Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of Quilcene School recipes. The series will continue in the Dec. 26 print edition of The Leader.

Continuing a holiday tradition, the Quilcene School District’s vocational cooking class has compiled its favorite holiday recipes for The Leader. From gingerbread cookies, to holiday spiced tea, to extra ”cinnamonie” (sic) cinnamon rolls, each student picked out a recipe that means the most to them to share with our readers.

Gingerbread Cookies

By McKenzie Smith

My name is McKenzie Smith. I am a sophomore at Quilcene High School. The gingerbread cookie recipe was my immediate thought when someone asked my family’s favorite holiday food because it is by far my whole family’s favorite thing about the Christmas holidays.

My grandma, Sherry Ross, has made these gingerbread cookies for over 45 years, with this exact recipe. She got the recipe from her mother-in-law at the time. My great-grandma, Louise Schostak, got it from an early series of the Crisco cans. I have some of my best family memories from times with these cookies.

My grandma has made these cookies almost every Christmas since she got the recipe, and they have become the family favorite.

I remember one Christmas when I was 12. We made a couple batches of the gingerbreads, and while taking them off the pan, they kept sticking because we forgot to spray the pan. My grandma helped my siblings and I make a gingerbread hospital at the kitchen table, so we could use frosting to reconnect their arms and legs. We still do that to this day, and I participate the most (at 16). I take a couple hours and use frosting and sprinkles to decorate them while singing along to my grandma playing Christmas music on the piano.

My mom’s favorite memories about the gingerbread cookies span her whole life. When she was little, she loved putting an apron on that was always too big, just so she could help. She also fondly remembers standing on a stool so she could reach the counter to help mix and roll them.

To this day, her favorite thing is the big mess that happens when you roll them out, and when they come out of the oven, they are really puffy and perfectly soft when they cool down. To me, this is what Christmas is — doing the small seemingly overlooked things with family year after year.

For the Crisco base:

Instructions

Start by making a simple Crisco cookie mix as a base for the gingerbread cookies.

Ingredients

6 cups flour

1 pound Crisco (2 1/3 cups)

1 tablespoon salt

Directions

Mix in a large bowl with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of peas. (Store in a covered container, will keep for weeks.) Yields seven to eight cups.

For the gingerbread cookies:

Ingredients

2 cups Crisco Cookie Mix

¾ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 egg

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons molasses

Directions

Vigorously stir all the ingredients together and chill the dough. Roll the dough to about a half-inch thick on a floured board. Cut with a floured cutter of your choice. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes. Yields two dozen cookies a batch.

Stuffed Rolls

By Sean Boone

My name is Sean Boone, and I live in the Discovery Bay area. I originally came from California. I enjoy the area I moved to, and it is fun to have new friends to talk to and care for.

In my free time, I like to play a game called OSU, make music, and message people I know. One of my biggest interests is auto mechanics, and I want my next project to be a homemade motorized bicycle.

I chose this recipe because it has by far been my most desirable holiday meal. This wonderful recipe is from my grandma.

Ingredients

One dozen “brown ‘n’ serve” rolls

One can diced Ortega peppers

3 or 4 onions

One pound crisp fried bacon, crumbled

½ cup mayonnaise to start, add until the mixture becomes creamy

Worcestershire sauce

One or more cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients together. Let the bread sit a while. Set the oven to bake at 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 3 to 5 minutes. Take out and let cool.

Cheese Makers’

Mac and Cheese

By Leanna Carstensen

My name is Leanna Brooke Carstensen. What I like to do for fun is hang out with friends, go swimming and listen to music.

I chose this recipe because it has been in my family for a long time. And because it looks really tasty. This recipe came from the website halfbakedharvest.com.

Ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk, 2 percent or whole

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

1½ cups crushed Ritz crackers

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes

1¼ cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

1¼ cups shredded fontina cheese

1 cup shredded Havarti cheese

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Fresh basil leaves, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and 2 cups of water, then stir in the macaroni. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir frequently for 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add in crushed Ritz crackers. Toast the crumbs until browned, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. When the macaroni is done, remove the pan from heat. Stir in the cream cheese, cheddar, fontina, Havarti, Gouda and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheeses have fully melted. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.

Evenly sprinkle the toasted cracker crumbs over the mac and cheese and place the baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil (optional).