We asked PLASP staff to share some of their tried and true favourite holiday recipes. From savory to sweet, here are five dishes you can create at home with the help of your children, or on your own.

Let’s get cooking!

1) Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 3 small 3 x 5 loaf pans; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil, melted butter, brown sugar, egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture with 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Stir until combined and divide between the 3 loaf pans.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of the loaves. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for 5-10 minutes in pans, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

2) Chocolate-Coated Almond Butter Crunch

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds
• 3 bars (each 4 oz/100g) milk chocolate
• 1 cup finely chopped unblanched almonds

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan.  Add sugar, corn syrup and water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture reaches 300 F (150 C), or the hard crack stage. Quickly mix in the coarsely chopped nuts. Pour onto well-greased cookie sheet. Spread the mixture until the candy measures approximately 13 x 9. Let cool – turn onto wax paper. 

Melt ½ of the chocolate carefully over hot water and spread over top of the candy.  Sprinkle with ½ finely chopped nuts. Cover with wax paper and turn over.  Melt remaining chocolate and spread on the second side.  Sprinkle with the remaining nuts.

Chill.  Break into pieces.  Store in cool place and enjoy!

3) Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 apples, chopped
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients until well combined. Add in sugar and wet ingredients, stirring to incorporate.

Fold in 1 chopped apple.

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and divide batter between muffin cups. Top with the other chopped apple and cinnamon.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean.

4) Pepperpot Stew

(As seen here: https://www.alicaspepperpot.com/pepperpot-on-christmas-morning/)

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of meat- beef, lamb, pork, or goat (I used goat for this recipe)

• 1 cup cassareep
• 4-5 cinnamon sticks (not ground)
• 1 1/2 inch orange peel
• 6-8 cloves
• 1-2 wiri wiri peppers
• 1/2- 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 16 cups water

Instructions:

Steam the meat for about 15 minutes so that all the fat can be removed. Once you have steamed the meat, remove any dangling pieces of fat. Discard the liquid in the pot.

In another large pot, add meat, cassareep, and all other ingredients. Add the water and boil until the meat is tender and until the broth has reduced by three-quarters, a few hours. My dad usually boils the meat until it falls off the bones, but some people like their pepperpot meat a bit more on the tough side. It's all about preference.

Adjust salt to suit your tastes.

Pepperpot is best when made a couple days ahead.

How to steam the meat:

Place meat in a pot with enough water to cover just 1/4 way up the pot. Let meat simmer on low heat until the fat congeals and can be removed from each piece, about 15 minutes. Remember, you are not cooking the meat during this step, just heating the meat enough so the fat can be removed. This allows for a lean stew.

5) Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup of white sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 or 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• As many chocolate chips as you like!

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375F.

Mash bananas. Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Divide mixture evenly into lined muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes (or when toothpick comes out clean).

Makes 12 muffins.