Most people have their classic holiday dishes. They’re those traditional foods you and your family have each year – for some, mashed potatoes; for most, turkey (speaking of turkey, save time and reserve yours here). Since we’re doing a series of recipe features from our Spud staff, for Volume 2, we thought we’d inspire festive stoke with a holiday edition. For new recipe ideas, here are some easy holiday dishes straight from our Spud families to yours.

3 Easy Holiday Dishes from our Staff

Jess’ Creamy Artichoke Dip

Jess is in our marketing department here at Spud. She was also featured in Volume 1! Check out her ramen recipe. Unlike the ramen she submitted last time, this easy holiday dish – in her words! – is “definitely NOT a light dish, but it’s so cheesy and amazing that it’s worth it.” It’s a family favourite at her house, and will likely be at yours too. Bonus: it takes less than 10 minutes.

You’ll need:

• 1 container of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 jar of artichoke hearts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pita/bread/veggies (like carrots, cucumbers, or celery) to dip

To make:

1. Dice garlic and artichokes and place in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add all ingredients to the bowl and microwave for 3-4 minutes (or until everything is melted and bubbly). Make sure to stir halfway to ensure nothing burns!
3. That’s ALL! Under 10 minutes. Feel free to reheat as necessary to ensure maximum gooey-ness.

Lauren’s Nutmeggy Rum ‘n Eggnog

Lauren is our Business Development Manager here at Spud HQ. She’s the one who runs the behind-the-scenes show with our corporate deliveries, and she also keeps us involved in fun activities, like yoga and rock climbing. This was the recipe she submitted, and I’m happy she did – it’s a classic! Plus you can never have too many boozy recipes, right? (Wrong. You can. Alcohol is a drug, stay safe people.)

You’ll need:

Per Glass:

• 3 ice cubes
• 1/2 cup eggnog (Try our homemade vegan eggnog recipe!)
• 1 shot rum
• top with freshly shaved nutmeg, both for extra flavour and to get into the holiday spirit

Simply add ice cubes to the glass, pour in the rum and (v)eggnog, sprinkle with nutmeg, and enjoy!

Carli’s Mashed Sweet Potatoes with a Pecan Brown Sugar Topping

Hi, my name’s Carli. I’m one of the social media and content creators here at Spud HQ, and yes, I’m featuring one of my own easy holiday dishes. This one’s just too good to pass up! (No lie, it’s the first to go at all family gatherings.) It’s sweet, creamy, and buttery, and the pecans add a nice crunch. It’s also easily veganizable. Simply replace the cream with dairy-free cream or milk, and choose vegan butter instead of dairy butter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

You’ll need:

• 4 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (1L)
• 2 tbsp cream or milk (or non-dairy versions)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

To make:

1. Mix potatoes, cream, salt and paprika together until well-combined.
2. Spread in a greased casserole pan. (As a good #letsnotwaste tip, try using the remains of your butter wrappers to grease the pan!)
3. For the topping, heat brown sugar and butter over low heat. Stir constantly until butter is barely melted.
4. Spread topping over potatoes. Sprinkle with pecan halves.
5. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Once ready, heat in the oven of any temperature – it should be bubbling hot before serving.
6. Eat away!

What are some of your easy holiday dishes? We’d love to hear them!