The holidays are all about family, friendship, good will and, of course, food. Lots and lots of food. So we’ve collected our favorite recipes from folks around the agency to share with you and yours. Each and every one of these recipes is certified WELL BUILT. As for WELL DELIVERED … well, that’s up to you.
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I never got the chance to meet my grandpa Raymond, but my dad, Randy, has always shared the best stories about him and his cooking skills. Dad loves to talk about the Sunday mornings when Grandpa Ray would wake him up early and they would make their world-famous French toast. Dad still makes it for my family every so often. It took years to convince him to give me the recipe, but I think it’s too delicious to keep to myself and needs to be shared with the world!”
Makes eight servings.
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Did you love Hostess Ho Hos as a kid? Or maybe still do? Well, you’re in luck: you can make your own! This recipe was passed along to me from my mother-in-law. My husband won Boy Scout "best cake" awards with it and so did my own boys. Try it ... you’ll like it!
First created by a San Francisco bakery in 1920, Ho Hos rarely disappoint. This delicious recipe is no exception.
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Popularized in southern Germany in the 12th century, the pretzel has been a staple of bakeries all over the world. Enjoy these tasty little treats!
This recipe is one of my favorite holiday traditions to do with my kids (ages 7 & 4). It’s very easy for us to do together, and the kids feel proud giving them away and being able to say that they made them. I have also put these in a fun holiday container paired with a gift card for a teacher’s gift. The hardest part of this recipe is trying not to eat all of the Hershey Kisses before they hit the pretzels!
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While I am a native cheesehead with a true love for good cheese, sausage and beer, my deeper roots are in Norway. My grandma, whose parents were first-generation immigrants, ensured her seven kids enjoyed a fresh batch of Kringla each week.
My memories of baking Kringla with both my grandma and mom over the years are sweet, and now my own kids get to experience the fun. They make for a perfect coffee-dipper, after-school snack or “healthy” dessert!
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I whipped up this recipe with my own flavor a few months ago while on vacation at our cottage on Lake Michigan. I bought some raspberries that were on sale, so I was looking for a way to use them in a cocktail. The raspberries and nectar make for a sweet dessert that is then completed with a cool refreshing cocktail. Perfect for after dinner while watching the sunset on the beach.
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Decades ago, when I baked like a fiend at the holidays, I was cooling a batch of these lovely treats. It was our first Christmas in our new home, and my son and I had just adopted a sweet little mutt, Bob, from the Humane Society. Before we left to go shopping, I put the cookies in a tin with a lid. By the time we returned, the cookies were gone with barely a crumb on the floor.
Yep. They’re that good. (Bob lived to the ripe old age of 19.)
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The Fabians love bacon. Maybe as much as a family can. To the point where my husband has actually made a Bacon Explosion (an insane hunk of sausage stuffed with chopped bacon and wrapped in bacon strips). I can’t remember where we first tried chocolate-covered bacon, but we all were instantly hooked. Last year we made 10 pounds of bacon and gave this away as holiday gifts. Skewering the strips helps with wrapping and breakage. Enjoy!
If you’ve never tried this savory combination, you might be surprised at how well rich, semisweet chocolate complements the smoky flavor of crispy bacon.
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In first grade, my elementary school put together a giant cookbook. (A very young me got to draw the cover, too!) This recipe sounded so good, I insisted my mom make it that year for the holidays. It's become tradition at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year since!
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My mom remembers writing this recipe on a notepad in late fall of 1980 at her mom's house on Warsaw Street in Toledo. She wanted to make them the first Christmas she and my Dad lived together. This no-bake recipe has been used and enjoyed for the last 38 years. I remember Mom making these when we were little, and Mom remembers the same with my grandmother. Always a fun time.
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For as long as I can remember, one afternoon in December was deemed “Candy Day” for my mom and me. Every year, we make a host of Christmas goodies: buckeyes, turtles, puppy chow, chocolate-covered pretzels, homemade caramels and more. Candy Day is even more fun with my nieces (now 7 and 9), who learned how to lick the beaters from Aunt Kelly before they could talk.
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As a veggie-forward fiend in a house full of carnivores, I make every attempt to have the vegetable sides steal the show. This edamame Southwest salad is no exception as it always has people asking for more (and the recipe). Serve this colorful dish to accompany any fiesta or summer meal from the grill. Have some fun with it by adding some jalapenos, cabbage or red onions!
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Eggnog. Seasonal stouts. Peppermint mochas. The holidays are filled with heavy, thick and sugary drinks at a time when I’m eating, well, heavy, thick and sugary foods. Enter the pomegranate mule, a light and refreshing beverage that simultaneously calls to mind Russian winters and warmer months sipping the traditional version of this drink.
This light and refreshing beverage is sure to bring you plenty of holiday cheer (or at least help you forget what's bothering you).
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During my childhood in West Virginia, this easy-to-prepare cake was introduced to my family by my Aunt Carrie. Still to this day it is much anticipated and sought after at Christmas gatherings because of its sweet taste and festive red color.
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Grandma used to make this braided bread using Sapphire flour, which is fine and silky. You can use butter or margarine, and flour measurements depend on the size of your eggs and the type of flour used. The dough needs to be sticky, but not too sticky. If it’s difficult to work with, add a little bit of flour, a half-cup at a time. (Use your best judgment.) If using a mixer with dough hooks, make sure the dough is sticky, not dry.
This bread is traditionally layered, braiding three ropes for the bottom layer, braiding/twisting two ropes for the middle layer, and twisting a small rope for the top layer.
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Those who know me are completely aware that I could eat sugar morning, noon and night. Whether it’s pie, ice cream or candy, I firmly believe that a second stomach for dessert really does exist. I’m convinced that this obsession with sweets stemmed from my toddler days, when my mom would sit me on the kitchen counter and let me help make chocolate chip cookies.
Whether baking them for Santa or coming home from college to their aroma in the kitchen, these cookies have been a staple throughout my life. This is one tradition I plan to carry on with my family. I hope they will bring your family together as well this holiday season!
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Since Nick is a grinch and doesn’t have any holiday traditions, I (Tracy) am happy to share one of mine. My Grandma Nancy made these cookies for as long as I can remember. Everyone in the family loves them, and they never last long on a cookie tray.
Seven years ago, after my grandpa passed away, my aunt and I decided to start a new holiday tradition: going to Grandma’s house to bake ginger crinkles with her. She shared her recipe, and of course we shared a lot of laughs. This tradition continued even after Grandma was in assisted living. Everleigh, our daughter, and I would pick up Grandma and take her to my aunt’s house for a day of baking. Grandma passed away last summer, but this recipe will continue to be a part of our family’s holiday traditions. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
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“Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” This is a recipe from a friend several years ago. I thought these mice were so cute. So I started a little holiday tradition with my nieces and nephews when they came to visit. Once we finished our mice, we’d sit by the tree and enjoy them with a cup of hot chocolate as we took turns reading Twas the Night Before Christmas. It’s holiday fun you can enjoy with your own children or grandchildren. And the kids love to participate.
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There are a lot of great cakes in the world, but not many this delicious and versatile! Our kids loved this cake so much it became a must-have for every special occasion. Great as a dessert or a breakfast item, this is a crowd-pleaser you can’t get enough of!
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As a child my family spent a week each summer visiting my mom’s family in North Carolina. I always looked forward to having my grandmother's Brunswick stew for lunch, dinner or sometimes both! She always had jars of it in her freezer. It’s a great dish that pairs well with a side salad, rice or corn bread!
This savory stew cooks slowly, but won't last long at your family's dinner.
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When I was young, one of my favorite holiday traditions was joining my sister and my cousins at my grandparents’ house for sugar cookie decorating night. We’d arrive to homemade sugar cookie cutouts baked by my grandparents, ready for us to frost and decorate to our heart’s delight! There were lots of festive shapes – Santa, Santa’s boot, reindeer, wreaths, snowmen, Christmas trees, etc. After hours of frosting cookies, lots of taste testing and generous amounts of sugar sprinkles, we’d all spend the night. When our parents came to pick us up the next day, we couldn’t wait to show off our hard work. (Well, it really wasn’t hard, but as a child, on this particular day, I felt like a professional pastry chef.)
Both sets of my grandparents gave me their cookie cutters, and to this day my son, my parents and I use them to spread sugar cookie cheer throughout the year on holidays, birthdays and days when you just need a little sweetness in your life. I hope my family’s tradition finds its way into your home.
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Growing up, my brother and I HATED the taste of fresh vegetables. Anything to mask the taste, we would try it. For as long as I can remember, we have had Brussels sprouts with every holiday meal and my mom, knowing our aversion to healthy, fresh vegetables, would make this recipe so we would actually eat them. Now, I carry on this tradition for my own kids.
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My grandma's rice has always been a family favorite for any occasion. I am not blessed with culinary skills, but even I can manage this tasty dish. And it's easy to customize if I'm ever in the mood to mix it up a little. Give it a try!
A staple in Puerto Rican households, this delicious dish is easy to make and hard to forget.
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Although most people associate me with Kansas, due to my love of the Jayhawks, my family is actually from Texas. So bar-b-que and Mexican food pretty much run through my veins. And while there are many advantages to living up North, good tomatillo sauce is not among them. So, I invented my own. Use it on enchiladas, as a taco sauce, a chip dip ... whatever!”
A staple of Mexican cuisine, tomatillo sauce can be used in a variety of dishes. Enjoy this unique spin!
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Lenore Biderman was our next-door neighbor and "surrogate" grandmother. She was best known for her kolaches and Czech pride. Never did more energy come in such a compact package.
Originating as a semisweet wedding dessert from central Europe, they have become popular in parts of the U.S.