Remember walking into your grandmother's house with a delicious scent of mince pies, turkey, casseroles and puddings wafting in the air? Sure they may sound like the safest options to re-create in your own kitchen during Christmas, but your children or your guests may look for something new or 'out-of-the-ordinary'. Something that entices the senses, tickles the taste buds and still locks and carries the good spirit of Christmas with it. It might only seem fitting to not re-do or modify traditional dishes, but who said you cannot create novel ones of your own? After all, Christmas is all about good times, good cheer, goodwill and great food! You can go that extra mile and add a little bit of dynamism, originality and flavor on the palate. Take a look at a few novelties that you can whip up in your kitchen with a little inspiration from this article and pool it with some inventive ideas of your own!
Different Foods For Christmas
Snowman Cookies
Who said chocolate chip or raisin cookies were boring? You can either lay the brown blanket over a tray while presenting it to your guests with Christmas tea, or you could actually put in some effort and whip up a cream cheese or butter cream paste to spread over the cookies. Once this is done, you can add a few gems or raisins to make it look like a snowman. Set it in the freezer, dish it out at tea and watch the tasty magic unfold!
Christmas Cupcakes
If baking is your forte then you have no reason to not experiment with cupcakes! They are the most versatile form of desserts and only take a few minutes to prepare. Be a little creative and opt for a red velvet, chocolate, mint or banana base and look for ways to make it visually appealing. If you are creative, try making Christmas figures, gifts, mini-Santa's or reindeers on your cupcakes with a bit of gum paste. These will steal the show and is sure to make you very popular with the children.
Gingerbread Houses
It would be unfair not to bake a traditional Gingerbread house during Christmas. If you have already been making it every year, look for ways to make it more creative this year. You could pin marshmallows, fruits or make a chocolate coating with jellybeans all over the house for a delicious, visual effect.
Mrs. Claus's Pizzas
Yes, you can now convert your ordinary pizza slice into a decorative Christmas tree! To obtain the 'green' effect as the base, opt for a tomato-spinach base with a layer of mozzarella cheese under it. Add your favorite ingredients that resemble the decorations on a Christmas tree and make it look interesting! Take your pick from a wide variety of vegetables, meats and some Salami.
Santa's Pretzels And Wreaths
Children are in for a crunchy surprise with Christmas decorated pretzels and wreaths. You can make a wreath out of edible gum paste and cover it with colorful jelly beans or marshmallows or coat Pretzels with buttercream paste and colorful edible Christmas sprinkles in red, green, blue and white! Lay these out on the table after dinner and watch it being devoured!
Marshmallow Reindeers
Create your own versions of mini Rudolph and get your children to join in! Grab a bunch of marshmallows, dip it in liquid chocolate and let it set in the freezer. Once this is done, stick pieces of pretzels with edible gum to mirror the antlers. The eyes can be made with sprinkles and the famous red nose is left to your imagination!
Pretzel Martinis
Turn your regular martini into a creative glass of Christmas. You can add a few pretzel sprigs to the martini, or make a concoction of fresh Pretzel juice, combined with your favorite Martini base. This one is a must-do for the adventurous grown-ups!
You need not stick to Christmas to try out these ideas. But, Christmas is a good time to start. After all, it happens only once a year and you have only one chance to impress and showcase your creative, culinary products at the table.
Want to break the age old pudding and pie tradition and try something exciting? Read on to know a few 'out-of-the-box', different and creative foods you can play with this Christmas.