12 Days of Christmas Recipes from RAs for RAs
Have you heard the song "12 Days of Christmas", butchered the lyrics, and then Googled it to see what it is all about? We decided this year with the support of our members and their tested recipes to imagine what the 12 days until Christmas would be as food.
We hope you try some of those delicious meals and let us know in the comments your favorite ones!
Day 1: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies by Carrie Tillman, MA, CRA |Assistant Director | Office of Research Integrity
Day 2: Cranberry Christmas Cake by Gloria W. Greene, MA, CRA, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
This is my favorite. One of my staff members bakes this every year.
Day 3: Double Choco Caramel Cookies by Emily Mincey, Programs Associate, SRAI
Day 4: Mamie Eisenhower's Million Dollar Fudge by Kimberly Pratt, MA, CRA, Senior Sponsored Projects Officer, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Legend has it this recipe was printed in the Columbus Dispatch when Mamie Eisenhower was the First Lady, and our family (mostly my dad, Jim, aka “Fudge”) has been making it [by the pounds and pounds] for the holidays and gift-giving occasions ever since. He swears that the brand name ingredients specified make a difference – and after almost 60-plus years of fudge-making, I believe him.
Day 5: Mississippi Pecan Pie by Blair Reed, CRA, Business Manager I, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Day 6: Pizzelles by Rosemary C. Dillon, Director, Special Projects, Temple University
To me, the holidays evoke memories of past celebrations and the promise of ones yet to come. It is a time of hope and wonder, giving thanks to God and rejoicing in family and friends. This recipe is from my grandmother, who let all the grandchildren help her make these treats for Christmas.
Day 7: Rice Balls by Michael T. Marino, Director of Operations and Research, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research (CIDR) - Baruch College
This is my mom’s rice ball recipe – it’s a multi-step recipe that requires a few cooling breaks but it’s a staple at our Christmas eve dinner. Since my mom passed I’ve taken over making them every year. I included a pic of me and my niece together after making them one Christmas.
Day 8: Zeppole by Dominique Gambino, Post Award Grant and Contract Administrator, University of Detroit Mercy
My family did not have regular Christmas traditions. Not a single one. New Year's Eve was a different story. Dinner was at midnight and consisted of thirteen dishes. Zeppole is what I remember the most. Donuts for dinner. I thought that I was the luckiest girl in the world. My grandparents were from Calabria, Italy and brought the New Year’s Eve tradition of zeppole with them to America. My father continued this tradition with his own family. 
Day 9: Debbie Dip by Debbie Appler, Executive Office Administrator, SRAI
My sister made this dip once, and it was so easy I started bringing it to every holiday gathering with my family, going on about 20 years now. My cousins have since named it “Debbie Dip” and decided I’m not allowed to come to Thanksgiving or Christmas unless this comes with me!
Day 10: Salmon Curry Cheese Spread by Gina Cuevas, Programs Associate, SRAI
Day 11: Bourbon Sweet Potatoes by Debra Schaller-Demers, MSOM, Senior Director, Research Outreach and Compliance, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Recipe adapted from one received from Ellen Icolari in the early 90s – I have been making it every year since then!
Day 12: Deep-Fried Turkey brined in Cayenne and Brown Sugar by Dilyana Williams, Marketing & Communications Director, SRAI
#Catalyst#December2019#Membership