Unusual Christmas Lunch Recipes

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!!

Christmas Themed Treats For Your Festive Table

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:

I’ve also written a post all about how to write a content plan for 2019 – and why that is so important!

Easy Christmas Lunch Ideas For A Festive Afternoon

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…

Unique Christmas Dinner For A Vegan Family: Recipes

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!)

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!

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!

Alternative Christmas Dinner Ideas

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!!

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!’

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!).

Christmas Dinner For One Recipe

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:

If you wish, you can tweet a link to your recipe to me@and also (if you have room on the tweet!) my co-hosts Jacqui @jacdotbee and Monika @MonikasRecipes, usingthe #CookBlogSharehashtag and we will retweet them. You can also post your recipe on theCook 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!!

Make Ahead Holiday Recipes For Easy Entertaining

I will comment on a selection of my favourite posts this week and pin them to theCook Blog Share Pinterest Board. I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been making!

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!The typical to-do list during the holiday season is enough to scare off even the most industrious among us. From shopping for unique gifts and wrapping presents to decorating the house and attending various social events, you're looking at one packed calendar. Add hosting duties into the mix, and chances are you're going to need an assist.

Here's some help from a pro who knows best: I love to fill my table with holiday favorites like my plant-based Creole cornbread stuffing, slow-cooked smokey collards, a sweet potato casserole, truffled cream corn, and a holiday roast, says Charity Morgan, author of Unbelievably Vegan. For dessert, turn to a favorite family recipe for that nostalgia factor. For my family, it's a three-tier carrot cake, says Morgan.

Weird & Unusual Christmas Foods That Are Eaten At Xmas

For even more inspiration, we've rounded up a long list of the best Christmas party food ideas, so you can spend less time searching the internet and your arsenal of cookbooks for

. Whether you're hosting an open house with a buffet or a full-on dinner party for adults, these recipes will make your soiree one to remember.

There's no shortage of options from popular snacks and nibbles (for meat lovers and vegetarians alike), easy holiday appetizers you can serve any crowd, and cute finger foods, to simple make-ahead main courses and sides, and of course desserts and cocktails. Hey, there's even a few recipes for those of you who get tasked with bringing treats to your kids' school functions. Now, go indulge in a classic Christmas flick with all that extra time you'll have on your hands.

Weird Christmas Foods Around The World

Dress up your standard bagel breakfast for Christmas morning by following this tutorial. It'll teach you how to arrange all the goods—bagels, smoked salmon, onions, cucumbers... the works!—into a gorgeous spread.

During cocktail hour, ensure guests have a delicious grab-and-go option that they can easily eat while socializing. These antipasto skewers perfectly fit the bill, plus can be assembled ahead of time—a host's dream come true.

The only thing that can possibly make the traditional brunch food even better? An infusion of eggnog and a smattering of festive sprinkles.

Best Christmas Appetizer Recipes

Butterflied leg of lamb stuffed with fresh spinach, feta, and walnut makes for a show-stopping and special dinner fit for a special occasion and works well on a buffet.

Careful: With these prosciutto, brie, and honey s'mores in the appetizer rotation, your guests might not have much room left for dinner.

Consider this the Christmas version of the beloved pumpkin roll. If you have the time to spare, you can even decorate it like the traditional yule log.

Tips For A Stress Free Christmas Dinner

This simple finger food is vegan, so all of your guests can enjoy. Plus, it's easy to give it festive treatment—just top each one with a rosemary sprig.

We never thought we'd say this, but, thanks to pomegranate arils, this cheese ball looks almost like a Christmas-themed work of art.

Need something to keep snackers satisfied before the main meal? Try these make-ahead parmesan puffs—and be sure to make extra, they'll be gone in a flash.

Best Christmas Dinner Ideas And Easy Recipes

Don't just