By: Judah Gregory

With the holiday season wrapping up and us going back to the regular non-seasonal food, it would be a good idea to go over my personal top Christmas/Thanksgiving foods of this year.

7. Twice baked potatoes

With my number seven spot I chose twice baked potatoes because they are first off, my favorite form of potatoes other than French fries, but also that it is basically an oven stuffed potato but more crispy with the extra stuff that is usually put into it like bacon, chives, sour cream, and other things. It’s definitely one of my favorite Christmas foods.

6. Ham

Ham would be higher on my list if it was made honey glazed, typically but usually, the ham is smoked so it isn’t really the sweet flavor that I prefer on ham that’s made during Thanksgiving. I also liked smoked ham because of the salty flavor that’s already in it when it gets smoked.

5. Yams

One of my favorite sweet things over both the holidays are yams. Candied usually is how they are made, but this year we used lemon juice, orange juice and the zest for the yams that made them really good. We also make brown sugar bark that goes onto the yams to add another texture to them.

4. BBQ ribs

Usually, I wouldn’t put ribs on this list but since I had them for the first time this year, and they were really good, I decided to put these on my list. I don’t know how they were made specifically but ribs are just good in general.

3. Oxtails

Oxtails are definitely a top three on this list because of how they are made. Depending on how they are made they can come out way different, but marinating them for at least a day makes sure that they hold all the flavor, because you braise them in beef broth and water for at least an hour and a half before they are tender enough.

2. Lobster mac ‘n cheese

This is an easy second choice for me here because I like lobster and adding it to baked mac ‘n cheese is already going to make it better. Overall, it’s just easy to make and tastes great so it’s an easy two.

1. Brisket

For my number one it’s brisket since it can be used in so many different foods after it’s cooked. Usually, it’s made smoked but you can also grill a brisket as well. It takes a long time to cook so the meat comes out really tender and it has a good bark to it that adds a different, almost a little burnt, smokey flavor but isn’t bad.

By: Natalia Gercheva & Persephone Pond

Have you noticed that when the holiday season rolls around, there is a much larger variety of Hershey’s Kiss flavors available? This article will go over the different kinds, and our opinions on which ones are the best.

The original Hershey’s Kisses are available year round, but they get special packages for the holiday season. There are 6 other holiday flavors that Hershey’s releases during this time of year, which are: Candy Cane, Sugar Cookie, Cookies and Cream, Cherry Cordial, Hot Cocoa, and Mint Truffle.

The original Hershey’s Kisses have the basic milk chocolate flavor, and are always a favorite among large crowds. The classic taste makes for a lovely treat. Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses are a white chocolate based kiss with red stripes of candy cane flavoring, and little crunches of candy cane inside. These also seem to be a favorite, and are classics in many families for the holiday season. These are packaged with small candy canes on the wrappers.

Sugar Cookie kisses and Cookies and Cream kisses are both white chocolate based like candy cane, with different flavors. Sugar Cookie kisses have a sweet and artificial flavor of a sugar cookie with chunks of colorful cookie inside. Cookies and Cream has chunks of cookie that add a wonderful texture to the kiss. The Sugar Cookie wrappers are decorated with stars, hearts, Christmas trees and ornaments, and the Cookies and Cream kisses are packaged with wrappers decorated with small snowmen.

Cherry Cordial, Hot Cocoa, and Mint Truffle are the filled Hershey’s Kisses, and Mint Truffle has a dark chocolate base while the other two are both milk chocolate. Mint Truffle has a very strong taste and smell of mint, and the flavor between the creamy filling and the dark chocolate is a perfect balance. These wrappers are decorated with snowflakes. Hot Cocoa kisses have a creamy marshmallow filling that balances with the chocolate very nicely, and the wrappers are decorated with marshmallows. Cherry Cordial has a more runny filling, staying true to classic cordial cherry truffles. The smell and flavor is very strong cherry, but it’s a wonderful balance. These are decorated with small pictures of cherries.

Overall, these flavors are delicious, and help bring variety to Hershey Kisses during the holiday season. Our final ratings (with notes) are:

7. Sugar Cookie: 4/10
● Silly positive wrapper, crunchy bits not evenly distributed, love the crunch, too sweet and artificial

6. Original: 6.5/10
● Nothing special, basic wrapper

5. Cherry Cordial: 7.5/10
● Strong smell, not quite red, very overwhelming flavor

4. Candy Cane: 8/10
● LOVE the little crunchy bits, like the pattern, pretty and fun wrapper

3. Hot Cocoa: 8.5/10
● Nice simple wrapper, creamy filling, good ratio of filling to chocolate, maybe not the most distinct flavor

2. Cookies and Cream: 9/10
● Cute wrapper, stands out, good amount of crunch, flavor so yummy

1. Mint Truffle: 10/10
● Wrapper is cute, very distinct smell, darker chocolate elevates the mint flavoring, love the cream filling

We’re very aware others may not agree with these ratings, so we posted polls on Instagram and here is how the Highland Park community ranks the flavors:

7. Sugar Cookie
6. Cordial Cherry
5. Cookies & Cream
4. Hot Cocoa
3. Mint Truffle
2. Candy Cane
1. Original Milk Chocolate

This was a very fun experiment to lead, and figuring out our favorite holiday flavors was worth the time and effort. We hope our knowledge and opinions are valuable and we strongly recommend everyone to try these flavors if possible, but not Sugar Cookie since, as you can see, no one really likes Sugar Cookie.

By: Chloe Rocha

During the Christmas season there is one tradition that many people like to take part in: that is making Christmas cookies. You don’t need to know a lot about baking to be able to make these cookies, you just have to be able to be able to look up “Christmas cookie recipes”.

Here is a list of 10 popular cookies to make during the Christmas season. Attached to the title will be a recipe to make the cookie, so if they sound good you can make them yourself at home. I’ve also included a little fact about the cookie.

1. The Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

– The chocolate chip cookie was actually made by accident in the 1930s. A baker added broken chocolate bar pieces into a cookie recipe thinking that it would melt but instead the chocolate chip cookie was made.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10813/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/

2. Sugar Cookies

– When Protestants settled down in Nazareth, Pennsylvania they improved the recipe, but before that the sugar cookies were actually named Nazareth Sugar Cookies.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9870/easy-sugar-cookies/

3. Snickerdoodle Cookies

– Snickerdoodle cookies are actually just sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar.

https://www.modernhoney.com/the-best-snickerdoodle-cookie-recipe/

4. Gingerbread Cookies

– Ginger cookies used to be made up of honey and breadcrumbs. The honey would be boiled and they the breadcrumbs would get mixed in.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17165/big-soft-ginger-cookies/

5. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

– The first recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies was made in 1896.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/

6. Pizzelle Cookies

– Pizzelle cookies are one of the oldest cookies and may have been developed from ancient Roman crustulum (which is a small cookie-like cake).

https://www.culinaryhill.com/pizzelle-italian-cookies/

7. Saltine Cracker Toffee

– Toffee is believed to have been invented in the 19th century in England.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/11376/saltine-toffee-cookies/

8. Caramel shortbread squares

– Shortbread was originally Scottish, but the more refined and modern version is attributed to the Queen of Scots in the 16th century, Mary.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15347/caramel-shortbread-squares/

9. Peanut Butter Blossoms

– Originated in Gibsonburg, Ohio in 1957. The cookie recipe can be easily adapted if you want to create it in a different way.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/classic-peanut-butter-blossoms/

10. Peppermint Meringues

– The meringue was invented in 1720 by the Swiss pastry chef Gasparini

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9857/peppermint-meringues/

Although it’s past the holiday season, cookies aren’t something that are set to just one time of year. You can enjoy them at any time!

By; Austin Bailey-Zimmerman

In honor of Christmas time which just passed, I decided to bake these delicious peanut butter blossoms. They were so easy and fun to make, and I even decided to double the recipe because I enjoyed them so much!

I made these with my grandmother and my mom. It’s a family tradition for us to make these every Christmas. We have had this recipe in our family for a very long time, and I am glad because they make my mouth water every time.

I have these cookies as dessert, with some hot tea, or just as a snack. They are perfect bite-sized cookies, and the savory peanut butter cookie is paired perfectly with the sweet chocolate kiss on top. The outside of the cookie is crunchy, and surrounded by sugar, and the inside is soft and chewy. I have enjoyed these so much, so I shared them with the rest of my family and friends. You can do the same with this recipe! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1egg
• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 Bag of Hershey’s kisses milk chocolate candies, unwrapped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, beat the sugars, peanut butter, butter and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon, until well blended.
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder until dough forms.
4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional granulated sugar.
5. On ungreased cookie sheets, place the balls about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 8-10 mins or until edges are light golden brown.
7. Immediately press 1 milk chocolate candy into the center of each cookie.
8. Remove from cookie sheets to a cooling rack. (Put in freezer to cool faster)
9. Enjoy!

By: Austin Bailey-Zimmerman

This is the perfect pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving, or any holiday, fall, or just for fun. It is sweet and spiced, pairing beautifully with a dollop of whip cream on top. I got this recipe from my friend’s Grandmother. She has been baking this pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving every year since she was a kid. She was kind enough to show me how to make it and let me take some for after my Thanksgiving dinner. It was absolutely delicious and the best I’ve ever had. It was smooth and felt very light, not heavy at all which was great after my filling meal. I enjoyed every bite, and even went back for seconds! I highly encourage you to make this easy recipe and impress your family and friends! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Pre-made pie crust
• 1 can of pumpkin purée (15 oz)
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1⁄2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 tsp ginger
• 1⁄2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Get a pre-made pie crust
3. Mix pumpkin purée, sweetened condensed milk, 2 large eggs, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl
4. Mix sugars, spices, and salt in a small mixing bowl
5. Combine the ingredients from the two bowls
6. Pour into pie crust and bake for 50-60mins
7. Take out and let cool
8. Enjoy!

By: Natalia Gercheva

Last year, over spring break, I was lucky enough to visit a few Caribbean islands where we got to walk around and learn the different cultures and recipes! In St. Lucia, we stopped by some people selling banana bread. My family bought some and it tasted delicious, so we had to ask how they made it. The people said that it was made with banana essence, which they also happened to be selling.

Ever since the trip, my family only bakes banana bread using banana essence in the recipe. I thought it would be fun to try making a Caribbean style banana bread using some other spices too, so I did some research, made the bread, and am happy to share how it went and what I learned!

This is a super easy recipe that most people will already have the ingredients for in the kitchen. There is no mixer required, all you will need is a bowl and a fork or whisk. The sugar quantities are flexible, and the chocolate chips are optional, but I think they add a delicious sweetness to the banana bread. The banana essence is also optional because I understand that not everyone will have it, but it is available for purchase online and highly recommended.

Ingredients:

1. 2-3 medium overripe bananas, peeled and mashed
2. 1⁄3 cup melted butter, unsalted or salted
3. 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1 pinch of salt
5. 3⁄4 cup of sugar
6. 1 large egg, beaten
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8. 1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
9. 1⁄2 teaspoon banana essence (optional)
10. 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh or ground cinnamon
11. 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh or ground nutmeg
12. 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh or ground ginger
13. 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
14. 1⁄2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
15. 1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Butter an 8×4-inch loaf pan and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth, then stir in the melted butter.
4. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, egg, and all the extracts and spices. Mix in the flour, and fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife and serve!

Final thoughts: I am extremely happy with the results after making this new variation of banana bread because it was delicious! I think that adding all the spices enhances the flavor, and if I were to change anything I would have increased the amount of spices. I love this recipe and will definitely start making it more often, and recommend it to others!

By: Brennan McMahon

Pumpkin Pie: This is the most well known dessert for the holidays and it is delicious. It is super simple to make and tastes amazing with a little whipped cream on top. The first pumpkin pie was made in Plymouth after Native Americans showed the settlers how to make them.

Green Bean Casserole: This dish was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly. All you need to make this recipe is mushroom soup, green beans and French Fried onions.

Corned Beef and Cabbage: This dish is commonly used as a St. Patricks Day meal in America. Corned beef is beef preserved in a brine.

Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas: These are a southern dish to bring luck and prosperity to people on New Years.

Latkes: This dish is kind of like a potato pancake that is fried in oil. Latkes are a vital part of Hanukkah, as Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil lasting longer than it should, so people will eat a lot of food fried in oil.

Eggnog: This is not really a dish but it is one of the best Christmas drinks. This drink contains eggs, sugar, and milk.

Matzah: This is a cracker like bread that Jewish people eat during Passover. Matzah is also called “poor man’s bread” because it was invented by Jewish people while they were slaves in Egypt.

Ham: This dish is very common on many holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. People eat this if they can’t find a turkey, and even if they can, they still also get a ham to go with it.

Turkey: More than 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. many people put stuffing in it while they cook it. You can also cut it up and put it in rolls to make sandwiches. We don’t know what type of bird was eaten on the first Thanksgiving, but most people chose turkey now because it is bigger than a chicken so it can feed more people. Turkeys are also super common all around the states, so if you hunt you can always catch your own turkey for dinner.

For more information, please visit:

• https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/10-classic-holiday-foods.htm

By: Sophie Johnson and Addie Strack

The winter menus at both Starbucks and Dunkin’ have recently been released. Both containing new, and  delicious coffee or tea options to really get you into the holiday spirit. Between the fall and the winter menu, we can agree that the winter menu is the most exciting as it kickstarts the holiday season with new and improved drinks every year.

The first drink that we tried was the Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate. This has been one of our favorite drinks for years and is a staple menu item for getting into the holiday spirit. Not only is this the perfect amount of sweetness, but the spice of the peppermint makes it taste like a delicious candy cane. We would rate this drink a 4.5/5. The way we remember this drink in past years was more chocolatey, and this year it was slightly watered down, but nevertheless, it warmed us from the inside out and especially got us into a holiday celebrating mood. Along with this drink, we received several free reusable Starbucks cups. This gift was for ‘Red Cup Day’ at Starbucks where they give away a free cup with every drink purchase. This did not affect the peppermint hot chocolate, however it was a nice addition to the experience.

The next drink we tried was the Starbucks Sugar Cookie Chai. This drink was so sweet and flavorful, and this year was the first year we tried it. Not only was this tea topped with a thick and creamy cold foam, but it had red and green sprinkles as well to add to the Christmas or holiday theme. We would rate this drink a4/5 just because of how sweet it was, but besides that, it was perfect. We would recommend getting this beverage iced instead of hot because you can better taste the tea and the cold foam doesn’t melt as fast.

Another drink we tried that was definitely one of our favorites is the Peppermint White mocha. This tastes similar to the Peppermint Hot Chocolate, mostly because of the peppermint aspect, but this one was even better. We can both confidently say that this beverage is a 5/5 and could drink this drink over and over again. We wish that this drink was on the menu year round because of how delicious it is. If you are a coffee lover, this is the drink for you as it is both sweet and energizing from the caffeine. The flavor is so tasty that it is gone so fast. For this drink, we would recommend getting it hot instead of iced. Out of all the drinks on the Christmas menus for both Starbucks and Dunkin, we can both agree that this one is by far the best.

The last drink that we tried was from Dunkin’, and it is called the Cookie Butter Cold Brew. The idea behind this drink was very good and the price was not bad, but when we tried this drink it just did not meet our standards. First of all, the coffee was slightly watery which affected the flavor negatively. The second reason why this coffee wasn’t very good was because the chunks of cookie on the top got really soggy and made the coffee chunky with every sip that we took. The advertising for this drink really sold us and we were both super excited to try it, so these factors were super disappointing after we had paid for a new drink. We would rate this drink a 1/5. The only thing that was good about this drink was the sweet cold foam on top and the cookie crumbles before they got soggy from the coffee.

After tasting all of these beverages, some better than others, we think that overall, Starbucks drinks are better than Dunkin’ ones. Dunkin’ has significantly better deals than Starbucks but we agree that most of the Starbucks drinks top the Dunkin’ ones. Our overall favorite was the peppermint white mocha and the least favorite was the cookie butter cold brew. These drinks help everyone to get into the holiday spirit and keep you warm during the winter season.

By: Addie Strack and Sophie Johnson

We both love pasta, and we decided to try some different sauces and noodle shapes to find the best combination. We tried pesto sauce with macaroni shaped noodles, Alfredo sauce with penne shaped noodles, and tomato sauce with spaghetti noodles. We also added different toppings to each dish like mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and more. In this article we will review each dish, and give it a rating out of five.

Our first combination that we tried was pesto and macaroni noodles. We decided we wanted to try to make our own pesto sauce to try to make it taste even better (the pesto recipe will be linked at the bottom of our article). We also added some mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes to top off the dish. We both really enjoyed this dish, but agreed that the shape of the noodle could’ve been different. We thought maybe using bow tie pasta would be better, and agreed to try that next time. Besides the shape of the pasta, we thought this dish was amazing. It was our favorite dish overall, and the homemade pesto made a big difference. The dish tasted fresher, and it was also fun to make the pesto. We would rate this dish a 5/5, and would definitely make it again.

The next pasta combination that we tested out was Alfredo sauce and the shape was penne pasta. Out of all the shapes of pasta that we tried, this one was our second favorite. We agree that penne is the second best because the sauce is more absorbed in the noodle because of the shape of the noodle. The hole in the middle of the noodle allows for sauce to be trapped and makes the dish extra flavorful. The sauce in this combination (Rao’s Homemade) was delicious and we would rate it a 4.5/5. It was extra creamy and the brand we used was extra cheesy and rich which added a lot of additional flavor to the meal. Overall, this dish was really good, especially the sauce and we would rate it a 4.5/5. We would definitely recommend this recipe and would make this dish again.

The last combination of pasta shapes and sauces that we tried was spaghetti with red tomato sauce. This was our least favorite dish out of the three that we cooked, but it was still very delicious and flavorful. There was nothing wrong with this recipe but we both agree that tomato sauce is just not one of our favorites. One factor that could make this dish more enjoyable is if there was a side like meatballs or something that would add more flavor to the meal in the end. Overall, we would rate the spaghetti with red tomato sauce combination a 3/5. It was good, but not the best thing we’ve tasted, and it definitely did not come close to how good both the pesto macaroni and penne Alfredo pasta combinations were.

All of these dishes were super fun to make. We loved being able to test different combinations and toppings, and we have so many different pastas that we want to try. We want to try making our own Alfredo and tomato sauce since the homemade pesto was so good, and we also want to try making a pasta salad. Our one big recommendation after making all of these dishes is to make your sauce homemade. We think that the biggest difference that set the pesto ahead was the fact that it was homemade, and we would love to try more homemade sauces.

Pesto recipe:

• https://www.loveandlemons.com/pesto-recipe/