The holidays are a wonderful time for making traditional family recipes and for trying new things. Here we share some of our favorites. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups hot chicken stock
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream

For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the chicken stock, add the thyme and sage and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the squash is very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream. Puree using an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or let cool completely, pour into freezer bags, label and freeze.

For the topping: When read to serve, mix together the cream and sour cream in a small bowl. Drizzle designs over the soup with the mixture.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Martha Stewart

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower third positions.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon measure, drop heaping portions of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Crumb Top Apple Pie

This recipe is the result of years of experiments and is a family favorite! Making the crumbs by hand is a fun job for the kids.

Pie

6-8 apples (we like tart, crunchy varieties like Stayman, Fuji or Macintosh)
¼ c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
pie crust (we like the kind you buy in the dairy case and shape into your own pie plate)

Crumbs

1 stick butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c flour
½ c sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel, core and cut up apples. You can slice them in a food processor if you are pressed for time. Put them in a large bowl.

Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over apples and mix to coat.

Prepare pie plate with crust. Add apple mixture.

For the crumbs, put all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. With your hands or a pastry cutter, mix everything together until crumbs form. This takes a few minutes, especially if the butter is very cold when you start.

Spread the crumbs evenly over the apples. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.