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Recipes from the archive that share this tag, occasion, ingredient, or cultural root.
Back to recipe archiveThe Melting Pot
Lasagna photo coming soon
Cross-era
Lasagna is a layered baked casserole with pasta sheets, meat sauce, cheese, and often tomato and herbs. Italian immigrants introduced it to the U.S., where it became a holiday tradition and staple comfort food, especially during Christmas. Its layered nature symbolizes family and richness in American Italian cooking heritage.
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Struffoli photo coming soon
1861-1900
Struffoli are small deep-fried dough balls coated in honey and often decorated with colorful sprinkles, traditionally served during Italian-American Christmas celebrations. This sweet treat traces back to Italian immigrant communities adapting their holiday desserts in the United States during the 19th century.
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Arroz con Gandules photo coming soon
Cross-era
A Puerto Rican arroz con gandules made in one pot with medium-grain rice, pigeon peas, sofrito, sazon, pork, olives, and a patient steam for fluffy grains and coveted pegao.
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Baked Ham photo coming soon
1900s-present
A Christmas and Easter baked ham glazed with brown sugar, mustard, cider vinegar, and cloves, baked until glossy and sliceable.
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Breakfast Casserole photo coming soon
1950s-present
Breakfast casserole is built for mornings when the cook wants the work done early. Midcentury casserole culture, church cookbooks, and holiday hosting made the overnight egg, bread, sausage, and cheese bake a reliable American brunch dish.
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Cardamom Bread photo coming soon
1800s-present
Cardamom bread came into Upper Midwest kitchens with Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, and other Scandinavian immigrants. Finnish pulla and Swedish cardamom breads became coffee-table, holiday, and family celebration loaves in Scandinavian American communities.
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Eggnog photo coming soon
Cross-era
Eggnog is a rich, creamy holiday beverage made from milk or cream, beaten eggs, sugar, and often spiked with spirits such as brandy or rum. Served chilled, it is a festive treat deeply associated with Christmas celebrations across the United States, with colonial roots.
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Fruitcake photo coming soon
Cross-era
Fruitcake is a rich, dense cake loaded with dried fruits, nuts, and spices, often soaked in alcohol and served during Christmas holidays across America for centuries, rooted in European festive traditions.
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Gingerbread photo coming soon
1776-1800
Gingerbread is a spiced baked good flavored with ginger, molasses, and warming spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Commonly prepared as cookies or moist cake, gingerbread became a favored holiday treat in America during the late 18th century, embodying the festive flavors associated with Christmas traditions.
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Apple Strudel photo coming soon
1800-1860
A German-American apple strudel made with crisp apples, raisins, cinnamon, buttered crumbs, and flaky phyllo for a practical home version of a Central European pastry.
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Cinnamon Rolls photo coming soon
1970-1989
Classic American breakfast sweet rolls featuring a soft, fluffy dough swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a sweet glaze. Cinnamon rolls became popular as convenient and comforting treats at tailgate parties, booster clubs, and concession stands in late 20th-century America, especially from the 1970s through the 1980s. Their warm spices and sweetness mark them as a festive favorite around Christmas and other cold-weather celebrations.
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Ambrosia photo coming soon
Late 1800s-present
A simple old-fashioned ambrosia of oranges, pineapple, coconut, and a little sugar, chilled until juicy.
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Ambrosia Salad photo coming soon
Postwar & Diner Age
A midcentury-style fruit salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut, marshmallows, and a creamy dressing.
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Feast of the Seven Fishes photo coming soon
Cross-era
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a traditional Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration featuring seven different seafood dishes. Rooted in Italian Catholic fasting customs, it has evolved into a special communal meal enjoyed throughout the United States across eras as part of holiday traditions.
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Julekake photo coming soon
1861-1900
Julekake is a traditional Norwegian Christmas bread flavored with cardamom, studded with raisins, candied citrus peel, and sometimes almonds. Brought to the American Midwest by Scandinavian immigrants between 1861 and 1900, it remains a festive bread symbolizing heritage and holiday celebration.
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Kringla photo coming soon
1861-1900
Kringla is a lightly sweet, buttery Scandinavian cookie shaped like a pretzel, traditionally associated with church and holiday celebrations in the Midwest. Norwegian immigrants brought this recipe during the 19th century, where it became part of Christmas and Easter gatherings, symbolizing cultural continuity in immigrant farming communities.
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Krumkake photo coming soon
1861-1900
Krumkake are thin, crisp Norwegian waffle cookies rolled into cones, often filled with whipped cream or preserved fruit. Introduced by Scandinavian settlers to the Midwest in the late 19th century, krumkake became holiday staples for Christmas and family celebrations, highlighting continuity of heritage and festive customs.
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Lebkuchen photo coming soon
1800-1860
Lebkuchen are dense, spiced cookies resembling gingerbread, traditional in German holiday baking. Immigrants brought lebkuchen recipes to America in the 1800s, particularly to Great Plains settlements. These cookies combine honey, spices, nuts, and sometimes candied fruit and are enjoyed especially around Christmas time.
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Lefse photo coming soon
1861-1900
Lefse is a soft, thin flatbread made from potatoes, flour, and cream, traditionally cooked on a griddle. Norwegian immigrants brought lefse to the American Midwest in the late 19th century, where it became a festive and everyday staple enjoyed with butter, sugar, or savory fillings during holiday and church celebrations.
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Lutefisk photo coming soon
1861-1900
Lutefisk is a preserved whitefish dish made by soaking dried cod or whitefish in lye and water, then rinsing and cooking it before serving. Brought by Scandinavian immigrants settling the Midwest during the late 19th century, lutefisk remains a holiday tradition, especially at Christmas, reflecting the cultural preservation of heritage foods amid American immigrant history.
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Monkey Bread photo coming soon
Cross-era
Monkey Bread is a sweet, sticky pull-apart bread made from individual dough pieces coated in cinnamon sugar and baked together. Though its precise origins are unclear, Monkey Bread became popular as a Christmas treat across the United States, embodying festive conviviality. Its interactive eating style and sweet, rich flavor capture the spirit of American holiday baking traditions.
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Pecan Snowballs photo coming soon
Cross-era
Pecan snowballs are tender, buttery cookies rolled in powdered sugar, commonly enjoyed in the Southern United States during Christmas celebrations. Their sweet nutty flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture make them a festive traditional treat.
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Peppermint Bark photo coming soon
Cross-era
Peppermint bark is a seasonal treat combining layers of dark and white chocolate studded with crushed peppermint candies. Popular across the United States during Christmas, it's a simple confection capturing holiday flavors and festive textures.
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Prime Rib photo coming soon
Cross-era
Prime Rib is a festive, slow-roasted beef cut traditionally featured at Christmas dinners and holiday celebrations across the United States. Its rich flavor and tender texture make it a centerpiece for special occasions.
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Roast Goose photo coming soon
1776-1800
Roast Goose is a rich, savory main dish historically served during holidays like Christmas in early America. The bird is seasoned and slowly roasted to render its flavorful fat and crisp skin, embodying celebratory dining from the late 18th century.
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Sandbakkels photo coming soon
1861-1900
Sandbakkels are Norwegian buttery, crisp sugar cookies baked in fluted tins to create delicate, cup-shaped treats. They have been preserved and popularized by Scandinavian-American families in the Midwest since the 19th century, often served during Christmas and special occasions.
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Spritz Cookies photo coming soon
Cross-era
Spritz cookies are buttery, pressed cookies commonly made during Christmas in America, rooted in European immigrant traditions. Their decorative shapes and rich texture make them a festive favorite found broadly in holiday baking.
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Sugar Cookies photo coming soon
Cross-era
Sugar cookies are a timeless American holiday treat known for their crisp edges and tender interiors. Often decorated with colored sugar or icing, they hold a special place in Christmas celebrations and beyond, evolving over centuries to suit home bakers and commercial baking alike.
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Swedish Meatballs photo coming soon
1861-1900
A hearty meatball dish brought by Scandinavian immigrants to the American Midwest during the late 19th century. Popularized in homes, churches, schools, and state fairs as a comfort food, especially during Christmas holidays.
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Tamales photo coming soon
1800-1860
Tamales are traditional Mesoamerican foods made of masa dough filled with meat or vegetables, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed. They have deep roots in Mexican, Spanish borderlands, and Indigenous cultures and were adapted by Mexican-American communities in the 19th century, becoming central to holiday celebrations.
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Yule Log photo coming soon
Cross-era
The Yule Log, or Buche de Noel, is a rolled sponge cake decorated to resemble a tree log, traditionally served at Christmas. This dessert's American adoption reflects European holiday customs, featuring chocolate sponge with cream filling and decorative frosting representing the winter season.
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Cranberry Orange Relish photo coming soon
Founding Era
Cranberry Orange Relish is a preserve with real American table personality: Holiday table condiment. It brings flavor from New England to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.
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Cream Cheese and Jezebel Sauce photo coming soon
Cross-era
Cream Cheese and Jezebel Sauce is a spread with real American table personality: Southern holiday tray. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.