Holiday Recipes: Our Crew's Family Favorites (2024)

“Christmas just wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have ______.” Fill in the blank. For some families it might be a special holiday cookie or bread, for others it’s a traditional standing rib roast, Grandma’s lutefisk and lefse, or a delicious “We only make this at Christmas” dessert.

It might be amazingly simple, it might be forbiddingly complex, but the absence of one of these family-favorite foods would leave a big hole in the celebration of a holiday.

I looked to our magazine family for a few of their favorites.

For Subscription Coordinator Nancy Johnson, one of those family favorite holiday recipes is Popcorn Salad. “The recipe came from my sister-in-law’s mother’s grandmother,” explains Nancy. “It certainly is a different way to use popcorn. We always get requests for the recipe, and I’m happy to share it. Everybody likes it … and expects it at the holidays.”

Another Johnson family tradition is Nancy’s Super Easy Cheesecake. “I bring the cheesecake and serve it with bowls of optional toppings like strawberries, blueberries, hot fudge and caramel.

“We like it,” Nancy adds, “because it’s not as heavy as other cheesecakes.”

For some families, holiday recipes are a matter of long-standing tradition.

“My Grandma Branstrom always made sandbakkels, and she taught us girls,” says Siiri Branstrom, Lake Superior Magazine’s marketing coordinator. Sandbakkels are Norwegian butter cookies pressed into small forms and baked. “I think I was 12 when I got my official sandbakkel tins,” says Siiri, who still has those originals.

With sandbakkels, good form comes with years of practice.

“It takes a while to get it right,” advises Siiri. “You have to press the dough into the tin until you can see through it. My son is learning how to make sandbakkels, and while we’re baking together, he’ll show me the tin he’s working on and ask, ‘Is this good yet, Mom?’ And I’ll say ‘Nope. Keep pressing.”

Not too long ago Siiri’s family decided to downsize their holiday baking.

“We asked everyone to choose their top three cookies.” Sandbakkels were in no danger. “It was on everyone’s list.

“If we didn’t make sandbakkels,” Siiri adds, “there would be much pouting.”

As for my own family, my mother and I celebrate the holidays with lutefisk every year, even though the dish very nearly lead to my not being on this planet at all.

My father, a nice young man of Czech heritage, came courting my mother during the holidays while lutefisk was baking in the oven. My grandparent’s old farm house had low ceilings, and the steam from the cooking pooled there.

When the door opened my father was hit by a powerful wave of fish-smelling steam. This tough U.S. Marine, who had fought against the Japanese across the islands of the Pacific during World War II, stood frozen on the doorstep.

Luckily for me, he powered through, although in all their years of marriage he never did try the lutefisk.

His loss, Mom and I always say. So for Dad and his grandchildren, the holidays mean ham and their favorite, “It’s not the holidays without” cheesy potatoes. I’ve shared the potato recipe here.

I hope that one of these recipes will join your family favorites and start a new tasty tradition.

Cheesy Potatoes

• 1 pkg. (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 c. sour cream
• 2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• dash of white pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese, onion powder, and white pepper.

Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Siiri’s Sandbakkels

Makes 3 to 4 dozen

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 2-1/2 c. flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add flour to create workable, not-too-sticky dough. You may need to add more if the dough sticks to your hands.

Roll dough into ball approximately 1-1/2 inches in diameter and press to the bottom of sandbakkel tin. Press dough upward until the entire interior is covered and dough is transparent, but with no holes. This should be done over the bowl so you don’t waste any of the dough.

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350° F, until golden. Let cool and remove gently from tins by tipping them over and tapping the bottom. Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on how thin you get your cookies.

Nancy’s Popcorn Salad

As a side dish, feeds our family of 8

• 6 c. popcorn, popped (or use 1 bag of Old Dutch White Gourmet Popcorn)
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (I prefer1 bunch, but my sister uses 2)
• 2 c. celery, chopped
• 2 cans (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, chopped
• 2 lbs. of cooked bacon, crumbled (or use real bacon bits or even small cubes of ham)
• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Dressing

• 2 c. mayonnaise
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together popcorn, green onions, celery, bacon, water chestnuts and shredded cheese. Just before serving mix together the popcorn mixture with the dressing.

Super Simple Cheesecake

• 1 graham cracker crust (I buy it)
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip

Mix cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar together really well and fold into the Cool Whip.

Refrigerate for at least one hour. Add whatever topping on topping you prefer or put out a “sundae bar” and let individuals choose. Super easy, but even the kids like this one.

Juli Kellner hosts “WDSE Cooks” for WDSE-WIRT TV in Duluth.