I’m wishing the very merriest of Christmases to you and yours from me and mine! May your holidays be merry, may you be surrounded by those you love, and may all your foods be tasty and stress-free.

This is my favorite time of year! Even though the kids are older now, we still look forward to the holiday traditions. Advent calendars, Christmas read-alouds, decorating cookies with friends, and holiday movie nights are all part of that.

I won’t be posting any new recipes until January, so today I’m sharing some of our long-time favorites that I’m planning to make over the next couple of weeks.

Have you tried German Pancakes? Served with my Grandma’s Orange Sauce, they’re unforgettable. They are the world’s easiest to make giant popovers. These pancakes are baked in the oven, where they rise tall and then gently fall, instead of being cooked on a griddle like traditional pancakes.

We’re big breakfast people when we have the opportunity to eat a little later in the day, so Christmas break is a fun chance to make some of our favorite breakfasts again. These tangy Cranberry Pancakes, as well as some classic Buttermilk Pancakes, are both on the meal plan list over our break. And the odds are good that there will be a batch of Ham and Cheese Waffles at some point too.

Frito Pie Huevos Rancheros is what happens when a craving for Huevos Rancheros meets a need for Fritos. This breakfast begins with a layer of chips, then you add black beans, chile sauce, roasted potatoes, melting cheese, and bacon before topping the whole pile with an egg and more chile sauce.

Christmas morning there will be both a Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole (I wasn’t kidding when I said this is my new favorite breakfast casserole.) along with a Cranberry Christmas Cake waiting on the counter.

Filled with tender chunks of pork, potatoes, and roasted green chile, Green Chile Stew is what I dream of when the weather starts cooling off each fall.

There is also a biscuit topped chicken pot pie in our near future and I’m very much looking forward to it. Those buttery, flaky drop biscuits are the perfect match for the creamy chicken and vegetable filling.

With spicy sausage, tender noodles, and a melty cheese topping, Lasagna Soup combines all of our favorite Italian ingredients and simmers them together in one pot.

A wintertime meal plan isn’t complete in our home if there isn’t a chili on the list. This Hearty Pepper Chili is both filling and fresh tasting with plenty of cilantro and lime along with plenty of bell peppers.

While I’m enjoying the time off from the blog, I plan to read as many books as I can, (thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all the book recommendations!) and cook as many of our favorite foods as possible without pausing for photos. There will be walks in the snow (please bring on the snow!) and lazy coffee in front of the Christmas tree both morning and night.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ESV