Aziza Cooper-Hovland, reporter
How can you have your pudding if you haven’t had your meat?
We all know that food is one of the best parts of the holidays. This season is when we reach back for the old family recipes, all the foods we joyously gobbled up as children. I always thought my family did a very “traditional” Christmas feast, but I was shocked to learn that while it was traditional, it was very traditionally English and not that American — thank you very much Grandma and Grandpa Cooper.
My favorite part of our English Christmas feast are the mincemeat pies. Now for the uninitiated, this might sound like a savory treat, especially paired with sausage rolls, but actually, mincemeat is a sweat tart filled with mostly dried fruit and every festive spice you could want in a crispy pastry shell. These bite-sized treats are the perfect warm appetizer to nibble on while you’re working hard to get the real meal served, and they’re almost as good heated up the day after when you can’t even dream of having a big meal ever again.
Nathan Wilson, reporter
Like Aziza, I still have several of my late grandma’s original recipes in rotation, but I can’t make it through the holidays without her crescent chicken: It’s hearty, warm and unequivocally Midwestern. Prepare yourself for a slight food coma, but imagine this — soft, juicy shredded chicken mixed with cream cheese, Italian spices (oregano, basil, rosemary) and paprika that’s stuffed into a Pillsbury crescent roll. Baked until they’re golden brown with chicken bursting from the seams, the next step may surprise some but bear with me.
Warm up a can of Campbell’s classic cream of chicken soup and drizzle it over the top like gravy. Yes, it sounds odd. Yes, it’s a chicken overload. Yes, it’s definitely unhealthy. But that’s Midwest cooking for you — don’t knock it until you try it. Thinking about the crunch of the crescent roll paired with rich chicken makes my mouth water. As an original recipe, my family holds it close. But if you promise to keep it secret, send me an email at natew@gorgenews.com.
Trisha Walker, managing editor
I’m not sure if I should be proud of this or not: The holiday recipe I am most known for — and required to bring to be let in through the door — is a Midwestern Raspberry Salad. I was born and raised (and never managed to leave) the Pacific Northwest, so perhaps it seems like a strange choice. However, my Aunt Ann’s mother-in-law was from Kansas, and that’s how my family became acquainted (and obsessed) with three-layer beauty.
First, we have the pretzel / butter / sugar layer, which is pressed into a baking dish before spending a few minutes in the oven. Next, there’s the cream cheese / more sugar / Cool Whip layer that is spread over the cooled crust. And then it’s topped with raspberry Jello and actual raspberries (for health reasons, I assume). Into the refrigerator it goes to chill and set before serving.
When I got married in 1995 and suddenly had to be the one thinking about what to bring to family gatherings (Mom, I am sorry I took you for granted for so long), I needed something … well, different, I guess, since everyone else already had their standards. Which is when I reached out to my aunt to get her recipe.
And I have to say, it’s never failed me — though I have oftentimes failed it. Not cooling the gelatin thoroughly before pouring onto the cream cheese layer and causing a massive eruption of blobs and disintegrating the crust? Been there. Raked a sleeve through the almost set top layer, thus ruining its pristine surface? Done that. Not cooling the pretzel crust enough and all attempts at spreading a too hard cream cheese concoction just ends up pulling said crust up and out of the dish, accompanied by much swearing? Yeah, done that too.
Maybe the funniest part of being known for my Raspberry Salad is the fact that I can’t tolerate artificial colors / flavors / preservatives. (My gut is a jerk.) So I haven’t been able to eat this myself in years. This past Thanksgiving (yes, the Year of the Cheeseburger), I decided it was time to make a Trisha-friendly version — which wasn’t as hard as I expected, given you can buy all natural (even vegan) whipped topping and substitute good old fashioned raspberry jam for the jello layer.
It was still a hit. And it was delicious. I remembered why this recipe is genius. Mostly because it’s a salad — it says so in the title! — meaning you can eat it with dinner and have something else for dessert. Look, I don’t make the rules.
P.S. The recipe is not a secret, just embarrassing, so I’m happy to share with anyone who asks (trishaw@gorgenews.com).
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