There is nothing worse than pulling a holiday recipe off the internet only to have it fail right before you’re ready to walk out the door and take it with you to a holiday dinner.
For the holidays and party hosting, I stick to tried and true recipes made by people I actually know. A few years ago, my mom gave my sister-in-law and I each a book filled with handwritten recipe cards. She pulled recipes from aunts, grandmas, great grandmas, friends and neighbors, wrote them all down for us and put them in a book. It’s one of my favorite things because I know everything in it is good and easy.
3 Easy Holiday Recipes
Below, you’ll find an appetizer, side dish, and a pumpkin dessert that is so much better than pumpkin pie. The recipes are all easy and delicious!
Appetizer: Beer Bread and Party Dip
This three-ingredient beer bread recipe always gets rave reviews. It’s my go-to for all sorts of events. The party dip spread is super easy, too. This is a hearty appetizer that’s easy to transport.
Beer Bread
Preheat your oven to 350 and get out a bread loaf pan. This one is my favorite.
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups of self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of beer (No, this does not take a whole can and yes, you can finish the beer while you bake. Usually, I use some kind of light beer but anything would work.)
- Dill weed (don’t skip this – weirdly, it’s key to the recipe)
Directions
- Mix it all together
- Put it in the pan
- Sprinkle with dill weed
- Bake it for 45 minutes
Party Dip
Ingredients
- 1 envelope of dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 pint (16 oz) of sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I like to use sharp cheddar, thick cut)
- 1/4 cup of bacon bits (the real kind or make them with real bacon)
Directions
Mix it all together. Put it in the fridge. When it’s time to serve, put it in a bowl with a little spreader. Cut up the beer bread – down the middle and then across to make bread pieces that are slightly smaller than a deck of cards.
Side Dish: Sweet Potato Casserole
This goes well as a side for any meal. It’s completely acceptable to convince yourself and others this is a side dish, not a dessert.
Preheat your oven to 350 and get out a 9×13 pan.
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
Mix all of that and put it in the pan.
Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup butter
Mix with a fork and crumble it on top of the mixture already in your pan. Put it in the oven and bake it for 25 minutes.
Dessert: Pumpkin Pie (but so much better!)
Preheat your oven to 350 and get out a 9×13 pan.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 large can of pumpkin (usually around 29 ounces)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon clove
- 2 cups evaporated milk (that’s a large can)
Mix it all together and put it in your 9×13 pan.
Topping – this is where the magic happens
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 stick melted butter
Sprinkle that on top of your mixture in the pan and bake it all for 55 minutes.
