The festive season means we can put aside the cautious eating and finally indulge in some of the tempting treats Christmas brings. The recipes below attempt to cover a variety of tastes, from the traditional to the obscure and from the healthy to more indulgent.

1. Gammon with Tomato Sauce

Ham is often regarded as a festive food and gammon provides a scrumptious dinner time favorite that proves enjoyable for all the family! To enjoy this recipe to the fullest, select a creamier tomato sauce in contrast to the thinner, more watery sauces. The saltiness of the gammon is balanced by the sweetness of tomato sauce and contrasting textures.  Just the smell of this recipe is sure to work up an appetite!

2. Duck and Mango Salad

A duck and mango salad is a healthier option for those who are trying to watch their weight over Christmas. A perfect twist to a traditional salad by adding succulent pieces of duck and juicy mango slices. Duck is the ideal Christmas meat as it is not a usual household choice but provides great taste, especially alongside the fruitiness of the mango.

3. Apple Cider

Warm up Christmas parties with an infusion of festive apple flavored cider. Simply heat and mix regular apple brandy, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg over a hob and inhale the smell of complimentary flavors. Other festive variations include cranberry or orange cider

4. Cinnamon Christmas Buns

This recipe is similar to the classic cinnamon swirl but exchanges a flaky pastry with a softer doughier base. Add raisins and a thin layer of plain icing to the top of the bun to increase the festivity of this recipe.

5. Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Known for accompanying turkey on a traditional Christmas Day meal, cranberry sauce is an instant British favorite. The base ingredients are simply fresh cranberries and sugar however there are so many variations of this recipe, including the addition of ingredients such as tangerine, port or even rosemary.

6. Gingerbread Truffles

Add a twist to classic chocolate truffles by adding gingersnaps! These soft and luxurious truffle balls combine the festivity of gingerbread with the well-known beauty of dark chocolate. Toasted nuts can also be added to provide a satisfying combination of textures.

7. Spiced Cauliflower Soup

As a delicious vegetarian option spiced cauliflower soup combines the flavors of various complimentary vegetables with the spice arising from the use of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and mixed spices.

8. Cinnamon and Hazelnut Toffee

The softness of the toffee beautifully contrasts the crunch of the hazelnut and with the addition of cinnamon this recipe is the ideal Christmas party crowd pleaser! If preferred, the hazelnuts could be substituted with other nuts such as pecans.

9. Chestnut, Sausage and Marsala Stuffing

Christmas cannot pass by without the incredible sticky deliciousness of stuffin. This recipe can be enjoyed either alongside a prepared meal or perhaps as leftovers in between two slices of bread. Additional ingredients include herbs rosemary and thyme.

10. Spiced Orange Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is a traditional festive favorite but combining it with the sweetness of orange segments, black peppercorns and a cinnamon stick create a new and creative take on a Christmas classic. Ensure to serve this recipe warm for maximum enjoyment.

Christmas can provide the ideal opportunity to experiment with recipes and ideas. It’s easy to stick to traditional Christmas ingredients but add some spark and creativity to the festive season by trying the above recipes.

Written by Rebecca Hubbard, who helps out Cooks Paraphernalia, a design kitchenware retailer offering products such as wmf cutlery or pressure cookers.

Each year when I write out my baking list for Christmas I always include a simple sugar cookie recipe.  These cookies are easy to make, fun to decorate and are very versatile at the holidays.

I use an easy sugar cookie recipe for a variety of reasons.  For one, the recipe is great for the kids.  They can mix the ingredients – or add them to the food processor (have you read my review of the Cuisinart Food Processor yet?), they love to decorate them and there aren’t too many kids I know who don’t enjoy eating sugar cookies.

What I love about a great sugar cookie recipe though is that it is super easy to jazz these cookies up a little and take them to bazaars and cookie exchanges too.  With a little royal icing and a holiday shaped cookie cutter, you can make some truly spectacular cookie creations!  Sugar cookies really are that versatile.

My favorite easy sugar cookie recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks Sugar: Simple Sweets and Decadent Desserts by Anna Olson.

If you are Canadian you are probably familiar with Anna Olson.  She is the host of Sugar on Food Network Canada as well as the spokesperson for stores like Home Hardware and The Bulk Barn.   She also owns a whole foods bakery in the tourist destination of Niagara-On-The-Lake that is really beautiful and rustic.  If you are ever visiting the Niagara region it is worth a stop.

I actually had the pleasure of meeting Anna at a local food show in Toronto and she is very “sweet” and down-to-earth .  I even got her to sign my copy of Sugar and have, on more than one occasion, proudly shown it to anyone who visits my kitchen.

The cookbook and the recipes are simple, elegant and comforting – especially the cookies and I hope Anna’s sugar cookie recipe finds its way onto your Christmas baking list too.  Enjoy!

Want a gingerbread cookie idea that is a little outside the box this Christmas?  Well I can guarantee that these gingerbread cookie cutters from Fred and Friends will help you get exactly what you are looking for.

The company Fred & Friends is making some big waves in the cooking and baking world these days with their innovative and uniquely hilarious kitchen products.  They are fun and unusual and people everywhere are scrambling to get their hands on them.  Unfortunately though, this means many on and offline merchants are quickly selling out of Fred’s holiday items making them difficult to get your hands on.

If you are lucky enough to find a place where Fred’s stuff is in stock, buy an extra set because as soon as family and friends get a peek at your unique gingerbread cookies, they are going to want some cookie cutters of their own.

Whether you go with the super trendy and popular Ninjabread Men or the equally funny ABC (Already Been Chewed) set, your cookies will be the talk of the town this holiday season.  Can you imagine the look you would get at the church bazaar, the school bake sale or your girlfriends cookie exchange if you showed up with cookies like these?  It would be memorable that’s for sure!

I think I might go for the ABC cutters and take them into my son’s classroom as a special holiday treat.  A bunch of grade 2 boys are sure to get a kick out of half eaten gingerbread cookies right?