Some of the best things about the holiday season are all the delicious foods that come with it. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, eat vegan or traditional, there will always be a holiday dish that will make your taste buds tingle and your mouth water. Here are some of our favorites.

Sweet Potato Mango Spice Cake

(Originally by Chef Pierre Thiam; adapted by Chrystal Baker)

Kwanzaa is celebrated by many people of African descent, in which family, unity, and the African culture are celebrated. 

Chef Pierre Thiam from Senegal made this original Kwanzaa recipe in his book “Senegal” and shared the recipe’s importance.

Thiam said in the Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl “…we must realize that [African] food is good enough to be shared with the world, that food does not have to be complicated . . . that it can be full of soul, our love, authentic and true to our history and identity–a pure and always delicious thing.”  

Serves 12 to 14 people

Ingredients:

•Floured baking spray

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup grapeseed oil

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 cup roasted, mashed sweet potato

• 1 cup finely chopped ripe mango

• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

• 4 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Powdered sugar for dusting

How to Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan with floured baking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the oil and sugar until combined. Add the sweet potato and mango, beating until smooth. Finally add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Potato Latkes

(From Rachel X at Allrecipes.com)

According to judaism.about.com, this fried food got its significance from what happened in the story of Hanukkah, after the Syrian-Greeks took over a Jewish Temple and tried to use it to worship the Greek God Zeus. 

The Jews ended up regaining control over the Temple and vowed to light a menora – a candleholder-like object and an important symbol in the Jewish religion  –  for eight days in order to rededicate the temple to God. 

There was only one day’s worth of oil to light the menorah, but the small amount of oil ended up lasting eight full days. 

Those who follow the religion eat fried food like latkes during Hanukkah to celebrate. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of peeled and shredded potatoes

• 1 tbsp grated onion

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 1½ teaspoons salt

• ½ cup peanut oil for frying

How to Make:

1. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.

2. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.

3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form ¼ to ½ inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. 

4. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

Nanny’s Wreath Cookies

Celebrate your favorite holidays with these amazing wreath cookies. They are fun to make with the whole family.

When I was little we would always go to my Nanny Jane’s house at Christmas. She would greet us with large warm Italian hugs and take us to the kitchen. There, she would have stacks of these wreath cookies. 

I remember devouring these things and watching my Nanny laugh in that small yellow house. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of butter

• 30 regular size marshmallows 

• 1½ tsp of green food coloring 

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract  

• 4 cups of Cornflakes cereal

• 2 tbsp of cinnamon candies 

How to Make: 

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan on high heat.    

2. Add marshmallows, melt them together, and stir constantly.

3. After mixture is completely combined to a paste, remove it from the heat.

4. Add Cornflakes, vanilla extract, and green food coloring. 

5. Stir the ingredients, until they are completely mixed, with a metal spoon.

6. Quickly drop heaping spoonfuls onto a waxed paper tray.

7. Shape the spoonfuls of the mixture into wreath shapes (careful It’ll be hot). 

8. Add cinnamon candies for decoration.

You’re done. Enjoy, from Nanny’s kitchen to yours.

Cousin Perry’s Holiday Fudge Everybody on my dad’s side of the family gets together every year for the holidays. We would have a huge party of easily 40 cousins. 

Every year Cousin Perry would bring trays of his creamy homemade fudge. I remember as a cliché kid, I used to hide under the banquet table and sneak fudge when no one else was looking. What can I say, it was that good.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of powdered sugar 

•  ¾ can of evaporated milk 

• 1 tsp of butter

• 1 package of semi-sweet morsels 

•  2 tbsp of marshmallow fluff

How to Make:

1. Mix the powdered sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in large sauce pan on high heat.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil for four minutes, then take it off the heat.

3. Quickly add morsels and marshmallow fluff to the pan. 

4. Beat together for 5-7 minutes.

5. Plop into a buttered pan and press with fingers to make it flat.

6. Place in fridge for an hour to harden, then serve! (If mixture becomes crumbly during step 4 add more evaporated milk until it looks like a lumpy paste). 

Father Cooper’s Ham

When we moved out to California seven years ago from Pennsylvania, I was afraid we wouldn’t feel like a family anymore. But my dad kept the traditions alive with his savory Dr. Pepper Holiday Ham. It made me feel like I was back in our red brick house on the cottage hill.

Serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients: 

• 3 liters of Dr. Pepper

• 1 medium sized ham

• ¼ cup brown sugar 

• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes 

How to Make: 

1. Place uncooked ham in a large boiling pot.

2. Pour two liters of Dr. Pepper over the ham. 

3. Place the ham in the fridge. 

4. Let this soak overnight, but make sure to baste the ham every 15 – 20 minutes.

5. In the morning, take the ham out of the boiling pot and place into a roasting pan. 

6. Mix together four cups of Dr. Pepper, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. 

7. Coat the ham in this mixture with rubbing motions.

8. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for two hours.