What Did You Cook Over the Holidays?

Welcome back to The Kitchn! After a long holiday break we're ready to talk good home cooking with you again. But first — a look back at the holidays. What did you end up cooking, giving, and enjoying?

We ended up making several batches of that salted pistachio brittle, a recipe and Holiday Guest Post from Kristin of The Kitchen Sink. So delicious, and it was definitely enjoyed by family and friends.

What about you? How did your holiday cooking go? What food gifts did you end up making, and what were your holiday meals like? Tell us about the recipes that you tried and loved, and the things you'd like to make traditions.

(Image: Kristin of The Kitchen Sink)

Comments (25)

Food gifts included 9 different kinds of cookies, peanut brittle, praline crunch squares, plain and espresso truffles, chocolate covered candied almonds, and chocolate boxes.

Christmas desserts, in addition to some of the above, were a pumpkin cheesecake and linzer tart.

And then I slept for a week.

This wasn't necessarily holiday related, but I made really good Roasted Brussels sprouts with Gorgonzola on top.

Mostly, just ate regular food and went out with friends.
For New Year's Eve, I made the Famous Russian Potato salad that has potatoes, eggs, carrots, pickles, peas, etc etc: lasts several days and is so good!

I made Cinnamon Bun caramel corn to give away as gifts. Other goodies included gingerbread biscotti, gingerbread cake, oreo truffles, pumpkin coffee cake, and nanaimo bars. I took a chocolate chip cheesecake to my family's Christmas Eve celebration (the recipe was perfection), and then I hosted the Christmas morning breakfast which included biscuits and sausage gravy, deviled eggs, fruit salad, and blueberry muffins (all homemade). I cooked A LOT over the holiday, it was great!

Gifts consisted of a spicy nut brittle, some of that almond buttercrunch/toffee-like bark stuff (What is it really called? Couldn't tell ya.), and the kids helped with some chocolate dipped pretzels w/nonpareils.

And I threw in some of those lace-chocolate-filled-brussels-type cookies from IKEA because I cook but I hate baking. Ask me which recipe people asked for the most. Yep. I think people are so used to the taste of store bought cookies/candy that homemade is completely foreign to them.

What didn't I cook, with a steady stream of houseguests over a six day period?

My biggest undertaking was 13 pounds of beef roast which was turned into 4 1/2 pounds pounds of delicious jerky for two sons, a husband, two brothers, a friend or two and a coach. I do it every year.

Not Derby Pie's goat cheesecake, christmas cookies and then fondue for New Years. Awesome on all counts.

No food gifts this year but once I got home it was lots of soups. And I might give some of that away so I have more freezer room for soup. MMM soup. (It's double digits below zero soup and blankets are the appropriate response.)

I made chipotle hummus and chocolate bark for the New Year's Eve party and pasta with pesto for a small dinner beforehand. For holiday relief, I turned to Indian food--this homemade Indian vegetarian feast hit the spot after rich foods.

I made Spinach Dip (a recipe from Gourmet) and wilted spinach (a recipe from Bon Appetit) for Christmas Dinner.
My dad got a waffle maker for Christmas and he made us fabulous Belgian Waffles the day after Christmas. YUM!

We didn't do too much celebrating for New Years, but I started my food project and blog on the 1st so I made cream puffs, english toffee and chocolate covered cherries this weekend. A little bit of sugar overload!

Not as much as usual, but a very rich chocolate buttermilk cake with mascarpone frosting for Christmas dinner, and I am planning to make a Gateau de Roi on Wednesday, which is super easy. I used to try and find them at the bakeries and they were always expensive. It's basically 2 rounds of puff pastry and some almond paste thinned a little. Oh yes, and a little prize inside!

I hosted a "post-Christmas Haunkah party" to make up for missing Hanukah the first time around. I made curried sweet potato latkes and home made applesauce, which came out really well. (Honey crisp granny smith brown sugar, lemon juice, maple syrup and lots of boiling.)

Then for NYE we made a roasted butternut squash soup with apples and celery. Yum!

Toffee, pepper jelly, salsa verde, pound cakes; for holiday party house gifts. The green walnut wine I expected to give was sort of disappointing so I didn't share it. It reminds me of Creomulsion, the children's cough syrup.

I made pickles (onions, dilly beans, asparagus and cauliflower) and red onion jam as gifts for my savory-loving friends, and dark chocolate peanut butter cups and peppermint bark cookies for my sweet-loving friends.

Our Persimmon Tree yielded just enough fruit for cookies. Scoop persimmons up while they are in season, and try this recipe. It is simply divine: http://bit.ly/67LWMV

I made two different kinds of fudge (chocolate and peanut butter with salted peanuts), pralines, sugared pecans, mexican fiesta dip mix, world peace cookies, hot cocoa mix, chocolate stirring spoons, caramels, and jam thumbprints. (These were all gifts)

My husband and me had many a fine meal during the holidays (it's just the two of us)-so, I cooked a lot. My favorite thing was the chocolate mint cake I made just before New Year's.

My attempts at baking are always disastrous, so I made the pictured pistachio brittle (thought: "hey! no baking!").

Alas, the results were still inedible.

Round one was somehow undercooked and dried in a heap before I could spread it over the pan, and round two -- apparently overcooked -- tasted like liquid smoke. Oops.

candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate and julia child chromosonal cookies (simple butter sugar pie/cookie dough rolled around a fig candied orange peel and apricot jam filling)

I made a pomegranate-glazed ham, latkes, and honey-roasted root vegetables for Christmas Eve dinner.

I didn't have a lot of time off from work, so I supplemented with store-bought desserts and rolls and other baked goods... but I felt so dirty serving them. Like I cheated or something! haha

I gave homemade gifts this year of homemade vanilla extract and homemade spice rub.

I baked three or four sequential apple pies and we had pie for breakfast for many days. It was awesome.

Pegassus: I'm with you - what didn't I cook (eat)? All of these posts look amazing...do you have any leftovers??? Geniuses! I took some photos and have some recipes here, including rib roast, pork wellington....http://www.zomppa.com/2009/12/28/holiday-2009-know-thy-limit/ Happy New Year!

I too had a pistachio brittle disaster... I thought the silicone measuring cup was heat safe, but apparently not after 13 minutes of boiling sugar in the microwave. 2nd batch worked out very well.

Also made about 6 or 700 truffles.

I've made so many of my Grandmother's German sugar cookies that I don't think I'll be able to think about a batch of dough for the next 6 months. They're always a hit, though, so I made a few hundred. I also couldn't resist trying the candied bacon recipe that was posted a while ago. Verdict: dangerously amazing.

I tried out the Pretzel Bites for a Christmas party which were a huge hit!

The usual Saltine Cracker toffee and some new cookie recipes from Martha's Cookies to give out as presents.

I also helped my mom make traditional Korean Mandu and Jap chae for New Year's which was a first!

My most interesting (and simple!) dish was campanelle with chestnut cream, but another good one was a sour cream coffee cake for the teachers at my toddler's school. The holidays provided a great excuse to make things I wouldn't normally make!

I finally got up the courage to make a buche de noel -- chocolate-hazelnut cake with hazelnut mousse and ganache frosting. I think I have a new holiday tradition. http://muchdependsondinner.blogspot.com/2009/12/buche-de-noel.html