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Favorite Holiday Foods

Marissa Poggio

Holiday season is finally here, which means presents, family, and of course, great food. A nice way to show appreciation towards family members during the holiday season is to bring along a tray of desserts or a side dish to share with everybody. Whether you need suggestions on what to bring to your family member’s house, or you just need a few ideas on some food dishes, here are some options.

Corinnna Sacchetta, a junior  Speech Pathology major, has a recipe for apple  cinnamon muffins.  These are a delicious winter snack that is perfect for the holiday season.  Here’s what you need:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat or white)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt 
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 apples – peeled, cored, & chopped

topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter cubed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

 

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix oil, egg, and milk. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling to the top of the cup. In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over unbaked muffins. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Professor Veronika Dolar, an Economics professor from Slovenia shared a recipe for goose with the Pioneer.  In Slovenia the people celebrate a holiday called St. Martin’s day.  It is a tradition on this day to eat goose.  Trying new foods this season is a great way to get into the holiday spirit!

Ingredients:

2 kg goose or duck
salt and paper to taste
1 tablespoon oregano, chopped fine
2 to 3 apples, peeled and cut fine
1 cup roasted Italian chestnuts, chopped and divided into two ½ cup portions
1 cup water
1 bottle of beer
1 tablespoon spice mixture (try to find Vegeta or Začinka)
1 tablespoon starch
2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Procedure:

Wipe goose or duck with damp paper cloth inside and outside and rub all over with salt and pepper. Let it stand overnight. Mix well apples, ½ cup of chestnuts, and bread crumbs and stuff the goose or duck. Sew up the cavity. Pour some water in the roaster, cover with a rack and place the goose or duck on it. Roast in 350° oven for about 90 to 120 minutes. Baste and turn it occasionally. Finally, when the goose or duck is brown, sprinkle it with mixture of beer and a pinch of salt. The skin becomes crispy. Remove the goose or duck, sift the gravy and bring it to a boil. Add ½ cup chestnuts, spice mixture and some broth and thicken gravy with starch. Mix well.

 

Staci Palacino, a freshman Childhood Education major, eats seafood on Christmas as a tradition.  Her favorite meal is flounder stuffed with crabmeat.

Here is the recipe:

6 slices of flounder

3 cups of Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing mix

4 tbl. butter

1 large onion chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 16 oz of lump crabmeat

sauce:

4 tbl butter

2 teas garlic powder

1 cup white wine

paprika

 

How to prepare it:

Clean and set aside flounder. In large pan sauté butter, onions and celery until soft. Add water according to package of stuffing mix, using 3 cups of stuffing. Follow directions on package to make the stuffing. When ready, add the crab meat and mix lightly.  Taking the flounder add about 2 tablespoons of stuffing mixture to center of flounder and roll. Place in a glass oven safe dish using Pam non stick spray on bottom.  Continue to do all pieces. In small pot on stove melt 4 tbls butter, 2 teas. garlic powder and 1 cup of white wine. Simmer for few minutes, then pour over flounder. Sprinkle with paprika…cover in foil and bake on 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until flounder is cooked and flakey.

 

Lastly, my personal favorite holiday dessert is oreo truffles.  They are extremely easy to make, and they serve as a great gift! All you need is 1 package of oreo cookies, 1 package (2 squares) of cream cheese, and melted chocolate.  In order to make them, keep the cream cheese at room temperature, mash the oreos into crumbs using a food processor, and then mix the oreos into the cream cheese and roll it all together into little balls.  Keep the balls in the freezer, and if you wish you can dip them into melted chocolate to make your truffles look extra delightful.

Make this holiday season even better by cooking and trying new things.  Happy Cooking!

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