This time of year is all about friends and family and just as important as the memories we’ll make together, is the food we’ll share! I have some delicious ways to make this holiday season a flavorful one.

When you’re entertaining or you know you’ll have a full house of visitors, it’s always a good idea to have some simple, ready to serve options available. Hummus is always a winner in my house. I like to stock up on different flavors of Sabra. There’s more than a dozen to choose from, so you know you can make everyone happy. It’s also like the perfect unofficial meal for guests before dinner is ready. You can put a selection of hummus, veggies and pita chips for guests to snack on while you’re cooking. Definitely a better for you swap for heavy dips!

And if you really want to get creative, you can try hummus in your mashed potatoes instead of butter & cream. Seriously! It’s delicious and still has a creamy, smooth taste we all loved about mashed potatoes. Pick up a few flavors ahead of guests arriving and you’ll be set!

Another refrigerator staple you can use in unique ways around the holidays is eggs. While dinners may be the focus of most holiday gatherings, brunch is a great option for get-together's, and don’t forget your overnight guests need to eat breakfast too!

Here’s an idea for you to impress everyone with a crowd pleasing dish that will seriously have them running to the breakfast table. Try the Eggs Benedict Brunch Braid using Eggland’s Best eggs. It’s a great make ahead recipe and can be served as a main or side dish. This meal is packed with high–quality protein and essential nutrients to get your family and friends started out on the right foot headed into the New Year. Get the recipe here!

By choosing Eggland’s Best eggs, you get 25% less saturated fat, 2x more omega-3s, 5X more vitamin D, and 10X more vitamin E, compared to ordinary eggs.

Not only that, but Eggland’s Best eggs also contain 3x more vitamin B12 compared to ordinary eggs, which is important for turning food into energy, and we know how important it is to stay fueled during this busy time of year!

We know a fresh egg equals a fresh recipe and EB strives for the freshest tasting eggs using a wholesome, all-vegetarian hen feed. Look for the distinctive “EB” stamp right on the shell to know you’re getting an Eggland’s Best and head to EgglandsBest.com for this recipe and more ideas!

And the final ingredient everyone should have on hand during the holidays is coffee. Great to drink, but also great in food. It brings out flavors in all kinds of food, both savory and sweet.

I use Community Coffee Company in my recipes. It’s a family owned and operated business and they use only 100% select arabica coffee beans.

We used it in a chili and coffee rub for these Steak Skewers and used a Dark roast because it has a bold, rich flavor. It only takes about 10 minutes on the grill or in a cast iron skillet.

Or in a Black Bean Soup - try French Roast because of its rich and spicy flavor. Use a large pot on your stove top and in 30 minutes it’s ready! Add toppings like avocado, tortilla strips, sour cream and cilantro.

And on the sweeter side, we have a Coffee Crème Brulee using Café Special because it pairs perfectly with creamy dessert flavors. For this recipe you make a special coffee syrup that you add to the custard before baking so the flavor infuses throughout the custard.

Head to CommunityCoffee.com for these recipes and more ideas.

On a side note, if you need a hostess gift, or gift exchange item you have to check out Community Coffee Company’s Private Reserve line. It’s a gourmet coffee line made from the world’s finest coffee beans, bringing you a better-tasting, high quality cup of coffee. They’re in some grocery stores, but all of them are online at CommunityCoffee.com so you can even send it as a gift directly to your friends and families doors.

Now you’ve got some easy ways to make this holiday season, a flavorful one!

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