What’s your favorite part of the holidays? Is it the shiny decorations? The cheery, can’t-get-them-out-of-your-head songs? Or maybe it’s the scent of your family’s delicious go-to seasonal recipe cooking in the kitchen…

We recently asked everyone in the Dia&Co National Community Facebook group to share the holiday dishes they love the most. Here are two answers that left our mouths watering—read on and let them inspire your own menus this year! *Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

 

A Scandinavian Christmas Eve

“So excited to have family near for the first time in many years! I’m really looking forward to our Scandinavian Christmas Eve dinner: lefse (flatbread made with potatoes and wheat flour), side pork (pork belly), Swedish meatballs (no gravy!), mashed potatoes, and more. But the best part is dessert—a huge spread of cookies! My favorites are the sandbakkels, which are the thinnest, crispiest, prettiest butter cookies you’ve ever seen.”

The Emmitt Smith Sweet Potato Casserole

“It’s the BEST recipe ever—food of the gods. It’s a lot of work, but worth it once a year. Recipe may be halved. The original is from the ‘NFL Cookbook’ by Gary Gooch. Here it is with my notes:

7 pounds sweet potatoes (6 to 8)
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:

1 stick butter
2 cup brown sugar
2 cup pecans, pieces

In a large pot, boil the potatoes with skins on until they are soft. (This takes a couple hours. In recent years, I’ve cooked them in the crockpot instead so I don’t have to keep replacing the water as it boils off. This takes about four hours.) Let the potatoes cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove the skins and place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Whip the potatoes with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg, sugar, butter, flour, and evaporated milk. (Proportions do not have to be exact. I just use one of those little cans of evaporated milk.) Mix well to blend. Add the spices and vanilla. Spread the potatoes into a 9×13-inch glass baking dish.

Make the topping by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Then add the brown sugar and pecans and stir until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the topping evenly over the potatoes. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve while you cheer for the Cowboys. (Can be made the day before and then reheated with no impact on quality).”

Excited to share your own recipes? Request to join the Dia&Co National Community Facebook group today!