Food brings people together, especially during the holidays. Cooking for someone, sharing a favorite dish or making the recipe that has appeared on the family table for generations is one of the simplest ways to show that you care. The dishes we remember most are often tied to the people who made them and the stories shared around the table. This holiday season, the Style staff is sharing favorite recipes, treasured traditions and lasting memories that make them special. Enjoy these holiday favorites, from our table to yours.

Kendra Akers, Publisher

The holidays have always been about family, tradition and gathering around the table. Now that all but one of my children are grown and have families of their own, those moments together mean even more to me. I love having everyone home and making the dishes they grew up with — the ones they request year after year. There’s something incredibly special about watching my children share those same traditions with their own families. For me, the holidays are a chance to bring everyone back home, recreate some of our favorite memories and hopefully pass a little piece of their childhood on to the next generation.

As for the recipe I’m sharing, I’m always looking for a side dish that feels a little special, and this is one of my favorites. It takes Brussels sprouts and turns them into something creamy and absolutely delicious. The cayenne pepper adds a touch of heat, but not too much. It’s just right.

I especially love making this during the holidays or when we make dinner for family and friends. Even people who swear they don’t like Brussels sprouts usually end up going back for seconds. It’s comfort food and a bit southern and it has become one of those recipes I look forward to making again and again.

Cheesy Bacon Brussels Sprouts Casserole

Taylor Browne, Office Manager

The holidays have always been a special time for my family, when everyone comes together from near and far. After we’ve stuffed ourselves, we settle onto the couch to watch football, relax and spend time together, usually followed by a very competitive card game. There’s something special about gathering around the table and sharing food with the people you love. My recipe is actually my mom’s broccoli casserole, a dish I look forward to every year because it is absolutely delicious!

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

Cindy Peterson, Executive Editor

As Style’s resident vegetarian, I’m always looking for dishes flavorful enough to win over even committed carnivores. With that, I am sharing two recipes I think can win over most anyone.

The first is stuffed acorn squash, which combines sweet roasted squash with wild rice, cranberries, pecans, spinach and herbs for a hearty fall meal that isn’t too heavy. It looks beautiful on a holiday table and can be made ahead and reheated when ready to serve. It’s special enough for Thanksgiving but easy enough to enjoy all season.

The second recipe is for deviled eggs, a staple on my family’s Thanksgiving table and just one of those dishes that just belong there. I like mine creamy, a little tangy and simple enough to taste like the ones I grew up with. The mayo can make a big difference in flavor and texture, so use your favorite. They’re also easy to make ahead and once you have the basic recipe down, you can experiment with extra ingredients to personalize them and make them your own.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Classic Deviled Eggs

Roxanne Batriz, Managing Editor

For me, holidays growing up were filled with love and food traditions my mom has always been known for. Easter meant “Capirotada,” a type of Mexican bread pudding featuring toasted, buttered and chopped bread slices seeped in warm cinnamon-infused milk and loaded with fresh fruit, including apples, prunes and bananas. Christmas dinner always included my mom’s famous refried beans and the unwrapping of fresh tamales my dad would bring home, and Thanksgiving, well, that was my mom’s specialty. Her homemade stuffing was a meal in itself, “Calabacitas Con Queso” was a staple side dish and I’m not exaggerating when I say she spent days making pies, the main attraction. I’m talking from-scratch apple and banana crème pies, but most importantly, her pumpkin pies filled with a custard that before baking is even yummy straight off the spoon. She even made sure there was extra so every family could take one home after dinner. With that, I am forever spoiled because nobody else’s pumpkin pies taste like hers. They’re either too spicy or just the wrong consistency. This year, I called my mom and had her walk me through every step of her pumpkin pie recipe and that is what I’m sharing with you. Fingers crossed it tastes just like hers!

Mom’s Pumpkin Pie

Gina Horan, Food and Lifestyle Editor

I was rarely in the same house from one year to the next, and I think I can speak for all of us in the realm of extended/blended families who understand this reality. Because of this, I was always a misfit, invited to so many gatherings that I still appreciate other people’s tables. These were always some of my best memories. That’s why spending any holiday dinner with a stranger feels normal. I want to thank everyone who invited me into their home, restaurant or office. From potlucks to “Friendsgivings,” they have meant more than I can say!

Emily Gaulin, Director of Client Services

Holiday dinners to me are all about having everyone together. I love the food, of course, lol, but really, it’s just having everyone around the table, laughing, talking and enjoying time together. I love all the traditions that come with the holidays and making the same foods we look forward to every year. Even though getting everything ready can be a little crazy, I wouldn’t change it. It’s just one of those times where everyone comes together and those are the memories that mean the most to me.

Emily’s Buttery Mashed Potatoes

Nicole Hamel, Chief Photographer

Some of my earliest childhood memories are among my most cherished, especially the Thanksgivings spent surrounded by family in Maine. Every year, my Grammy would welcome everyone into her home and prepare a wonderful feast for us to enjoy together. She put so much love into everything she cooked and those gatherings created memories that I will treasure forever.

Even after Grammy passed away, we’ve continued making her glazed carrots as part of our family’s Thanksgiving tradition. What began as a simple side dish has become a special way to keep her memory alive and bring a little piece of her back to the table each year.

She always told me to eat my carrots so I could keep my eyes strong enough to see. Today, every bite is a sweet reminder of her and of the love she put into every meal she made for our family.

Shawnee Coppola, Art Director

Sweet potato casserole has been my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving since I was a little kid. Growing up, my grandmother made the ultimate version, and while I still can’t quite match hers entirely, mine is still pretty delicious, especially since I always incorporate Granny’s secret … a whole lot of marshmallows! Over the years, it’s become my go-to dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinners and family gatherings. Some people like it with pecans, but I’ll always prefer the traditional marshmallowy goodness that my family grew up with.

Southern Sweet Potato Casserole