Dear Dartmouth, 

We wanted to share with everyone our favorite recipes from this time of year. Every family has different dishes that, to them, signals a time for Christmas lights or blustery days or merriment and togetherness. Below, you’ll find some recipes from our editors and contributers that we hope you’ll enjoy! 

Abby Smith’s “The Best Southern Cheese Grits

Grits are a staple in southern food. They are cheap and filling and are incredibly versatile. This recipe is one I’ve worked on for years with a secret ingredient the ladies at my church bug me about (it’s sour cream, surprise!). Like all southern food, it’s not healthy at all, but this dish is one of my family’s favorite sides for shrimp, fried okra, eggs, you name it. Some ingredients are written as a range because as my grandma says, “The best soul food is measured with your heart.”

Ingredients:

4 cups instant grits, cooked
1 stick butter, diced, maybe more if you want
1 – 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated by hand for best results)
3/4 – 1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 – 1 cups heavy cream
Chili powder to taste (optional)

How to make it:

1. Cook instant grits completely according to package instructions and stir constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to avoid clumps. You will be stirring non-stop throughout the entire cooking process.
2. Add the butter slowly until completely melted. Next, alternate adding cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream until desired taste is reached. Do not add more of anything until what you’ve just added is completely combined, or you’ll end up with lumps. The sour cream is essential to balancing the sharp cheddar, so continue adjusting until neither overpowers. Also, don’t add too much heavy cream or your grits will be runny.
3. Serve when it tastes amazing and is thick enough to coat a metal spoon. If serving with shrimp, add chili powder to taste. You won’t regret it. :)

Sarah Jewett’s Waffles

This is a recipe (adapted from Better Homes and Garden 1989) that my family has made on sleepy Saturday mornings, after sleepovers and when we have guests over since I was little! They don’t take buttermilk or any fancy ingredients, just stuff you probably already have (and you can make these into fluffy pancakes if you don’t have a waffle iron). They’re crispy, light, and can take any toppings like a champ! I love baking and this is a recipe that never fails.

Ingredients:

Serves 4–6

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or 50% whole wheat and 50% all purpose)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk of your choice
1/2 cup cooking oil (I use vegetable, but olive or any other would work)
2 egg whites

How to make it:

1. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly. Beat in milk and oil into egg yolks. Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture all at once; stir until just combined but still slightly lumpy.
2. In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
3. Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. Don’t overmix! (You want the airiness and volume from the egg whites.)
4. Pour batter onto grids of pre-heated, lightly greased waffle iron. Close the lid quickly, and do not open during baking. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions; you’re lookin for that GBD – Golden Brown Delicious. Depending on the size of your waffles, this will probably make 4-6 servings!
My favorite toppings: chocolate chips, berries, whipped cream, banana + PB, anything goes.

Note: The article’s featured image shows these delicious waffles!

Sanjana Dugar’s Vegan Potato Leek Soup

There’s scarcely anything better on a cold winter’s night than a bowl of hot, hearty soup. Potato leek is such a classic combination, and the addition of fresh herbs to the pot really ups the flavor of this soup. If you’re looking for comfort in a bowl, this is it!

Ingredients:

For 2 servings
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2–3/4 cup chopped leeks (use the whites)
3 tbsp. white wine
1–2 sprigs rosemary (use less if you don’t like herby flavors)
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 vegetable bullion cube
2.5 cups of water (more if you want a more watery soup)
Salt, pepper, chili flakes to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup unsweetened vegan yogurt

How to make it:

1. To a large-bottomed pot, add a few spoonfuls of olive oil. When hot, add in the leeks and garlic and saute on medium heat until they become fragrant and the leeks look slightly carmelized, about 2 minutes. Throw in the diced potatoes, rosemary (the entire sprig, not chopped!), and chopped thyme along with black pepper and saute for one more minute. Then pour in the white wine and saute until the wine has completely evaporated, about 4 minutes.
2. While the wine is evaporating, heat up a little bit of water until hot and dissolve the bouillon cube in it. Add remaining water and, ensuring the pot is on medium heat, cover the pot and bring the soup to boil. Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until you can easily pierce a potato with with a fork. Take out the rosemary sprig and any leaves that may have fallen off as they don’t blend well.
3. Allow the soup to cool a bit before blending the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender. Add the blended soup back to the pot and taste. Add salt and chili flakes. If you want a thicker and creamier soup, add in the yogurt and stir until no lumps remain.
4. Garnish with croutons or kale chips and serve hot!

Allison Wachen’s Baked Apples

This is a tasty and healthy side dish for any meal. It requires few ingredients and is easy to make. It is great to serve at a family gathering or typical family dinner.

Ingredients:

9 or more Gala apples
Cranberry juice
Golden raisins
Cinnamon

How to make it:

1. Slice apples into thin wedges, leaving the skin on.
2. Place apples into low rectangle pyrex dish. Add raisins for taste. Pour in about an inch of cranberry juice. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of apples.
3. Cover with Saran wrap and put in microwave or about 20 minutes on high and mix about halfway through cooking. Cool and eat cold.

Lucas Joshi’s Strawberry Shortcake Cake (yes, two times!)

The most amazing thing about this dessert is how easy it is to mess it up! I would keep it in the freezer for not enough time, for too much time, or forget the strawberries all together. Soon this cake took on its own fan base (by my math class in high school!) for just how many times I would bring in yet another off-the-recipe version. And still, even with all of the mistakes and the too-many’s and the not-enough’s, it brought together our small class and remains our little inside joke to this day. When I think of a life filled with love and laughter, I think of this strawberry shortcake cake.

For you, the iconic strawberry shortcake cake may or may not be the dessert that evokes your fondest memories of love, joy, and friendship. But for whatever dish that may be, hold on to it and never let go.

Ingredients:

Vanilla cake mix, 1/2 of the bag
Vegetable oil, eggs, water (use the directions from the back of the cake box and reduce the quantity to half, since we are only using half of the bag)
1 sleeve of graham crackers
1/2 pound strawberries
1/2 block cream cheese
1/2–1 can sweetened and condensed milk
1 container cool whip 1 container

How to make it:

1. First, find any rectangular cake pan you have in the kitchen, any kind is fine! Spray the bottom of the pan and the sides with a non-stick spray. Lay graham crackers (broken up into individual or longer pieces) on the entire bottom of the pan. This will form the crust.
2. Next, use 1/2 of a vanilla cake mix bag. Follow the instructions of the given box (water, vegetable oil, eggs, etc.), but make sure to reduce their quantities to half. After you have thoroughly mixed the cake batter, pour on top of the graham crackers you have placed so neatly and beautifully in the pan. Then, bake the cake according to the instructions on that particular box. Be cautious here, it will take less time to book because it is only half of the original quantity. Make sure to monitor the oven closely!
3. Take the cake out of the oven and allow to cool for just a little bit. Using the end of a spatula, a wooden spoon, (or something along those lines!) poke 16 holes into the cake in a 4 by 4 pattern.
4. Now for our delicious strawberry filling! Wash and cut strawberries into small pieces (the smaller they are, the easier they will be to mash!). Place into mixing bowl. Add one half of a block of softened cream cheese to the strawberries. Finally, pour between one half to one whole can of sweetened and condensed milk, depending on your sweetness preference! First mash the mixture, and then continue to strongly mix until arriving at a purée like consistency. Stir in 2/3 cup of milk. Pour the mixture over the cooled cake, making sure to fill the poked holes and creating a thin layer on top of the whole cake. Make sure to leave about one inch of room on top!
5. Lastly, spread one whole container of Cool Whip over the cake. If you can, try not to mix the cool whip with the strawberry mixture below. Intricate layers are a truly beautiful thing! Chill in the freezer for 3 hours. Do not freeze overnight! I’ve learned that the hard way…
6. When serving, allow 10-15 minutes for the cake to defrost just a tad bit! Cut into slices (big or small) and serve with a glass of strawberry milk and a smile :)

Allison Wachen’s Sugar Cookies

You can use this sugar cookie recipe to make cookies in theme for any holiday. My family typically uses sprinkles to decorate the cookies. If you can, I recommend buying fun cookie cutters to use when making these cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

How to make it:

1. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Stir to blend well.
2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently for one minute. Shape dough into a 1/2 inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 4 pieces and wrap in plastic to refrigerate for 3 hours to 1 day.
3. Let dough soften at room temperature before rolling out on a floured surface. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8 thickness. Space 1 inch apart. Decorate cookies as desired with sprinkles and chocolate chips.
4. Position rack in center of preheated 350 oven. Butter large baking sheet. Bake until light brown, about 11-13 minutes. Take out and let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to coo completely.

Ana Marquez Pereda’s Ensalada de manzana 

My grandmother always hated cooking, so she always favored simple recipes. This apple salad, a classic Mexican Christmas dessert, was one of the recipes that my mom learned from her. Although it is by no means original, it is by all means delicious, and something my sister and I have always helped my mom make on Christmas Eve in preparation for that night’s big Christmas dinner.

Ingredients:

6 apples
20 oz of pineapple chunks
2 cups of cream
1 cup of walnuts
2-3 1 oz boxes of raisins
1/4 cup of sugar
Half a bag of tiny (preferably fruit-flavored!) marshmallows

How to make it:

1. Peel the apples, and chop them into cubes. Place them into the bowl.
2. Drain the pineapple can and place the chunks into the bowl. Add 1 cup of sour cream, 1 box of raisins, and 1/2 cup of walnuts (crushed, if desired) and stir.
3. Add some marshmallows by the handful.
4. Taste the mixture! It’s definitely more of an art than a science, and you can try adding sugar if the pineapple is too sour or if the apples are too tart – the 1/4 cup usually does it.
5. Add extra ingredients as you please! Some people like more raisins or marshmallows or walnuts than others, so add more of the ingredients you want. If you add more ingredients, you’ll also need more cream so it’s not too dry.
6. Enjoy! You can place any leftovers in the fridge and they’ll be good for two days or so – I always enjoy eating the salad as a fun breakfast when opening my Christmas presents the next day :)

Alison Wachen’s Chocolate Chip Cake

My family enjoys making this cake for different holidays. We like to use different shaped bundt cake pans to customize the cake for the specific holiday. This is an easy-to-make recipe that tastes great. You can decorate the top of the cake with icing, though this is not usually necessary because of the chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 pint sour cream
1 12 oz. package chocolate chips
1/2 cup vegetable oil

How to make it:

1. To a bowl, add all ingredients except the chocolate chips and stir for 10 minutes, until well-combined and few lumps remain.
2. In a greased baking pan, pour half of the batter, half of chocolate chips, then pour the other half of the batter, and finally the rest of the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Let cool before serving, and enjoy!

Sanjana Dugar’s Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffles

My ideal desserts are rich, fudgy, and intesely chocolate. These truffles check all those boxes! My whole family loves them and everyone’s shocked by how easy they are to make. It took me a couple of tries to get the consistency right, but now they’re much like any fresh truffle you’ll find in grocery stores. If you’re not vegan, feel free to substitutie the ingrediants with their dairy versions.

Ingredients:

Heaping ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil
¼ cup thick vegan yogurt, plain (I use cashew yogurt)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 heaping tbsp oat or almond flour, super fine
1-2 tbsp cacao nibs or nuts, optional
Pinch cinnamon
Additional cocoa powder for dusting

How to make it:

1. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in an oven-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second increments until completely melted.
2. In another bowl, add yogurt, cocoa powder, oat flour, cacao nibs, and cinnamon and stir. To this, stir in the the melted chocolate until fully incorporated. This is easiest when the yogurt is room temperature, which will prevent the chocolate from seizing.
3. Place the mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes. The mixture should harden.
4. After 30 minutes, spread a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder on a plate. Scoop ½–1 tbsp portions of the truffle mixture and roll into a ball, then roll onto the cocoa powder so the truffle is covered. Repeat with all truffle batter.
5. Place in a container and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight (preferred). Enjoy! Store in the freezer.

Attiya Khan’s Rose Hot Chocolate

This drink is a twist on normal hot chocolate, including creamer for a thicker texture, and rose syrup, as is popular in my parents’ native Pakistan. Rose is an extremely popular flavor and can be found in the form of ice creams, sodas, cakes, and all other sweets. This drink will work perfectly fine with an brand of hot chocolate, creamer, or rose syrup; the brands mentioned here are just my personal favorites. Be careful with the rose syrup and taste test to gauge your preference!

Ingredients:

Serves one
8 oz. water/milk
1/4 cup Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Powder
1 tbsp. Coffee Mate French Vanilla Creamer
1-2 tbsp. rose syrup (to taste)

How to make it:

1. Bring water/milk to a low boil.
2. Mix in hot chocolate powder and whisk until well combined.
3. Bring to a rapid boil for 3-5 seconds and then remove from heat.
4. Add creamer and rose syrup, then whisk drink to combine.
5. Pour into mug and serve!

Sanjana Dugar’s Vegan Masala Chai

Everyone knows and loves chai, a milky and creamy black tea flavored with bold and warm spices. When I became vegan, this was one of the drinks I missed a lot because no matter what I did and which plant milk I used, my vegan chai would split or separate and turn into a bitter mess. After many attempts and a lot of help from online blogs, I finally came up with a perfect vegan chai recipe that can be customized based on the spices you have on hand and the flavor profiles you love. Hope you enjoy it, especially on a cold day! You can switch up the spices to include nutmeg, fresh black pepper, or anise if you want, or scale them down or up depending on how masaledar (spice-full) you want your chai. Recipe adapted from Vegan Richa’s vegan chai.

Ingredients:

Serves 1–2
1 cup water
1 cup plant milk (I’ve found that almond and oat, or a combination of the two, work best)
2 tsp. looseleaf black tea, Darjeeling preferred
1/4 tsp ginger powder or 1/2 inch fresh ginger, crushed or chopped
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. crushed cardamom
2 cloves
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Sugar to taste
Optional: one pinch saffron

How to make it:

1. To a pot on medium heat, add the water along with tea, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger. Bring up to a boil and steep until the water turns a cherry brown, about 1–2 minutes.
2. To ensure the milk doesn’t split, use one hand to pour in the milk a little bit at a time, taking breaks in between, and with the other hand continuously stir. Add sugar or maple syrup to sweeten.
3. Keep stirring for one to two minutes longer, then take off heat. (If you wait too long, the tea leaves will turn bitter and the mixtures might split.) Stir in vanilla and pass the tea through a mesh strainer directly into cups for serving. Add a few strands of saffron on top and enjoy!
4. Chai is traditionally eaten with small cookies and a variety of crunchy, flavorful salted snacks. If you have an Indian store near you, it’s worth a visit to pick up a few snacks to eat with your chai! My favorites are elaichi sooji rusk, aloo samosa, and Nice biscuits.

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