Bored with the usual Christmas fare? Then why not try one of these 6 Unusual Christmas Recipes? Plus find the linky for #CookBlogShare Weeks 51 & 52.
How are your Christmas preparations going? Are you all done and dusted – or are you yet to start??? Can you believe it’s just one week until Christmas? I am sure Christmas comes around faster every year!
I’ve been busy on Easy Peasy Foodie this month, continuing with my updates (nearly there!) as well as squeezing out another couple of new Christmas recipes: my Roast Parsnips with Honey and Thyme and my Easy Leftover Turkey Curry – perfect for Boxing Day!!
If you are need of more inspiration, then do check out my Easy Peasy Christmas Recipes Collection – which features everything you need for the big day. And if you are worrying about timings on Christmas Day then I’ve got you covered with my Easy Peasy Christmas Dinner Time Plan and Shopping List!
Over on Productive Blogging my focus has been on getting ready for 2019! I started by sharing a post all about Goal setting for bloggers in 2019 – where I share how to:
- SET GOALS for 2019
- Work out how to ACHIEVE those goals
- Actually TAKE STEPS to make those goals a reality
I’ve also written a post all about how to write a content plan for 2019 – and why that is so important!
And finally this month, I’ve been sharing all about how to avoid blogger burnout and get your blogging mojo back!
6 Unusual Christmas Recipes
You’ll notice that this week is a bit of a bumper edition of #CookBlogShare. Not only does this linky cover TWO WEEKS – the last two weeks of the year, but also because I’ve featured SIX RECIPES, instead of my usual 4.
Right now, my social media feeds are being bombarded with Christmas recipe after Christmas recipe… and the thing about Christmas recipes is, well, they are often rather samey! I’m seeing a lot of turkey, sprouts, roast potatoes, Christmas cakes and mince pies!
Nothing wrong with any of that, but I thought for my roundup this week I’d focus on some of the more unusual Christmas recipes that caught my eye in last week’s linky…
Gingerbread Latte Cake
First up is this gorgeous Gingerbread Latte Cake from Nickki at Something Sweet Something Savoury. Gingerbread is EVERYWHERE at Christmas and every coffee shop is selling gingerbread lattes – but I love Nickki’s twist on this theme, turning it into a cake! And it’s so beautiful – this cake would make a gorgeous alternative to Christmas cake this year (especially if you’ve not made one yet!)
Soft Chewy Gingerbread Biscuits
Sticking with the gingerbread theme, the twist this time is that the gingerbread is soft and chewy – perfect for small children (and those with dodgy teeth!). And these Soft Chewy Gingerbread Biscuits from Corina at Searching for Spice are so very pretty – perfect for gifts or bake sales! In her post Corina tells the hilarious tale of why they are stars and not men – basically her daughter didn’t like the idea of making men when she was small – preferring stars, bells, Christmas trees – and even gingerbread butterflies!
Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins
Another recipe that would be just perfect for Christmas gifts and bakesales are these delicious-sounding Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins from Janice over at Farmer’s Girl Kitchen. These gorgeous muffins bring together all the delicious flavours of Christmas: cranberries, orange, cinnamon, nuts and chocolate, and are very quick to put together – perfect for last minute guests!
Candied Peel, Apricot and Marzipan Snowflake Bread
What will you be eating for breakfast on Christmas morning? I don’t know about you, but I’m tempted to pop over to Anna from One Upon a Food Blog’s house, where she’ll be serving up this gorgeous Candied Peel, Apricot and Marzipan Snowflake Bread. I think Anna has more than achieved her aim of creating something ‘special enough for Christmas day but easy enough to get on the table while opening stockings, unwrapping pressies and drinking champagne, possibly all in one go!’ That sounds like my perfect Christmas morning right there!!
Spicy Turkey Nibbles
Moving on to savoury recipes and I absolutely love this twist on Christmas Turkey from Jacqui at Recipes Made Easy. She has taken the tradition of turkey at Christmas and turned it on its head by creating these Spicy Turkey Nibbles. These nibbles would be just perfect for a party, served with sweet chilli dipping sauce or even cranberry sauce! And I love the fact they are low in fat and low in calories. As Jacqui says, ‘it just goes to show you can produce healthy, fun, tasty party food!’
Mushroom & Chestnut Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
Sausage rolls are everywhere at Christmas time, but the twist here is that these sausage rolls are vegetarian. Instead of the traditional sausage meat, Choclette from Tin and Thyme has used a mixture of mushrooms, chestnuts and breadcrumbs as the filling for these very festive Mushroom & Chestnut Vegetarian Sausage Rolls. I especially love how she has used wholemeal spelt flour for the pastry. I can imagine these vegetarian sausage rolls going down very well at parties and buffets over the festive period (and not just with the vegetarians!).
#CookBlogShare Weeks 51&52
And so we come to this week’s linky. You can link up any foodie post that you have – both old and new posts are welcome. All you need to do is:
- Link up a recipe or foodie post by clicking the blue ‘add your link’ button below and following the instructions (maximum of 4, please).
- Add a link from your post back to this post (so everyone else can find it and link up too!) and / or add the #CookBlogShare badge to your post (you can find the code below).
- Comment on one of the host’s posts and a minimum of 2 other posts linked up here, and generally share the love with a bit of social media action!
If you wish, you can tweet a link to your recipe to me @easypeasyfoodie and also (if you have room on the tweet!) my co-hosts Jacqui @jacdotbee and Monika @MonikasRecipes, using the #CookBlogShare hashtag and we will retweet them. You can also post your recipe on the Cook Blog Share Facebook Page.
Need some help on Instagram? You and me both…so let’s help each other! Whenever you post to Instagram, use the #CookBlogShare hashtag, then quickly hop over to the #CookBlogShare feed, liking as many as you can and commenting on any that particularly catch your eye. Not a big job at all, but if we all do it, it would make a BIG difference!!
I will comment on a selection of my favourite posts this week and pin them to the Cook Blog Share Pinterest Board. I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been making!
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Just to remind you, by joining in, you are giving the #CookBlogShare hosts permission to use your pictures in a round up and on social media, if your recipe is selected as one of our favourites!
This week’s #CookBlogShare linky will be up for TWO WEEKS
The next #CookBlogShare will be hosted by Jacqui at Recipes Made Easy starting on 1st January 2019! 🙂
Pin 6 Unusual Christmas Recipes for later
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
I can’t believe we are almost there… This time next week it will be time for Xmas lunch! I’ve been slightly out of action during the last couple of weeks due to broken wrist and the worst flu ever but am now really looking forward to the last week of all sorts of pre Xmas prep and excitement. 🙂 Love your delicious round up of slightly unusual Christmas goodies, they all sound super yummy!
Merry Christmas Eb! 🙂 x
Eb Gargano says
I know!!! It comes round so quick. Sorry to hear about you being out of action. Flu plus broken wrist sounds awful, but glad to hear you are on the mend! Eb x
Corina Blum says
I am loving all the Christmas recipes this week! THank you so much for featuring my gingerbread biscuits as well. I’ll be back to link another recipe up soon. x
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure – I loved the story about your little girl. Gingerbread butterflies sounds like a great idea! Eb x
Rebecca Smith says
Lots of inspiration here for the Christmas period, thank you…can’t waait to look through all the link up’s too.
Eb Gargano says
I know – some great recipes. I always love the slightly more unusual ones! Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Eb what a lovely round up so many delicious recipes linked up every week it gets harder to choose doesnt it. I can not believe its the last one of the year where has the time gone.
Eb Gargano says
I know – crazy, huh? I totally agree about it getting harder each week – that’s why I had to pick 6 this time. I just couldn’t choose between them. Eb x
Choclette says
Aw, thanks for including my sausage rolls. They have suffered hugely this past week with all the blogging problems and comments disabled, so a bit of attention here is much appreciated. Lovely alternative take on Christmas and I have my eye on that gingerbread and snowflake cakes.
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a relaxing one too I hope.
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure, Choclette. I’m so sorry to hear about your blogging woes, but sounds like it’s all fixed now. That must be a relief! Eb x
Janice says
The recipes all sound so delicious and it’s nice to have something a little bit different at Christmas. Thank you for including my Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins.
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure, Janice – I really love the sound of Christmas in muffin form 😀 Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
Great roundup! My favourite recipe is the snowflake bread. Really puts me in the mood for baking.
Eb Gargano says
I KNOW – such a fab idea! Eb x
Nickki says
Thank you for featuring my ginger ginger latte cake! ? What a fab round up!
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure 🙂 Eb x
Nickki says
Sorry about the typos, don’t know what happened there! ?
Eb Gargano says
Haha – I really like the sound of a ginger ginger latte cake! There can never be too much ginger in my book 😀 Eb x
jenny walters says
Fab Xmas round up. I have fallen in love with the Gingerbread Latte Cake. I can’t stop thinking about the Biscoff Icing! Merry Xmas have a fab one x
Eb Gargano says
I KNOW – it sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Eb x
Cliona Keane says
Fantastic round up Eb! Love some unusual ideas for Christmas!
Eb Gargano says
Thank you 🙂 Eb x
jenny paulin says
great round up Eb. that gingerbread latte cake is amazing! x
Eb Gargano says
I KNOW – isn’t it just? Eb x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
Where in the world did this year GO?! I can’t believe it’s almost over. We’re having our big Christmas Dinner with prime rib and all the fixings this year: I’m with you, turkey is fabulous, but I feel a bit “ho-hum” about it after having already made it for Thanksgiving. These recipes are yummy departures, so I’m excited to give them a look. Today I’m linking up Recipes for Using up Leftovers, because—to me, anyway—there’s practically no point in holiday dinners UNLESS you have delicious leftovers to eat up! ;-P I’ll be back with a few more recipe before next year.
Eb Gargano says
I KNOW!!! Crazy, huh? Yay – you know how much I LOVE leftovers!! Eb x