Recipes: Holiday Favorites

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Joan Lunden

Holiday /

The holiday season is my favorite time of year! I love seeing towns lit up, giving gifts and spending time with family and friends. Oh! and another thing I love….seasonal recipes! Sugar and spice and everything nice, right? Yes! 

At my house, this Cornbread Pudding recipe is served at almost every family gathering. My daughter Lindsay and I first made it together a couple years ago and it instantly became a family favorite. I bought the ingredients and will be making two servings (to guarantee leftovers) in time for Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 can creamed corn
  • 1 can kernel corn (drained)
  • 1 pkg. Jiffy corn mix
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 stick butter (melted)
  • 2 beaten eggs

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan.
  • Mix both cans corn, 1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1/2 cup sour cream, and melted butter.  Then add beaten eggs to mixture.  Mix thoroughly using wooden spoon.  Pour in pan or glass dish (Pyrex).  
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when placed in center of pudding.  (You can pre-mix the ingredients and pour in pan to set aside until you're ready to bake!) 

Cranberries are used for pretty much everything this time of year; we eat them, we flavor our drinks with them and we even use them as decoration around our home. Their bright color and flavorful taste is an all around must have during the holiday season. This Cranberry Orange Scone recipe is so delicious - and a guaranteed hit amongst friends and family.  

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups of flour 
  • 3 teaspoons of sugar
  • 4 tsp of light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp of grated orange peel
  • 2.5 tsp of baking powder
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • ½ tsp of baking soda
  • ½ Cup of cold butter
  • 1 ½ cup of dried cranberries
  • ½ cup of orange juice
  • ¼ tsp of all spice
  • 3 tsp peach nectar 
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ of sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 can of butter flavored pam

Directions

  1. In a metal mixing bowl combine the flour, 7 teaspoons sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. In a small sauce pan, rehydrate the cranberries in the orange juice, peach nectar, vanilla extract and all spice- cool enough that the mixture will not break sour cream & egg once combined. Add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too sticky add 1 to 2 Tbsp of flour to resolve the issue
  2. On a floured surface, gently knead 6-8 times (over Kneading causes the scones to become tough). Pat dough into an 8-in. circle. Cut into 10 wedges. Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for approximately 10-20 minutes. Spray with pam or butter flavored cooking oil or simple melted butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven at 375° for 12-15 minutes (rotating the tray once at roughly 6 min for even distribution of the color) or until lightly browned.
  4. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to prevent further browning.

Note: remove scones from the tray or baking dish to prevent further browning on the bottom. Remember keeping baked product on the same baking tray removed from the oven, the cooking process continues until

I've always been a fan of mixed nuts, and this Winter Trail Mix recipe adds the perfect amount of sweet to my salty. This trail mix recipe is SO easy and takes just a minute or two to make! 

Ingredients:
(Amount of each based on personal preference)
  • Salted (or unsalted) peanuts
  • Salted (or unsalted) almonds 
  • Yogurt covered peanuts (or raisins - your choice!) 
  • Yogurt covered pretzels 
  • Salted maple crisps (If you don't like maple, replace with granola)
  • Butterscotch chips 
  • Cashews 
  • Craisins 
Directions
  1. Mix together in a large bowl! 
  2. ENJOY

These recipes can be made for any occasion, but for some reason they taste better to me when I make them during this special time of year. Enjoy! 

Categories: Food & Home, Holiday, Recipes
About The Author
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Joan Lunden truly exemplifies today’s modern working woman. An award-winning journalist, bestselling author, motivational speaker, successful entrepreneur, one of America’s most recognized and trusted television personalities, this mom of seven continues to do it all. As host of Good Morning America for nearly two decades, Lunden brought insight to top issues for millions of Americans each day. The longest running host ever on early morning television, Lunden reported from 26 countries, covered 4 presidents and 5 Olympics and kept Americans up to date on how to care for their homes, their families and themselves.

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