Of course, most have us have family traditions when it comes to Christmas baking. That may mean a certain type of cake, a favorite cookie, or maybe even a batch of candy that 'must' be baked. But once these things have been made and stored away, you may want to try some new recipes. Maybe that will be the Italian Christmas Cake, Panforte, that is loaded with fruit, nuts, and spices. It has a chewy, almost candy-like texture which comes from mixing the dry ingredients (along with the addition of melted chocolate and cocoa powder), with a boiled syrup made from sugar and honey. Or maybe it will be a traditional British Christmas Fruitcake that is packed with nuts and lots of candied and dried fruit. Mincemeat is another Christmas favorite and we have recipes for Homemade Mincemeat, Mince Pies and a lovely lattice topped Mincemeat Tart. And who doesn't love to nibble on shortbread. There is a whole section "Shortbread" that includes all sorts of these delicacies; including Mincemeat Shortbread Bars, Millionaire's Shortbread Bars, or the seasonal Cranberry Shortbread Bars and Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbreads. For more ideas I encourage you to look through the 'Christmas Cookies', Christmas Candy, and 'Christmas Baking' sections of the site.

We have also added a couple of new sections that you may want to browse through. There is the Pumpkin Recipes, which may offer you something new to try. We also have a new Cranberry Recipes section that has lots of tempting recipes.

As 2008 comes to a close may we take a moment to wish you and your family all the best for the season and for the coming New Year. We also want to thank everyone for their continued support and for all the lovely emails that are a great source of motivation and inspiration.

Happy Holidays!