Holidays recipes

Slow-cooker smoked ham simmered in port wine and broth with plump golden raisins. An easy hands-off holiday main with rich, fruity depth.

Sharp cheddar sesame cheese ball with Worcestershire sauce, pimentos, and scallions, rolled in toasted sesame seeds. A make-ahead appetizer for parties and holidays.

Roasted cranberry chicken, seared then oven-roasted chicken breasts served with a tangy-sweet homemade cranberry sauce simmered with thyme and brown sugar. An easy, elegant fall and holiday dinner.

Scalloped corn deluxe casserole with fresh corn kernels, sharp cheddar, rose wine bechamel, and a buttery cracker-crumb topping. A retro side dish with serious holiday-table presence.

Poppy seed ravioli cookies filled with a blended almond-poppy seed-honey filling, folded like tiny ravioli, and brushed with honey after baking. A unique holiday cookie project.

Mint-chocolate brownies with a fudgy crumb and cool peppermint punch, built from melted mint morsels stirred straight into the batter. Easy one-bowl dessert for the holidays or any day.

Traditional Sicilian fig cookies stuffed with ground figs, dates, raisins, walnuts, and orange, then iced and topped with colored sugar. Makes 10 dozen for the holiday cookie tray.

Fattigmann (Norwegian poor man's cookies): crisp, cardamom-scented diamond pastries fried until pale gold and dusted with powdered sugar. A holiday tradition from Scandinavian baking.

Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate with a smooth peanut butter and powdered sugar center coated in a semi-sweet chocolate shell. A no-bake candy similar to Buckeyes that's a holiday favorite and makes 4 dozen.

A two-layer cake with one vanilla and one spiced layer (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) topped with fluffy brown sugar seafoam icing. This vintage-style cake is a showstopper for holidays and special occasions.

A whole roasted turkey basted in oyster liquor and butter, stuffed with a Southern cornbread dressing loaded with chopped oysters, pecans, mushrooms, and giblets. This is the holiday bird that earns a place at the head of the table.

Turketti casserole bakes leftover turkey or chicken with broken spaghetti, cream of mushroom soup, and bubbly melted cheddar. The best way to use up holiday turkey in one cozy, crowd-pleasing dish.

Classic Chex party mix with mixed cereal, pretzel sticks, and salted nuts baked in melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt. The original addictive holiday snack mix.

Adorable Christmas tree cakes cut from a sheet cake, frosted with green cream cheese icing, and decorated with candies, sprinkles, and little candy trunks. A fun holiday baking project with kids.

Christmas surprise cookies: brown sugar drop cookies with a hidden jam center and a dusting of sweet coconut on top. A vintage holiday thumbprint for the cookie tin.

Peppernuts cookies with ground raisins, coconut, and nuts in a brown sugar-buttermilk dough, rolled into ropes and cut into bite-sized pieces. A Mennonite holiday tradition.