Holiday Recipe Favorites from our Readers

We asked our readers to share their favorite Holiday Recipes with us.  These delightful treats and dishes are sure to spread holiday cheer.

Sweet Treats and Snacks:

• Mandy Alavazarez:  “I make the pretzel cookies. You take round pretzels, put a Hershey kiss in the middle, bake in oven (400 degrees) for 5 min or less. Take out and let cool for a min or two, then put a green or red m&m on top of the Hershey kiss and squish it down. It makes the kiss fill the round and when they cool.. Yummy!”
• Kimberly Eades shared this adorable recipe for cream cheese penguins.
• Katie Mefford: “I make pretzels dripped in chocolate and rolled them in heath crumbs, nuts, sparkles, and mini chocolate chips. So simple and so yummy!”
• Kristi Whitcomb: Christmas Crunch 
  1/2 cup popping popcorn kernels, or 2 bags tender white popcorn
  1 (12 oz) bag Vanilla Candy Melts (such as Wilton Candy Melts)
  1 1/3 cups broken pretzel pieces
  1 (12 oz) bag green and red Milk Chocolate or Mint M&Ms
  Red, green and white Sprinkles (I used Jingle Mix Nonpareils)
• Melissa Benedict shared this tasty recipe for layered pumpkin cheesecake pie.
• Sara Meyer Thornsbrough shared this recipe for Andes Mint Cookies 
• Jenny Frohn makes a dish called Snowflake Mix: Chex Mix,Honey Roasted Peanuts, Pretzels, Christmas M&Ms, and Coat with almond bark.
• Jenna Stewart likes the classic Chex Mix.
• Jessica Boehler Bliss shared this yummy recipe for Holly Wreaths
• Jennifer Self: Cherry cheesecake. Box of crushed gram crackers layered at the bottom mixed with half cup of melted butter. Whipped white cream and cherries on top!
• Nicole Gray shared her husband’s favorite recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Salad.
• Sara Shillinger Amos likes this recipe for fudge. 
• Kim Walton: “I make lots if candy. I think the big hit is chocolate covered ritz. Put peanut butter on a ritz cracker. Cover with another ritz making a peanut butter sandwich. Melt chocolate almond bark and dip sandwich until covered. Lay on wax paper to dry. Yum. Enjoy”
• Abby Bugg shared this yummy recipe for Pumpkin Pie Squares
• Jennifer Jackson Gordy:  Strawberry Candies:1 can of Sweetened condensed milk, 3 sm boxes of, strawberry jello, Almond slivers, 1 cup of Sugar, Green food coloring. Soak almonds slivers in green food coloring in small bowl for 1 hour. Remove and place on paper towel to dry.In a medium bowl mix together the sweetened condensed milk and strawberry Jello. Mixture is very sticky! Place sugar in a small bowl.Scoop Strawberry mixture by teaspoonfuls & roll into a ball. Shape into a “strawberry” by pinching bottom in lightly & pressing down slightly on top while inserting the almond sliver to make a “stem”. Roll your “strawberry” in sugar to coat evenly. Place on waxed paper. Store air tight in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  
• Mandi Allgood’s favorite holiday recipe is cheese fudge:1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, sliced,1 cup butter,1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup chopped nuts, pecans, walnuts, 2 (16-ounce) boxes confectioners’ sugar,1/2 cup cocoa powder. Directions: Spray lightly the bottom of a 9 by 2-inch square pan with a nonstick spray.In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the cheese and butter together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and nuts. In a large bowl sift together the sugar and cocoa. Pour the cheese mixture into the sugar and cocoa mixture and stir until completely mixed. The candy will be very stiff. Using your hands, remove candy from bowl and press evenly and firmly into pan. Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, pat the top of the candy with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Place pan in refrigerator until candy is firm.To serve candy, cut into squares.
  
• Tina Johnson Dart: Peanut Butter Cup Brownies. “I just buy a regular favorite brownie mix. Mix it as the box says. I then put the batter in a mini muffin pan(each cup about 3/4 full). Follow baking instructions on the brownie box. As soon as you take them out of the oven push a full size peanut butter cup onto the top of each muffin. It will melt as it cools. I promise these will be a huge hit. I have also heard of people using a peppermint kiss instead of a peanut butter cup.”

Holiday Savory and Side Dishes: 

• Niki Blair: Corn Casserole: 1 can whole kettle corn- drained, 1 can of cream style corn, 1 package of corn muffin mix- jiffy works best, 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 stick of butter- melted, 1 cup cheddar cheese.
  Pre heat oven to 350, Mix both cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and butter in large bowl. Grease a 9×13 in casserole dish.Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Top with 1 cup cheddar cheese and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted. “Absolutely delicious!!”
• Jessica Koegler Yeager: I make cranberry sauce. 1 lb of cranberries, 1 cup of water, 1 cup if sugar, 1 tbsp orange zest, optional crushed walnuts. Add everything to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 min or until sauce starts to thicken.
• Amber Goodall: “This sweet potato casserole is heaven! More like dessert than a side dish!” 
  6 cups sweet potatoes cooked and mashed, 6 eggs beaten, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsp vanilla,4 tsp baking powder,1 cup melted butter. Beat ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffyPour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and spread on topping-recipe below. In a large zip lock bag mix and crunch: 6 cups Crispix cereal, 1 cup packed brown sugar,1 cup melted butter 1 1/2-2 cups chopped pecans. Add topping and bake an additional 20 minutes until lightly browned!
  
• Angie Henson: “My favourite recipe is deviled eggs. Boil 12 eggs let cool then take the shell off and slice in half,put the yoke in a bowl and the white part on a plate then add miracle whip, mustard stir all together then fill the white part with the yoke.”
• Courtney Braun: “Potato casserole!!! 1 pkg of frozen hashbrowns, 1 – 16 oz container sour cream, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups (or more if you like) of shredded cheddar cheese. Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients except cheese in a large bowl. Dump them into 9×13 baking pan, then sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 30 min!!!!”
• Carrie Tomso: Crockpot Corn: 3 – 16 oz frozen corn,11 oz cream cheese,6 slices of American cheese, 2 Tablespoons milk, 2 Tablespoons water, 2 Tablespoons sugar. Cook on low 3-4 hours till corn is done.
  
• Becky Maynhart-gebhardt: Sweet potatoes: 2 cans of yams,1/4 c brown sugar,2 tbsp maple syrup,2 tsp honey, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice,Ginger bread men marshmallows. Mix all ingredients together (except marshmallows) beat until lumps are gone. Put in baking dish and level it. Layer marshmallows on top and bake at 350 for 30 mins. Make sure you get your serving before you place it on the counter because it goes fast!
• Jackie Barnes Gillock: “My grandma’s homemade Cranberry relish. 2 bags of fresh cranberries, rinsed and pick out bad ones, 1 orange, peel and all, 2 granny smith applies, washed and cored. Grind all of the above together then mix one small box of strawberry jello according to package and pour over ground mixture. Then sweeten to taste with splenda. Then I place in Grandma’s specail trifle dish that is only used for this dish, it looks so beautiful in the dish on my table. Enjoy!!!”
• Barry and Angie Wiser: “Make a homemade giant turkey pot pie w/the leftover turkey scraps. Just get 2 frozen pie crusts, layer turkey, frozen stew vegetables (about 1 lb) & cream of potato soup (a can /can & a half, I don’t really measure out) in 1 shell until full (salt & pepper) then flip the other shell on top & smash together the edges until sealed & poke w/fork (brush w/egg white on top if u want). Cook in oven about 375 until crust is golden and hot all the way thru in the middle”.
• Alicia Kirby Norris:“Grandma’s cranberry jello: 1 can jellied cranberries mashed 2 sm. boxes of black cherry jello dissolved into hot water. Pour hot jello mixture into mashed cranberries and wisk until combined. Pour into glass serving dish, cover and (refrigerate) allow to cool overnight. 
  
  Very pretty and Takes the bitterness out of the canned cranberries. Even my picky girl will eat it!”