Picture this: snow is falling in torrents outside, the soft light of your living room is reflecting on the pitch blackness surrounding your windows, and faintly, you can hear winds whistling around your home as the storm churns on outside your walls.
Festive lights adorn your furniture, and perhaps you have music playing to bring the mood up and get yourself into the holiday spirit.
The only thing missing in this scenario is something to chow down on.
While different holidays have their repertoire of holiday foods that are made on an annual basis, there seem to be a few dishes that make a showing throughout the season despite the beliefs or traditions of the people enjoying them.
Macaroni and cheese, often abbreviated to mac and cheese or simply mac, is a staple holiday side dish for both Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year’s celebrations.
To make a delicious mac, start with either premade noodles, or take the time to make your own macaroni using home staples like flour. To have a more uniform shape, use a pasta add-on to your home mixer.
Boil noodles in salted water according to the package instructions, slightly less for fresh noodles.
To make a delicious cheese sauce, you can melt down a variety of cheeses based off your tastes, and the cooking method you’re using, whether that be stovetop melting, baking, or another strategy.
The most common cheeses include cheddar, monterey jack, or a blend, often paired with heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, or other dairy products to help with a smooth texture and rich flavor.
Combine the sauce and cheese together, top with more shredded or cubed cheese of your choice, and bake to create a crispy top and creamy texture!
This classic comfort food will be sure to please as your next holiday side or simple cozy meal.
“This classic comfort food will be sure to please as your next holiday side or simple cozy meal.”
If you are looking for something that fits within Hispanic and Latin cuisine, consider making burritos for a comforting meal.
Burritos are most traditionally made by combining a protein, usually beef or pork, but often chicken or seafood as well, along with vegetables, condiments, and cheese in a flour tortilla to create a deliciously convenient hand-held meal. These tortillas can be store-bought or can be simply made at home with a few pantry staples as well.
Common vegetables can include bell peppers, jalapenos, serranos, onions, garlic, tomatoes, (in this case, considered a vegetable!) lettuce or cabbage, and herbs such as cilantro. Add tang with lime juice, or add spice with traditional tabasco and green chiles. Different varieties of rice and beans, as well as a fatty avocado can be added to make for a more well-rounded meal.
Assembly is fairly simple: cook the meat, prep the vegetables and grains/legumes if you have them, place on the tortilla, and rock and roll!
Finally, we can explore traditional Chinese cuisine through dumplings, offering a wide variety of different types and cooking styles, varying on whether the dumplings use a wheat or rice wrapper, whether they are boiled, steamed, or fried, and what ingredients are used in the filling.
According to The Spruce Eats, there are seven traditional Chinese dumplings to try.
“In general, there are two broad categories of Chinese dumplings: gao, or crescent-shaped dumplings; and bao, or round, purse-shaped dumplings,” The Spruce Eats stated.
“In general, there are two broad categories of Chinese dumplings: gao, or crescent-shaped dumplings; and bao, or round, purse-shaped dumplings,” The Spruce Eats stated.
Starting with a dumpling wrapper, you can find a grand selection at your local grocery store, or hand-make these as well for a fresher wrapper.
Ingredients such as cabbage, spring onions, scallions, chives, garlic, ginger, and proteins such as chicken, pork, and beef can be easily prepared for dumplings, but must be meticulously combined in small quantities to result in even flavors and good distribution of the ingredients. No chunky dumplings here!
Jiaozi, otherwise known as pork dumplings, are extremely popular worldwide. They are traditionally wrapped in a dough wrapper and contain a filling of pork, cabbage, and scallions or chives.
Dipping sauces are just as crucial as the dumpling itself. Most sauces have a base of ponzu or soy sauce, often enhanced with chili oil, sesame, rice vinegar, or other traditional flavors and ingredients.
For the best dumpling eating experience, serve and eat immediately with your prepared sauce.
The next time you find yourself feeling festive, craving a warm meal to stave away these cold winter nights, refer to this list to find the best comfort dishes, and food for thought.
