Tips for Hosting Holiday Meals

One of the things I look for in recipes if I’m having people over, is how much can be done ahead of time. The last thing I want is to be stressed out throwing things together while my guests are in the other room and my toddler is hungry! I write out a menu- nothing too crazy- an entree, usually a salad, and a side. I love baking so I usually also make some sort of dessert and they can almost always be made ahead of time, but if you’re not into that just ask the guest to pick up a desert or skip it all together!

After I have a menu I go through and write out a grocery list. Then I read the recipe several times and prep anything I can the morning of or even the day before. If you’re making a salad, the dressing can almost always be made the day before and stored in the fridge. If you’re making a desert, cake can be made the day before and put in the fridge wrapped in cling wrap. This will help anyway if you’re leveling or frosting the cake. One of the best purchases I made for my kitchen was a set of plastic food containers (like the ones you get at a Chinese take out). I bought these ones. I often cut my onions, garlic, veggies and herbs the day of and store them in the plastic containers either on the counter if it’s close to cooking time, or in the fridge. You can also consolidate- If a bunch of spices are put into a dish at the same time, I measure them out and store them together. You can peel garlic ahead of time as well; a huge time saver!

Carrots, celery, and peppers (or any hearty vegetable) can be cut ahead of time and stored in a ziplock bag or container the day before. Just wrap carrots or celery in a damp paper towel and then store in a bag. This can be useful if you’re doing some sort of veggies and dip appetizer. Peel and slice potatoes ahead of time and store them in cold water in the fridge! Great for holidays when potatoes are almost always on the menu, amiright? This site has even more information on food prep if you’re interested.

Tomato sauce for a pasta is always better as it sits, so make that the day before and store it in the fridge. The key is prep and organization; you can make almost anything work.

If you’re like me, and you’re making things that require some time management, writing a time line of what needs to be done and when, can also be super helpful. I do this all the time for holidays because I often choose lots of things to make!! For example, rolls or any type of bread has to be kneaded, risen and shaped in a pretty timely fashion or else bread can be over proofed or over/under worked. (If you’re a GBBO fan, you’re hearing Paul Hollywood say that in your head right now) 👏🏼

This all might seem a little much for a dinner party, but I like the challenge of making things from scratch and being able to get them all on the table while also being calm and feeling like I can talk to my guests.

Key takeaways:

1-Choose dishes that can be prepped ahead

2-Make a timeline

3-Prep and store anything ahead of time that you can.

4-Enjoy the process!!