While I'm a huge fan of experimenting with exotic cocktail recipes and new spirits, sometimes nothing beats a classic beverage like the martini. For Hanukkah on Friday, why not pour your guests vodka martinis?

Vodka pairs well with smoked salmon and potato latkes. It's also a great way to get a party started and help people loosen up a bit. With dinner, consider pouring wine. To look at the vodka martini recipe, read more

Ever since I made them baked in tomato sauce, I can't stop craving eggs. In the style of huevos rancheros, this recipe combines eggs with refried beans and corn tortillas.

Instead of baking them, the eggs are cooked in a spicy enchilada sauce. Topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of sharp cheese, these Mexican-inspired eggs are one uncomplicated, but wildly gratifying meal.

Check the recipe when you read more

I mentioned before that 2010 will be the year when cupcakes take a backseat to the ethereal, candy-colored French macaron. The macaron — not to be confused with the dense, coconut-flavored macaroon — has spread far and wide beyond Ladurée, the Parisian pastry shop where it was first created nearly 80 years ago, to Japanese patisseries, American bakeshops, McCafés, and, now, Starbucks.

From Dec. 13 to 25, a limited edition 12-piece macaron set will be available in select Starbucks locations. Made in France by Château Blanc "exclusively for Starbucks," the $9.95 gift box includes two pieces of each of the following flavors: coffee, pistachio, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate, and lemon. Being the slight macaron snobs that we are, we didn't know what to expect. Read our thoughts after the break.

With so many parties on the horizon this month, I've got appetizers on the brain. I generally eschew purchasing items like store-bought chip dip for holiday parties in favor of making festive appetizers of my own. There are a notable few — like roquefort and walnut canapés, latkes, and Parmesan fricos — that I can never resist making (and promptly consuming!) at Christmas and Hanukkah parties. What holiday appetizers will you never turn down?

Source: Flickr User ejwines2