrapbook Recipe Binder: Holiday Gingerbread With MailersScrapbook Recipe Binder:
Holiday Gingerbread With Mailers
Perfect For Gift Giving!
Gathering favorite family recipes seems to be a family thing that goes back several generations. Family members created cookbooks for church groups, charities and school fund raisers.

In fact, “been there, done that” myself, here in Woodbridge, when I collected and organized recipes into a cookbook prepared as a fund raiser for a local elementary school! It seems difficult to believe that it was more than 20 years ago. What memories…


In this digital age, it would be much easier to go virtual than trying to remember where I stashed those loose pieces of notebook paper even though I still have at least 10 copies of the spiral bound cookbook.
Holiday Rubino SwirlHoliday Rubino Swirl50/50 Cotton Linen BlendSo, let’s ring in the Holidays with recipes for old fashioned goodness!

Our Holiday recipes span multiple generations and cultures on both sides of the Atlantic so why not share them with everyone?

Gathering favorite family recipes seems to be a family thing that goes back several generations. Family members created cookbooks for church groups, charities and school fund raisers.

In fact, “been there, done that” myself, here in Woodbridge, when I collected and organized recipes into a cookbook prepared as a fund raiser for a local elementary school! It seems difficult to believe that it was more than 20 years ago. What memories…

In this digital age, it would be much easier to go virtual than trying to remember where I stashed those loose pieces of notebook paper even though I still have at least 10 copies of the spiral bound cookbook.

We make sure that each Holiday meal includes a dish representing family favorites over the years.

  • Easter is reserved for the traditional ham dinner but with a twist of European flavors.
  • Set out your best carving set for the traditional turkey served on Grandmother’s platter.  Our Thanksgiving dinner includes several pumpkin pies – one for Julian and a couple more for the rest of the family, however, it always includes a Pennsylvania Dutch ShooFly Pie mit schlag. Regardless of the type or number of freshly baked pies, several family members are known to have “some of each”.
  • Christmas dinner is transformed into the traditional French Réveillon with a seafood entrée and roast duck or goose. We bring out Grandmère’s crystal knife rests. Rest assured…we “Americains” have shortened the time spent at the table. It’s no longer possible to sit down to a four to five hour meal…no matter how delicious the food.
  • On New Year’s Eve, we celebrate our well planted British roots with roast beef and roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts. For the “sweet”, we prepare Trifle.

 Black CherrySpring & Summer Golden PearFall Christmas JoyWinter

Do you have a favorite recipe for home style cooking you would like to contribute to this virtual collection of recipes? We hope you’ll share all the yummy details with visitors!

We have such a variety of favorite “home style” and “traditional” recipes that preparing a menu for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve meals is always an interesting process.

This year is no exception as we agonize as to which dish will make it to the table. Or do we prepare them all?

Looks like we’ll be cooking for days only to have it all disappear from the table in a matter of minutes.

Interested in participating in a cookie exchange? A popular cookie gift is our Mini Fruitcake Cookies. It is perfect for the office party and while many hesitate to eat fruitcake, they gobble up these little fruity gems. Hope you’ll participate in our virtual exchange of holiday recipes!

Looking for another “mini” type recipe for your holiday gatherings? How about savory or sweet mini cheesecakes?

Traditional Homestyle Holiday Recipes

Woodland Holiday Advent CalendarWoodland Holiday Advent CalendarWinter Wonderland!

Call me old-fashioned but nothing says “Home for the Holidays” more than a very traditionally decorated Christmas tree. Several family members have “themed” decorations.

This recipe does not fit anywhere on the menu but I know you have a holiday memory with solid staying power.

The recipe for Cinnamon Ornaments that was clipped out of the local paper – years ago. The original comes from McCormick®, the spice company.
Folk Art Cinnamon Scented Country StarFolk Art Cinnamon Scented Country StarWe made these star shaped ornaments once. Every holiday season, we bring them out of storage and they still smell nearly as fragrant as they did originally.

You know they are a hit when your 30-something son asks if he can have some to add to his Christmas tree.

Not only do we use them as ornaments, but we also use them to decorate Christmas gifts. Just string them onto the ribbon before you tie a bow.

It’s about time to cook up another batch of these perennial favorites. Keep the ornaments sealed in a zip-lock type bag to preserve the fabulous Holiday scent.

They are perfectly sized to fill all those “bare” spots between expensive ornaments or those totally devoid of greenery – and you really don’t mind when they break!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 to 1 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 pound of ground cinnamon

Combine ingredients to form a stiff dough.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Make a small hole for ribbon (we used gold string). Carefully place on a rack to dry. Allow to air dry several days, turning occasionally.

The McCormick version is somewhat different.  They use a 4 ounce bottle of ground cinnamon to 3/4 cup of applesauce, and a drinking straw to create the hole.

We found that the straw was not strong enough to poke a hole through the stiff  dough and that a small bottle of cinnamon did not produce a dough stiff enough to roll out.

McCormick bakes their ornaments but we found that it tended to dry them too fast and made them shrink unevenly.  For best results, air dry.

You can experiment with the proportions.  I use a lot of cinnamon in baking so I buy the large (10 oz.+) McCormick spice containers.


(Visited 218 times, 7 visits today)
Follow

About the Author

1 Cook, 2 Countries & A Taste For World Cuisines: Cooking A La Mode De Chez Nous - Cuisine d'Hier Et d'Aujourd'hui! For the love of home style cooking and great food. Memories are made of this!

Leave a Comment:

Leave a Comment:

error: Content is © protected !!