Grandpa Baird's Peach 'n Onion Hot Sauce

Matt's popular hot sauce makes an excellent hostess gift or stocking stuffer! - 37 Cooks

Holiday Cookies

We have a small family, but we are rich in friends. The highlight of my Thanksgiving weekends is NOT the big turkey dinner, which at my house may end up being a small chicken supper. No, the highlight is the Thanksgiving Weekend Community Cookie Bake at my house.

It's usually held on Sunday - the day when most people can attend. Our mission is to bake as many cookies of as many different types as we can, and have fun while doing it. We invite all our friends to take part. People can bring a batch of dough for their favorite cookie, or just an ingredient. If you bring something, you get to take cookies home - it's that simple.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Chantilly

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, a dusting of cinnamon, and a gingersnap cookie!

Butterscotch Pumpkin Chantilly
by Judy

1 1/2 cups milk
1 small (3.4 ounce) package. butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus a little more for dusting when serving
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
one pint whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Gingersnap cookies, for serving

Coconut Meringue Pie

Although this may not be the pie found at the top of the holiday culinary list, it is first choice for my 37 Cooks Holiday Challenge. In the Monsivaiz home, this creamy coconut custard nestled inside a homemade flaky crust and adorned with a mile high, melt-in-your-mouth meringue is the most coveted dessert at our holiday table. We owe this to my husband and, if truth be told, his mama, Gloria Jean, deserves the credit for this nontraditional tradition. 

Tomtastic Spatchcocked Turkey

How to cook a turkey is a serious matter, usually one of family tradition. Most people have chosen a camp in the stuffed-versus-unstuffed or breast-up-versus-breast-down war. They have schedules of how early to get up to put the turkey in or how often to baste. There are cherished recipes for herb butters and gravies and you do...not...deviate from the cherished recipe.

Almond Joy Candy

Some of you are preparing for a family or neighborhood cookie exchange. Why now change it up and bring some homemade candy like this one Amy made? Looks delicious! - 37 Cooks



Almond Joy Candy
by Amy
adapted from Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur

makes about 36 bars

5 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
14 ounces shredded coconut
24 ounces milk chocolate chips
1 cup whole almonds

Homemade Compound Butters

My family always goes kind of overboard for the holidays. The meals, the gifts, the decorating; everything is done to excess. For us and for many, it’s a time to go above and beyond what you would normally do. This also makes it a very busy time, which is why making homemade butter for your holiday meal is a great trick.

News!

Susan's Eggs in a Nest was accepted on Foodgawker, Tastespotting and Yumgoggle and that's a big deal! Congratulations, Susan! These good looking eggs are the most popular recipe on our blog right now!  

Chicken 'N Dumplings

This southern dish is loved by all who sample it and is a great way to use your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers! - 37 Cooks

Chicken 'N Dumplings
by Lesia

Note: This recipe will make enough to feed a small army, so adjust your ingredient amounts to the portion size you want. Since I always make these for a whole mess of people at a time, this is the recipe I always stick to.

Roasted Garlic & Leek Dressing

This is a great, light dressing for the holidays. Vegetarian as it stands, could easily be made vegan with the omission of cheese. I used Monk's Wholegrain Bread this time around and it added a nice nuttiness to the dressing. It's a great way to use up all sorts of stale bread odds and ends!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There is something about the crispness in the air on Thanksgiving, the beautiful colors and pleasant aromas of fall that make my little heart happy. To me, this dessert embraces fall and I look forward to making it every year.

Limoncello

I know that eggnog is the traditional holiday drink along with mulled wine or hot cider, but with the rich, heavy meals that often occur during the holidays, I like to go with a bit of limoncello to lighten things up. It’s kind of like having a bit of sorbet to cleanse the palate  with an alcoholic kick. It’s bright, and it brings a bit of sunshine to the end or beginning of a holiday meal. And hey, here in Syracuse, we need all the sunshine you can get during the winter months.

Raspberry Bread

This is an amazingly moist and flavorful bread. The original recipe calls for roasted almonds, but the DH is not a nut fan. I omitted them and got some of that flavor by adding almond extract. This is a wonderful bread to do during the holidays because of the gift factor. Everyone loves baked goods and this is easy to put together with any type of fruit that you may have saved at its height of availability.

Thanksgiving and Bacon

Check out BuzzFeed's article, "50 Thanksgiving Foods Full of Bacon", folks! You don't want to omit bacon from your Thanksgiving menu now do you? How about #45...it's our cook Sandra's Apple-Bacon Pie with Gingersnap Crust!

We are thrilled when our cooks' recipes are featured in print or on the Internet. Check the Press tab for more interesting articles about out cooks!

Mac and Cheese Teet's Style

Susan R-H says of this dish, "In our house, "Mac and Cheese" is a snow day comfort food treat." Why don't you make this a snowy day dish in your house this holiday season? - 37 Cooks


Mac and Cheese Teet's Style
by Susan R-H

16 ounces DeCecco cavatappi pasta

10 ounces shredded fontal cheese
6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup of combined shredded cheeses reserved for breadcrumb topping
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
12 ounces Teet's Smoked Garlic Pork Sausage, casing removed, sliced 1/2 inch thick, then quartered.
6 Tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the casserole dish
1/3 cup diced shallot (small dice)
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (I prefer whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
4 cups whole milk, close to room temperature
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes with Meringue Topping

Every year at Thanksgiving, while I was growing up, my mother would make 'sweet potato' casserole. Maybe your mom did too? I soon learned it wasn't 'sweet potato' at all, but instead candied yams. (You know, those things you see in the vegetable aisle next to the canned beans and okra. And no, they aren't the same thing.) Then, I started wondering if this was what everyone else was making instead of good ol' sweet potatoes.

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

This, my dear friends, is a recipe that my baby brother learned to make back when he took a home ec class in high school. It was the first thing he ever baked and my mom was SO proud of him! It is simple, but it's a nice addition to the dessert table during the holidays. And it travels well, so no big deal if you're going over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house! It is now a staple at our family get-togethers. Hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do. Cheers!

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

There are so many opportunities to cook for parties over the holidays and these flautas made with small tortillas or cut in half and served with guacamole would make an excellent appetizer! - 37 Cooks

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas
by Lauren

These baked flautas are by far the most popular recipe I've ever created, and it’s for good reason – they’re fantastic and one of my personal favorites. By baking instead of frying, sneaking in some vegetables, and doing a neat trick with the tortillas, they’re definitely a fresher take on a classic dish.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4)

16 ounces beer (or chicken broth)

2 cups water

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

3 cups baby spinach, chopped

5 burrito-size flour tortillas (9 inches)

6 ounces Queso Quesadilla or other melting cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon olive oil, or cooking spray

Salsa, for serving

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Great news! Both Rachael's and Gary's recipes from the Davidson's Egg Challenge were highlighted on the Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs facebook page! Congrats y'all!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes

These delicious cupcakes are a customer favorite from La Dolce Vita Cakery! They are great either warm or cold, and are the perfect dessert during the fall holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas (if you want, you can also call them muffins and have one for breakfast, hehe.)

A Note from Jenny

About two months ago, I was asked permission by NFCA (National Foundation for Celiac Awareness) if they could submit one of my recipes among others, which were created with a gluten-free fall-inspired recipes download, to be published by Ahold USA, (the company behind the grocery stores Giant and Stop & Shop.) The NFCA chose my Zucchini Muffins recipe! If you click the "gluten-free recipes" image on the top right on this page and go to the last recipe you'll see mine :)

Classic Pecan Pie Bars

When I think of Thanksgiving desserts I think of pecan pie. Growing up, I remember my dad having his very own pie and thinking, “That must be some good pie!” Boy is it.

Holiday Smoked Ponce, Rice and Gravy, A Cajun Holiday Tradition

Here in South Louisiana, especially in Ville Platte, the holiday season means food. Really good food. For as long as I can remember, whenever our family got together for a holiday we had smoked ponce and many other types of delicious foods. Cooking smoked ponce for a holiday is a tradition that is very strong here in Ville Platte. This is how I cook a smoked ponce, and I know you will love it.

Meet Tonda!

Hi there! My name is Tonda, and I’m so excited to be a part of this group.

My love for cooking started at the age of six, when my older sister taught me how to make my first grilled cheese. From that moment on, I was hooked! I was my dad’s helper in the kitchen always eager to prep, stir, and sample the creation of the evening. My dad was an excellent self-taught cook. Everything that he made was delicious!