Creating New Favorites

The holidays are supposed to be cheerful and bright. Ever notice how the Norman Rockwell images of holiday feasts are filled with light? There are ruddy candles, joyful smiles and shiny pumpkins throughout his paintings, giving us the “ideal” vision of an American holiday. In our perfect scenario, the only heavy thing at holidays should be the turkey we hoist on the table for dad to carve.

Unfortunately, too many of us have made the holidays heavy, despite our best efforts. We cling to old recipes we don’t like, cooking out of guilt instead of joy. We forget that holidays are intended to be a celebration and instead treat them like penance, sweating in the kitchen from dawn to dusk and collapsing in a heap after dinner.

I think it’s time to revamp our holiday traditions. Maybe throwing out (or simply renewing) the old recipes will actually get us closer to the light, bright ideal we all long for. This holiday season, make food that makes you happy, brings your loved ones together and encourages you to enjoy the holidays.

In the spirit of this renewed, brighter holiday spirit, I decided to revamp a few treasured recipes. I was inspired by holiday favorites, but looked for new, memorable flavors along the way. So light a fire, put up your feet and get inspired by these twists on old favorite recipes. Make this holiday meal a perfect blend of old and new — and maybe a little lighter and brighter.