I love Christmastime; it is my favorite time of year because it just seems that people are in a happier mood, you get to spend time with your friends and family, college bowl games are on TV, and there is tons of food everywhere. The best part about the food is that it all seems to be homemade and seasonal recipes that are familiar to friends and family seem to crop up.

There are several things that I look forward to around Christmas time that my mom will inevitably cook: her world renown green chili queso, chili and cornbread, the chocolate turtle brownies, a big pot of beans, enchilada casserole, cranberry salsa and fudge. These are the things that signal it is Christmas to me.

Seeing that I am out of the house and hundreds of miles away, I often try to make some of these dishes myself before travelling home for the holidays. While the queso is my favorite of all, you can’t really make it unless you have authentic Hatch, New Mexico green chilis (I have a freezer full that I brought back while visiting New Mexico a year and a half ago). The cranberry jalepeño salsa and fudge are some of my favorites to make and are typically a hit when I make them for a party, so I thought I would give you the recipes to try them out this holiday season.

Cranberry Jalepeño Salsa

This salsa is sweet with a kick! It really looks like Christmas with the red and green. I think it is funny because when I set it out at a party, people initially shy away from it because they don’t know what it is. After I tell them that it is cranberry jalepeño salsa, they usually become interested and try it on a Wheat Thin. At this point in time, it is tough to keep it in stock!

1 package of cranberries
1 bunch of green onions minced
2 minced jalepeños (devein and deseed if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 cup chopped cilantro
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
juice of 1 lime

Place the cranberries in a food process and turn on low; you kind of want them to be a little chunky. Mix all the ingredients together and mix up good. Serve chilled with Wheat Thins; I have found if you let it sit overnight you get a nicer spice as all the ingredients got to mix together.

Fudge

This is always a hit; I don’t like mine with pecans, but feel free to add it in if you do!

4 ½ cups of sugar
2 sticks of Parkay
12 oz Carnation evaporated milk

Put the above on medium heat and bring to a full boil; once there, let it boil for 7 ½ minutes.

Remove from heat and add:

18 oz of Nestle Tollhouse Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
7 oz jar of marshmellow cream
1 tsp of vanilla

Stir all these things in really well. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: After stirring for a while, take a spatula and scrape the top edge of the bowl where some of the fudge is caught but is not really being stirred into the mixture any more. Be cautious as you remove it to make sure nothing drops in your mixture; wipe it on a paper towel and through away. This is important because you are getting all the crystallized stuff out of your mixture which makes it smooth.

Do this about three times and make sure you have a consistent color. Pour mixture into a pan that is rubbed with butter so that the fudge won’t stick. Let set before you serve (but enjoy licking the bowl).

I hope you enjoy the recipes that are popular from my household. If you have any that you enjoy and would like to share, send me a message with it and I will post on the site. Include your name and/or Twitter username (if you want) and a story of why you like your particular recipe!

Hope this can make your Christmas that much more enjoyable!