November 24, 2021 • cocktail party
EXCLUSIVE: Mari Pepin Shares Her Favorite Holiday Food and Family Traditions!
Celebrate the holidays with Bachelor Nation!
Fans got to know and love Mari Pepin on Season 25 of “The Bachelor” and Season 7 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
And now, the Bachelor Nation star is sitting down with BachelorNation.com for an exclusive interview about her favorite holiday foods and traditions.
Check out Mari’s entire interview — including the recipe for her favorite holiday drink — below!
Bachelor Nation: Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving recipe to make?
Mari Pepin: My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is baked mac and cheese!
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BN: Sounds delicious! What about a favorite recipe for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa?
MP: I love making Christmas cookies, but I just buy the premade dough from the store!
BN: Sweets are the best! In your opinion, what is the best holiday food?
MP: For me, that’s arroz con gandules and pernil (yellow rice with pigeon peas and roasted pork).
BN: Yum! Did you have a favorite holiday food to eat/make while growing up?
MP: My favorite holiday food growing up was ALWAYS baked ham and mashed potatoes.
BN: And what is your favorite holiday tradition that you do with your family?
MP: My family in Puerto Rico do a version of caroling called a parranda — we visit friends/family with traditional instruments in hand and sing traditional Puerto Rican Christmas music, dance, eat, and have a good time!
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BN: How sweet! Sounds lovely. Is there a dish from your family’s background/culture that you incorporate into the holidays? If so, would you share the recipe with us?
MP: For Christmas, my family always makes Coquito. It’s a traditional Puerto Rican drink similar to eggnog, except with coconut. The recipe is:
- 1 can cream of coconut
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1-2 oz. rum (exclude for a non-alcoholic recipe)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- Ice
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Cinnamon sticks (for garnish)
- Just blend it all up and top with the whipped cream, more ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick!
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BN: We’re going to have to try that recipe this year! And last but not least, do you always go back for seconds and leave room for dessert?
MP: I go back for seconds AND leave room for dessert. 😏
