By Nancy Vallarella | Long Island Locavore
Some traditions sparkle on the tree. Others simmer on the stove. Every December, families reach for the same boxes of ornaments and the same beloved recipes: glass balls gently unwrapped, handwritten index cards pulled from cookbooks, ingredients measured just “the way Nana did.” And just like ornaments come in different shapes (round, oblong, glittering, imperfect) holiday foods do, too.
What truly matters is that they’re made by hand.
This season we’re celebrating three recipes that invite children into the kitchen and keep family traditions alive with every roll, dip, stir, and sprinkle: Nana’s Potato Croquettes, Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes, and Sally’s Sweet & Sour Meatballs.
Different flavors, different shapes, one shared purpose: creating memories that last longer than the leftovers.
Nana’s Potato Croquettes
From Chef Jonathan Shearman, Fyr & Salt, Cutchogue
Before Chefs Jonathan Shearman and Max Mohrmann built Fyr & Salt into a wood-fired catering business and café in Cutchogue, they were kids in Smithtown cooking in their families’ kitchens. Chef Shearman shares his recipe and memory of making Nana’s Potato Croquettes.
“Every Christmas Eve my Nana would make the most delicious potato croquettes! The filling would always vary a little but the outcome always tasty. This is a great recipe to get kids involved in the kitchen around the holiday.” — Chef Jonathan Shearman
Nana’s Potato Croquettes
Yields 20–40 pieces
Ingredients
Filling:
4 lbs russet potatoes
1 cup parmigiano reggiano
1 cup scamorza, mozzarella, or provolone
6 eggs
1 cup crispy pancetta, prosciutto, or speck
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Sea salt & black pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying
Breading:
1 cup flour
4 eggs
2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
Directions
- Bake whole potatoes at 400°F for 45–60 minutes until tender. Cool, scoop, and rice into a large mixing bowl.
- Add eggs, cheese, meat, parsley, salt, pepper. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Shape into oblong croquettes; chill for 1 hour in fridge.
- Dip each croquette in flour → egg → breadcrumb. (Perfect kid job! Prepare for joyful chaos.)
- Fry at 375°F until golden.
- Sprinkle with flaky salt.
Make-Ahead: Reheat at 400°F before serving. Nana always did.
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes (Baked)
From Chef Paolo Fontana, General Manager, St. George’s Golf and Country Club, East Setauket
For Chef Paolo Fontana, the kitchen has always been more than a workspace. As the former Executive Chef at St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Paolo spent countless busy days with his children by his side, learning the sounds, rhythms, and smells of a working kitchen.
“My kids grew up among the clang of pans and the hum of service, and like most children, they wanted to be part of the action. To keep them busy and smiling I relied on easy, delicious recipes like this one.”
These baked pumpkin donut holes are tailor-made for little helpers. Kids can measure, mix, stir, and fill the pans themselves; parents just step in for the baking. When they come out warm and soft, still fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg, the real fun begins rolling them in cinnamon sugar “snow.”
It’s a simple recipe, but it creates something bigger: sugar-coated fingers, flour-dusted counters, and the kind of laughter that families remember long after the last donut is gone.
“Recipes like these don’t just make sweets,” Chef Paolo says. “They make memories.”
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes (Baked)
Makes about 24 mini donut holes
Ingredients
Donut Holes:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each nutmeg and ginger
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup pumpkin purée – (NOT pie filling)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease mini muffin or donut hole pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices).
- In another bowl, whisk butter, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, milk, and vanilla.
- Combine the two mixtures until smooth.
- Fill baking pan cups ¾ full using two spoons or a cookie scoop; bake 10–12 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly.
- Dip warm donuts in butter, roll in cinnamon sugar.
Sally’s Sweet & Sour Meatballs
From Myra Naseem, CCG (Chief Culinary Goddess)– Elegant Eating, Smithtown
Some recipes don’t just taste like the holidays. They tell the story of how families learn them. Myra’s mother Sally made these in the 1970s, using instructions from a friend who forgot to mention the bottle sizes.
“Well, it was mostly grape jelly, and they were so sweet, but she figured it out and it became a family favorite.” — Myra Naseem
Kids roll the meatballs, adults stir the sauce, and everyone retells the story of the “too-sweet first batch.” That’s how traditions stay alive: through flavor, laughter, and the retelling.
Sally’s Meatballs
Yield 60-70 pieces depending on size
Ingredients
Sauce:
2 (12 oz) jars chili sauce
2 (12 oz) jars grape jelly
2 tsp lemon juice
Mix above ingredients in a pot over low heat.
Meatballs:
2 lbs chopped meat
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic
2 eggs
1 onion, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
- Mix, roll into small meatballs, drop into sauce.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Slow Cooker Shortcut
- Use frozen meatballs, mix jelly, chili sauce, and lemon juice, and add to crockpot.
- Cook on low 3–4 hours (or high for less time).
- Switch to warm to serve. Garnish if desired.
Notes
- Cranberry jelly can replace grape jelly & lemon juice for a festive twist.
Why These Recipes Matter
One day, a child who rolled croquettes, dipped donut holes, or shaped meatballs will say: “This is how my family always made them.”
Traditions aren’t perfect. Some are oblong, some too sweet the first time, some covered in more sugar than intended, but they are ours. Just like ornaments, they are carried from one generation to the next, shaped by hand, loved into being, and remembered forever.
In the end, holiday food isn’t about perfection. It’s about the hands that shape it, the stories that come with it, and the children who stand on tiptoes to help. Long after the croquettes are gone, the donut holes are dusted off the counter, and the meatballs have vanished from the pot, the memories remain. Recipes like these become heirlooms, tucked not in a drawer but in the hearts of the people who make them. Because the most meaningful holiday traditions aren’t bought. They are rolled, baked, stirred, shared, and passed down.
Happy Holidays!
Long Island Locavore was created by Nancy Vallarella, who brings farm-fresh recipes and local food knowledge to Long Island through farmers’ markets, demos, and more.
📬 For more recipes or to connect:
DM @lilocavore495 on Instagram or email lilocavore495@gmail.com
