Oh man. Orange Currant Scones with melt in your mouth flavor. They come together quick because they’re  part of my #fabin40 collection. These were the perfect breakfast on December 23rd. Yes, you heard me right. I made these two days before as I was preparing food in advance for my Christmas Eve party.

This Tomato Ginger Chutney is the perfect condiment for meats. I got the recipe from Food and Wine magazine, and I served it with cold honey ham. Boy, was it a hit. Full of Indian flavors this chutney will wake up fish, chicken or any other vegetarian dish that needs zing, or lots of color.

Don’t tell me you aren’t the first to grab a bite of those cute, little cocktails wieners at any party. Mostly because of that great sauce. But some of them are too strong, or sharp, lacking in creativity and low on the yummy factor. I have solved that with my Pineapple Asian Spicy Barbeque Sauce. Simple, and fool proof it includes pureed pineapple, and a trip to Trader Joe’s for their Trader Ming’s General’s stir fry sauce. Kind of a semi-homemade dazzler.

Christmas Trail Mix is brimming with crunch and variety. Simply mix the following together: 1/4 C toasted hazelnuts, 1/4 C salted cashew pieces, 1/4 C each golden raisins and craisins, then add semi-sweet chocolate pieces to your taste. Add a little more coarse sea salt, some pepper, a touch of sugar, a bit of coriander and some cinnamon. Stir and set out with your favorite hand snacks!

Here’s how the evening rounded out: Lemony Coleslaw, a recipe from my sister’s sister-in-law (uh, you get what I mean.) Blanched carrots with tarragon lemon vinaigrette, and a table full of treats from gifted cooks who brought food to share like roasted brussel sprouts and bacon wrapped dates filled with almonds and sausage! And….so much more.