In this season of many holidays, we celebrate our traditions by making gifts and sharing food. Some of the strongest memories of life that we carry with us revolve around those times of celebration and connection. Join us as we visit the ETV Tape Vault for some gems from the past as well as some tasty links from America's Test Kitchen!
Making it Grow contributes Chocolate bark, granola and quick bread recipes that are popular gifts to make over the holidays. Try your hand at cheese wafers with benne seeds for an elegant southern tradition from Entertaining at the College of Charleston. To take your holiday candy gift giving up a notch, make American Test Kitchen's Chocolate-Toffee Bark Recipe.
For a wonderfully festive family activity, make Struffoli, an Italian fried dough dessert with a honey glaze. Not only offering a recipe on Making it Grow, but Stephanie Turner also offers a real moment. It is a joyful tradition in which young and old can participate.
This year, the holidays cluster together and for Thanksgiving, another fun make-ahead family project would be to make mincemeat tarts brought to you by Marking It Grow’s Terasa Lott.
For holiday appetizers and cocktails, such as New Orleans milk punch creamery milk and Firefly spiced wine, Sallie’s Greatest visits Making it Grow and shares how to use her jams, jellies and simple syrups as you entertain your family and friends.
To get in the mood for Christmas, watch A Very Carrie Christmas on Passport! You can find recipes for John's Eggnog, Cinnamon Biscuit Monkey Bread, Set and Forget Southern Grits Bar for Christmas Morning, Biscuit Dressing for Your Holiday Table, and of course, Carrie's biscuit recipe!
If you feel like pulling out all of the stops for your holiday celebration you might want to consider a selection of fabulous recipes from Alex and Zoe Sanders' Entertaining at the College of Charleston. Alex Sanders was the 19th president of the College of Charleston from 1992-2001 and Zoe wrote a cookbook detailing favorite recipes used over the years at the college. Try oyster pie, Charleston quail and finish the meal with the glorious Swedish cream with raspberry sauce.
Needing additional spectacular desserts? Amanda McNulty of Making it Grow shares her family Christmas tradition of Charlotte Russe. America's Test Kitchen offers the stunning Caramel Expresso Yule Log with Meringue Mushrooms and Chocolate Crumbles!
Hanukkah
Hanukkah brings traditions of latkes, jam-laden challah and donuts, and PBS offers instructions for making edible menorahs and other recipes.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday that celebrates African heritage and African American culture with an emphasis on West African cuisine. Cooking the Gullah Way with Sallie Robinson features fried ribs with cabbage and sweet potatoes. PBS offers Cooking Up Kwanzaa with recipes for plantains and Jolloff Rice, as well as collard salad and black-eyed peas.
New Year's Day
Hoppin John is a beloved dish appearing on holiday tables since the 1800s. It is believed to bring luck and peace for the upcoming year to anyone who enjoys it. Devyn Whitmire and Chef Kevin demonstrate how to create Hoppin John on the Charleston Cooking episode of Go For It. PBS offers a recipe for Good Luck Gumbo and Grapes.
Eating collard greens on New Year's Day is supposed to confer wealth in the new year and Jessica Shillato brought her recipe for Sweet and Sour Collards to Making It Grow. From PBS Passport, we have Kevin Belton's New Years Traditions, where he shares cabbage casserole, black-eyed peas & Andouille and corned beef.
We hope that you enjoy this holiday season!
You can watch past episodes of America's Test Kitchen on WSKG Passport. For more information about WSKG Passport, please visit our support page. To see other recipes from America's Test Kitchen and other shows, visit Cooking with WSKG.
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