The holidays are a time for traditions in the kitchen, from decorating Christmas cookies to helping Grandma with her famous Thanksgiving turkey or holiday ham. Memories are created and recipes are passed down, and now we’re sharing some of our family favorites with you.
Try these recipes from the NOCO Style staff this holiday season—we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
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Main Dishes
Crockpot Pepperoncini Pot Roast
From Michael Wittkop, Graphic Designer
Serves 6
1 (3-pound) chuck roast
1 packet of spicy ranch dressing mix*
1 packet of au jus mix
1 stick of butter
8 whole pepperoncini (medium heat)
*can use regular if you don’t like spicy
Place roast in Crockpot. Add 1 cup of water (optional). Sprinkle 2/3 of both mixes on roast. Arrange pepperoncini around roast. Place stick of butter on roast. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.
“We were given this recipe by a very dear family friend, Laura, about 20 years ago. My memories of this dish are returning home exhausted from a long day to a house filled with incredible aromas and a warm, hearty dinner with so much flavor. True family comfort food!”
Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup
From Ashley Duval, Account Executive & Marketing Specialist
Serves 6
2 pounds baking potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes
2 (10 ½ ounces) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 ½ cups finely chopped green onions, divided
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
Black pepper
Combine potatoes, soup, one cup green onions, garlic powder and ground red pepper in a Crockpot. Cover; cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Stir cheese, sour cream and milk into Crockpot until cheese is completely melted. Cover; cook on high 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions.
“Every Christmas Eve, we go to my husband’s family’s house, and we all bring a different soup. We eat soup, salad and bread and then go to the movie theater in our PJs. We haven’t been to the movies since COVID, but we hope to start that up again. I always make a loaded baked potato soup in the Crockpot. I make it my own by adding cooked bacon and a lot of different seasonings.”
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Sides
Russian Vinaigrette Salad
From Lydia Dody, Account Executive
Serves 10
3-4 large beets, boiled then diced
3-4 medium potatoes, boiled then diced
24 ounces sauerkraut, drained
4 small sweet pickles, diced
2 green apples, diced
2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Dill (for garnish)
Toss all ingredients and refrigerate.
“My Russian mother, grandma and I immigrated to the U.S. in 1950 and started learning about our new homeland. My grandma never learned English, and since she was our main homemaker, our Russian customs continued as I grew up. This Russian vinaigrette salad was one of our family favorites and was always on the table when we had company. It is one of several recipes I’ve continued to prepare with my own kids.”
Christmas Nachos
From Dan England, Associate Editor
Serves 12
2 (10-ounce) cans of Ro-Tel (I prefer the “Mexican Style Lime and Cilantro”)
1 (2-pound) brick of Velveeta cheese
1 bag of red and green corn chips
Toppings of your choice*
Cut the cheese into cubes and place in a medium sauce pan. Pour in the Ro-Tel. Stir consistently over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour over chips and add toppings* such as buffalo sauce, green onions, cilantro, sausage, chicken, lime juice, hot sauce, pineapple, bacon and jalapenos.
“This started a fun tradition at our house. My kids wanted a snack at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and so I thought of Christmas Nachos. You can make it any way you want, making this the anti-recipe for Christmas. It’s one of those weird yet fun Christmas traditions that all families have.”
Cranberry Nut Feta Salad
From Laurel Aiello, Editor
Serves 12-20
3 heads romaine lettuce
1 (10-ounce) package spinach
1 cup dried cranberries
1 (8-ounce) package feta crumbles
Candied walnuts
Dressing
Chop or tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and add to extra large salad bowl with spinach, cranberries and feta. Top with candied walnuts. Save dressing until ready to serve (mix well as it will separate as it sits). Pour over salad and toss. Serve immediately.
Candied Walnuts
8 ounces chopped walnuts
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Dissolve sugar in water and heat over low heat in a large skillet with walnuts until deep golden brown. Pull off heat if it starts to smoke. Pour onto a large piece of foil on a cookie sheet or heat-resistant surface. Cool and break apart, add to salad.
Dressing
¾ cup olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Add oil, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to a mason jar or container that fully seals. Mix well, shaking for about a minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
“This salad is a family favorite at holiday gatherings. My cousin, LeAnn Bennett, makes it with love and homemade candied walnuts (not the store-bought kind) every year. I usually help myself to seconds while playing an hours-long card game with 10 or more family members after dinner—a tradition that started when I was a child and will probably never end.”
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Desserts
Caramels
From Tonja Randolph, President & Publisher
Makes 2 pounds
2 cups Imperial Granulated Sugar
2 cups corn syrup
2 cups light cream
½ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium saucepan, cook imperial granulated sugar and corn syrup to the firm ball stage (245° F). Gradually add cream (or evaporated milk) and butter. Stirring constantly, continue cooking rapidly to almost the same firm ball stage (242° F). Remove from heat, mix in vanilla and pour onto buttered pans. When cold, turn out of pans and cut into squares with a sawing motion. Wrap each piece in heavy waxed paper.
“The South is full of family traditions, and we’ve always enjoyed spending time in Grandma Linda’s kitchen in Fort Worth making all sorts of goodies. These caramels are everyone’s favorite.”
Dirt Dessert
From Maya Cornwell, Graphic Designer
Serves 8-10
1 family size package OREO Cookies
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 (5-ounce) boxes french vanilla instant pudding
12 ounces Cool Whip
Gummy worms
Grind OREOs in a food processor and set aside. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter, set aside. In a separate bowl, mix milk and instant pudding. Add cream cheese mixture to pudding mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in Cool Whip. In a trifle bowl, alternate layers of ground cookies and pudding mixture. Top with ground cookies and gummy worms (optional).
“My family enjoys this recipe year after year amidst the sounds of card games, laughter and telling our favorite embarrassing stories about each other for the hundredth time. It was created by my Grandma Betty Honeycutt, whose tender touch went into all of her recipes, bringing back warm childhood memories with every bite.”
Grandma’s Grape Pie
From Jordan Secher, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Serves 8 (9-inch pie or bars)
4 cups Concord grapes
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (depends how sweet the grapes are)
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 (9-inch) pie crust
Crumb Topping
1/3 cup flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
Slip skins from grapes and set aside. Add pulps to a pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Press through a mesh strainer to remove seeds and discard them. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt, then stir in lemon juice and butter. Add pulp and skins
and mix. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 400° F
for 25 minutes. While pie is baking, combine crumb topping ingredients and mix with your hands or a food processor until crumbles form a sandy texture. Remove pie from oven, sprinkle with topping and bake for another 20 minutes.
“My grandma makes homemade grape pie from either Fredonia or Concord grapes that my grandpa picks from vines they’ve had growing on their fruit farm for over 50 years. This dessert reminds me of Grandpa’s educational farm tours and Grandma’s sassy storytelling in the kitchen as she peels grapes with ‘Gilligan’s Island’ playing in the background.”
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Beverages
Nantucket Sleigh Ride
From Jon Ainslie, Account Executive
Serves 9
4 orange spice tea bags
6 cups boiling water
2 cups orange juice
1 quart cranberry juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
Orange wedges (for garnish)
In a large pot, steep the tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add the remaining ingredients (except the alcohol) and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the Grand Marnier and garnish with fresh fruit. Serve in mugs while warm.
“Growing up in New England, this was our traditional holiday drink. I garnish mine with an orange wedge and some fresh cranberries.”
Homemade Apple Cider
From Isabelle Rohlf, Marketing Intern
Serves 8
6 cups apple juice
3 cups cranberry juice
10 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
Fresh cranberries (optional)
Simmer on low in a Crockpot or on the stovetop. Start before guests arrive to make the house smell festive.
“This is my mom’s recipe. It makes me think of hosting people, especially around a bonfire. So many memories!”
Grandma Barbie’s Christmas Wassail
From Allyson Porteous, Account Executive
Serves 7
2 quarts apple cider
2 cups orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
10 whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks
1 orange, sliced
Red Hots (optional)
Mix all three juices in a Crockpot or large pot on the stove. Add red hots to taste—¼ cup to ½ cup. Stick whole cloves in two or three orange slices and float them on top of wassail. Cinnamon sticks may be dropped in wassail or each individual serving cup. Heat to a boil, then simmer and serve.
“My grandmother never thought of this drink as a family recipe, but it became a tradition. I looked forward to it every year growing up, so upon my request she continued to make it, tweaking it each time until it became what it is today. When I was old enough, I would spike my serving with a rye whiskey or brandy to the desired potency. I hope to continue this tradition for my children and their children, just like she did for me.”
