Holiday Recipes from Liberty County

Ah, the holidays. The season for giving, loving and in-laws. We know that one of the most important parts of hosting the holidays is cooking traditional dishes with your family. And here in Liberty County with a diverse culture, some who celebrate Thanksgiving, and some who do not, we thought it would be interesting to compile a few Autumn recipes for you to try from the comfort of your home!

If you’re hosting the holiday feast at your house and you have no idea what to serve? Or you just have a group of friends over to sit around a bonfire (be sure to check out our 5 Things to Do Without Snow Blog), and you want to serve something yummy. We asked a few of our favs if they would like to share some recipes!

1. We asked Anka, owner of Zum Rosenhof, located in downtown Hinesville about German holiday recipes, and she mentioned schwäbischer zwiebelkuchen (German onion & bacon pie). This pie is Germany’s most famous way of celebrating autumn.

For crust, store-bought is totally fine. But you will need a deep dish crust.

For filling:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/4 lbs. yellow onions, finely diced
• 5 slices thick cut bacon, finely diced
• 1 1/2 cups full fat sour cream
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper

Dice the bacon & onions. Fry both together. Reduce heat and let the onions slowly caramelize to a nice golden brown, typically about 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. In a bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, flour, salt, caraway seeds and pepper. Add the onion/bacon mixture and thoroughly combine everything. Pour the onion mixture into crust. Place the pie on the middle shelf in the oven, preheated to 400 degrees. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the top is light golden brown. Pair this pie with a fermented young wine and voila! You’ve got yourself a cultural cuisine for your holiday feast.

2. Susan McCorkle, a long time Liberty County resident and amazing home cook, shared her delicious chicken and dumplings recipe that she likes to make for holiday dinners. What a refreshing change from the normal ham or turkey. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 8 boneless chicken thighs or 1 large hen
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• ½ stick of margarine
• 2 boxes of chicken broth
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 packages of frozen dumplings

Roughly chop 1/2 of the onion and 1 rib of celery, then sauté them in margarine until the veggies are tender. Add chicken, chicken broth and enough water to cover chicken, add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Remove chicken from liquid, let cool and then shred the chicken. Bring liquid to a boil again and this time add the dumplings. Stir as you add dumplings so they don’t stick to the bottom of your pot. Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Add the shredded chicken back to the broth and you have yourself some delicious holiday chicken and dumplings!

 

3. Dwayne from Good to Go Caribbean restaurant was excited to share how he seasons his jerk turkey for the holidays. Here is what you’ll need:

• Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning in Mild
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Fresh thyme
• Carrots (optional)

Dwayne marinates his turkey overnight in garlic powder, onion powder, jerk seasoning and fresh thyme. Carrots are optional, but Dwayne cuts his carrots Julienne style and adds them to his turkey! Bake your turkey at 400 degrees for 4-6 hours. What a fun twist on a traditional turkey recipe!

If you’re looking for more recipes, check out our Carrot Cupcake Recipe. If you’re looking to make some delicious cocktails for the holidays, we suggest our Spiced German Cocktail!