#holiday
10 viral recipes tagged #holiday.
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Sernik — Polish Baked Cheesecake
Poland's beloved cheesecake — denser, less sweet and more delicate than the American kind, made with twaróg, the fresh Polish curd cheese, rather than cream cheese. Ground smooth and enriched with egg yolks, sugar and vanilla (and often lemon zest and raisins), the filling bakes on a buttery shortcrust base into a tender, slightly tangy, custardy cake. Sernik is a staple of Polish home baking and the holiday table — every grandmother has her version — and its clean, milky flavour sets it apart from heavier cheesecakes.
polishdessertbaking -
Green Bean Casserole
This from-scratch green bean casserole trades canned soup for a silky homemade mushroom cream sauce, so every bite tastes fresh and savory rather than salty. Crisp-tender blanched beans stay bright and snappy under the sauce, while a double hit of golden fried onions — some baked in, most piled on at the end — keeps the topping shatteringly crisp. It is the classic holiday side, just better.
side-dishamericanthanksgiving -
Sweet Potato Pie
This Southern-style sweet potato pie bakes roasted sweet potatoes into a silky, custard-soft filling warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla under a flaky butter crust. Roasting instead of boiling drives off excess moisture, so the custard sets firm and tastes deeply of caramelized sweet potato rather than watered-down mash. It slices lighter than pumpkin pie and cuts clean once fully chilled.
dessertamericansouthern -
Creamy Corn Casserole
This creamy corn casserole lands somewhere between spoonbread and corn pudding: a soft, custardy middle packed with sweet kernels under a golden, lightly crisp top. Whole kernels give it pop, creamed corn and sour cream keep it lush, and a simple from-scratch cornmeal base means you skip the boxed mix without losing the easy stir-and-bake method. Everything comes together in one bowl in about ten minutes, and a moderate 175°C (350°F) oven sets the custard gently so it stays tender instead of drying out.
side-dishamericanholiday -
Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)
Olivier is the Russian potato salad that anchors every New Year's table: a creamy, tangy mosaic of pea-sized potatoes, carrots, eggs, ham, dill pickles, and sweet green peas folded into mustard-spiked mayonnaise. Boiling the potatoes and carrots whole in their skins keeps them firm and unwaterlogged, so every cube stays distinct instead of collapsing into mash. A short chill lets the pickle brine and dill pull the whole bowl together.
russiansaladmake-ahead -
Peanut Butter Fudge
Old-fashioned peanut butter fudge with a dense, melt-away texture and deep butterscotch-peanut flavor, made on the stovetop in about 20 minutes of hands-on work. Boiling brown sugar, butter, and milk for a full two minutes builds the classic candy structure, while beating in peanut butter and sifted powdered sugar off the heat keeps the fudge smooth and creamy instead of grainy. No candy thermometer required — just a timer and a sturdy spoon.
americandessertcandy -
Overnight Turkey Brine
A savory-sweet wet brine built on kosher salt, brown sugar, apple cider, citrus, and woodsy herbs that seasons a whole turkey from the inside out while it rests overnight in the refrigerator. The salt loosens muscle proteins so the bird holds onto its juices in the oven, which means moist breast meat even at a full 165°F. Simmer a small concentrate, chill it down with ice water, submerge the turkey for 12 to 16 hours, and you are set up for the juiciest roast of the year.
thanksgivingholidaymake-ahead -
Beef Brisket
A whole beef brisket rubbed with smoky spices, seared hard, then braised low and slow in the oven on a bed of onions until it slices like butter. Because brisket is packed with collagen, the long covered bake at a gentle 300°F melts all that connective tissue into gelatin, giving you deeply beefy, fork-tender slices and a built-in onion pan sauce — no smoker required.
americanmain-coursecomfort-food -
Ambrosia Salad
Ambrosia salad is the pastel-hued Southern potluck classic: juicy mandarin oranges, pineapple, and cherries folded with mini marshmallows and coconut in a lightly sweetened, tangy cream. Whipping real cream and folding it into sour cream gives you a dressing that is billowy but stable, while draining the canned fruit hard keeps the salad scoopable instead of soupy. A two-hour chill lets the marshmallows soften and the flavors mellow into that unmistakable creamy-fluffy texture.
no-cookmake-aheadpotluck -
Sugar Cookie Dough
A soft, buttery cut-out dough that rolls like a dream and bakes into pale-gold cookies with crisp edges and tender middles. Creaming the butter only until smooth — not fluffy — plus a full hour of chilling keeps the whipped-in air to a minimum, so your stars and snowflakes hold their sharp edges instead of puffing and spreading. The vanilla-almond flavor is classic bakery-case sugar cookie, sturdy enough for royal icing but delicate enough to eat plain.
americandessertbaking