Holiday Family Treasured Recipes

It seems that every family has their own set of favorite recipes. These recipes end up in our weekly meal plans and on our dinner tables often. Then you have the holiday family treasured recipes that are those special dishes you only see once a year or on special occasions.

My sister and I were lucky enough to inherit our mother’s and grandmother’s recipes and one day our children will inherit them from us.

With the holidays fast approaching, I wanted to take the time to share a few of our family favorite recipes with you.

Traditional Family Food Recipes

Living in the South East United States, we are rich in traditions. There always needs to be deviled eggs at a family gathering, you always serve hoppin johns and collard greens for new years, and if you are holding a bar-b-que, there better be banana pudding.

Holidays however, tend to lean more towards individual family traditions. For my mother, it was turkey and all of the fixings on Christmas Eve. For my grandmother, it was ham and fixings on Christmas Day and then making vegetable soup with the leftover ham that we would eat for the days that followed.

After my grandmother and mother were gone, my children decided we needed a new tradition and so Christmas Eve Stromboli was born. The best part of our version of Christmas Eve Stromboli is that it is easy to make and can made together.

Christmas Eve Stromboli

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup cooked Italian Sausage
• 1 Can of Refrigerated Pizza Crust (or you can make your own!)
• 1/2 to 1 cup Pepperoni- Sliced(My boys eat them before they make it in the Stromboli so I always need more)
• 3 to 4 Slices of Cooked Ham
• Spaghetti Sauce for dipping
• 1 Egg
• Garlic Salt or Italian Season(optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to temperature on your refrigerated Pizza Crust.
2. Roll out Pizza Crust on a greased sheet pan (or you can use non stick foil or parchment paper)
3. Starting with the mozzarella cheese, make a mound down the center of your crust length wise using about 1/3 of the cheese.
4. Layer half of the pepperoni onto the mound, followed by all of the Italian sausage.
5. Add another layer of cheese.
6. Add the ham slices over the mound and then the rest of your pepperoni followed by the remaining cheese.
7. Fold one side of the dough over the top of the mound trying to get it all the way over the mound until it touches the opposite side’s dough.
8. Fold over the other side of the dough creating a long pizza pocket.
9. Pinch and roll the ends of the dough so that nothing can escape.
10. Crack the egg into a small bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Whisk the egg and water with a fork, then brush the egg wash onto the top of your Stromboli dough.
11. With a sharp knife, make shallow diagonal cuts (just enough to pierce the dough) into the top of the dough spacing them every couple of inches.
12. Optional -Sprinkle the top with a a pinch of garlic salt or Italian seasoning
13. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
14. Heat up your favorite spaghetti sauce in a sauce pan and serve on the side for dipping.

Family Recipes to Make Ahead

If you are looking for something that is simple but that will wow your family and is better if you make it ahead, this German Apple Cake is the perfect recipe for you. This was one of my mother’s favorite recipes and it goes great with a cup of hot coffee.

German Apple Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 3 Eggs
• 2 cups White Sugar
• 2 cups Self Rising Flour
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 4 cups Apples – peeled and sliced (I have used Granny Smith apples for this recipe and even tried it with pears. Both have had great results! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different varieties.)
• 1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together except for the apples.
2. Spread half of the mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan. This mixture is thick like peanut butter and may take a bit of effort to spread.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

Old Time Ginger Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Melted Shortening
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 1/2 cup Molasses
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• 1 cup Hot Water

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the shortening, sugar, and molasses.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and ginger.
3. Mix some of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture and stir. Now add some of the hot water into the molasses mixture and stir, then mix in more of the flour. You will alternate adding the flour mixture and hot water until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into a greased 6 x 10 inch baking pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Family Recipes to Make Together

Family recipes aren’t always a long and lengthy process. My mother made some of the most simple treats around the holidays, and it seemed that the more simple they were the more we loved them and loved making them with her.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:

• 1- 16 oz package Candiquik All Natural Vanilla Coating (Chocolate like candy coating- there are also store brands that work the same!)
• 12- 18 Peppermint Candy Canes

Instructions:

1. Remove the wrappers from all of the candy canes and place the candy canes in a zipper type storage bag.
2. Using a hammer or meat mallet, beat the bag of candy canes to crush them into small bits. (The kids love doing this.)
3. Melt the Candiquick in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave according the the package instructions.
4. Once the Candiquick is melted, stir in half of the candy cane bits.
5. Line a sheet pan with non stick foil, parchment paper, or freezer paper with the shiny side up.
6. Pour the candy mixture on the lined pan and spread it thin.
7. Sprinkle the top with the remaining candy canes.
8. Once the candy has cooled and dried, break the peppermint bark into 2-3 inch pieces and store them in an air tight storage container.

Variation:

You can also use the milk chocolate or dark chocolate Candiquick to make a bottom layer and then make the steps above a top layer.

Holiday Family Treasured Recipes

This yeast roll recipes also doubles as a cinnamon roll recipe. It has been a favorite in our family for as long as I can remember and is one of the easier roll recipes I have made. My mom would make the cinnamon rolls for bake sales and they were always a hit.

Quick & Easy Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 package Active Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cup Warm Water
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Egg
• 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups Bread Flour
• Butter or Margarine

Instructions:

1. Pour the warm water into a 2 1/2 quart bowl and dissolve the yeast into it.
2. Add the sugar, oil, and the egg to the bowl stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Stir in 1 cup of the bread flour until smooth.
4. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or dish cloth and place the bowl into a warm place to rise for 15 minutes. (If my kitchen is too cold, I place a baking rack over a pot of warm water and sit the bowl on top of it.)
5. Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan.
6. Stir down the batter in the bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour.
7. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth. About 5 -7 minutes.
8. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and quickly shape them into balls and add them to the pan.
9. Brush the tops with melted butter and cover them with a cloth.
10. Place the pan back in your warm area to rise for 25 minutes.
11. Heat your oven to 425 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the rolls are a light brown.
12. Serve warm with butter.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 package Active Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cup Warm Water
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Egg
• 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups Bread Flour
• Butter or Margarine
• Cinnamon Sugar (1 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons of cinnamon added)
• Pecans or Walnuts (Optional)
• Vegetable oil for brushing dough

Instructions:

1. Pour the warm water into a 2 1/2 quart bowl and dissolve the yeast into it.
2. Add the sugar, oil, and the egg to the bowl stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Stir in 1 cup of the bread flour until smooth.
4. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or dish cloth and place the bowl into a warm place to rise for 15 minutes. (If my kitchen is too cold, I place a baking rack over a pot of warm water and sit the bowl on top of it.)
5. Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan.
6. Stir down the batter in the bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour.
7. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth. About 5 -7 minutes.
8. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle.
9. Brush the dough with a light coating of vegetable oil so that your cinnamon sugar will stick.
10. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with the cinnamon sugar until it is completely covered. (Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and rub in the cinnamon sugar. You really want it to stick.)
11. Starting at the edge of the dough closest to you, begin rolling the dough into a log. Pulling slightly on the dough as you roll with give you thinner layers.
12. Using a knife, cut the dough into roughly 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces.
13. Place the cinnamon rolls into your greased pan, cover and let rise in a warm place for 25 – 30 minutes.
14. Bake at 425 for 15 -17 minutes or until golden brown.
15. Drizzle the cinnamon rolls with icing and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Icing

Ingredients:

• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Milk or water

Instructions:

To 2 cups of powdered sugar, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time, stirring in between until you have an icing that is similar in thickness to slightly runny ketchup.

How to Preserve Handwritten Recipes

Now that you have all of these old recipes, it would be a shame if something happened to them. You want to save them for the future generations.

My advice for preserving these handwritten recipes is to scan them into your computer, then place them individually into archival sleeves. Once they are in sleeves, you can either add them to a binder, or place them in archival boxes for safe keeping.

Making a copy of the originals for your use and storing the originals helps to keep the original handwritten recipes safe from harm.

And a really cool added bonus is that with a digital copy of these recipes, you can print them off to share with loved ones, or create a book to share with the family.

How to Display Old Family Recipes

Anyone can put a recipe in a frame and hang it on a wall but what about a pie pan with the recipe printed on it?

I came across an etsy shop named PHPottery that prints the recipes right on the pie plate, you just purchase it, then upload the image of your scanned recipe and they do the rest. They have other options available too such as plates and platters. You can even add a picture of your loved one to add to their recipe.

I hope this gives you and your family ideas for sharing your treasured family recipes. Genealogy isn’t just about the how many people you can fit into your family tree. Its about family, stories, mementos, and the love and the memories.

Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone.