Eight Fantastic Twists to the Traditional Holiday Dinner

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Tradition is all well and good. It’s fun. It feels like home. We humans like rituals; it makes us feel grounded.

But, when it comes to food, there is no reason you can’t still be traditional but add a little twist to it by changing up the traditional recipes to make them a little different - and possibly even better than the original. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

· Turkey – Many people enjoy turkey at their Christmas dinner. Typically, it is just a regular roasted turkey with stuffing or dressing.

But in previous years, Rachel Ray Every Day posted six flavor twists for the traditional turkey. These recipes are awesome to keep it traditional but with a little extra flavor that your family will love.

· Stuffing / Dressing – There is always a lot of discussion about whether you should fix stuffing or dressing.

Either is fine, but you can really switch up the ingredients and make it extra special if you want to. There are so many amazing flavor combinations. You might want to try this Holiday Turkey with Rice Stuffing recipe.

· Go Vegan – It might seem impossible, but you can add a huge twist to your holiday meal simply by going vegan.

Look no further than your Whole Foods Market website for great recipe ideas. If you don’t have a Whole Foods, you can still find ingredients at your local supermarket for the most part.

· Holiday Ham – Many people enjoy spiralized glazed ham on Christmas. It’s wonderful for that day but also for leftovers.

There are many different recipes that are almost the same for this traditional dish. Why not shake it up with this Holiday Ham with a Texas Twist. You don’t even have to live in Texas to enjoy it.

· Pumpkin Pie – You may think you’ve seen all the variations of your beloved pumpkin pie, but there are so many that they can’t be listed here.

However, you can go to the Community Table website to view these wonderful 12 twists on traditional pumpkin pie. Be ready to get super-hungry.

· Green Bean Casserole – Many people hate it, but many obviously love it because it seems like it’s part of every Christmas holiday meal.

There are many ways to make it that you may not know about. Here you can find a list of seven different ways to make this traditional holiday side dish extra special.

· Giblet Gravy – The traditional recipe is delicious, but you can spice it up. You could stir in some sour cream to make it super-rich and creamy with a tangy kick. Another option is to spice it up by adding some hot sauce or smoked paprika.

· Christmas Pudding – Many people enjoy classic Christmas pudding at some point during the holidays. If you come from England, then you know all about it.

But it’s also in America and other countries due to immigration.

If you’ve never tried it, making the traditional recipe will be a great twist in itself. If you like dried fruit, eggs, and bread, you’ll love it.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. You can even throw out tradition altogether and have a Christmas pizza if you so desire. Don’t feel constrained to do the same thing every single year if you don’t want to.