Now that you’ve got your holiday meal all planned out, it’s time to think about how you can get it all done in record time. Growing up, I remember my Grandmother spending a couple of days to prepare our holiday dinner. Even as an experienced cook, she was wise enough to break up the cooking into stages. I’ll admit that in my younger days, I wasn’t as wise and could easily pull all-nighters to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now, with time being shorter, I’m looking for ways to cook smarter and not work harder. Here are 5 tips to help you make holiday cooking a cinch
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Keep it simple! I often have the grandest ideas when I’m planning to host an event. I want to cook so many things, try new ideas, and fix everyone’s favorites; however, the reality is that a complicated, crowded menu is not necessary. It’s so easy to keep adding on this dish or that dish, but this will only make for longer days (and nights ahead).
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Plan, plan, plan ahead. I can’t say this enough. Write down your entire menu from the largest item to the smallest. When you see the menu on paper, it’s much easier to know exactly what you’ll need to prepare. And with the cost of food, planning ahead can help you shop wisely too. Scan the weekly grocery sales papers and digital coupons to see where you’ll get the best deals. Once you get your menu set, do your best to stick to it.
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Delegate what you can. While it’s so tempting to want to prepare it all, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with sharing the responsibililty of cooking. Take a look at your menu to see what you can delegate to friends or family-just make sure that can really count on this person to come through!
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Prepare as much in advance if possible. Now, I’m not advising you to cook too many things in advance, but I do think you can get a jumpstart on some of your prep work. For example, if you’re making dishes that call for celery or onions, get all of your chopping done a few days ahead. Making lots of macaroni and cheese? It’s perfectly fine to boil your noodles and store for a few days. Also consider making your floral arrangements and table settings a few days ahead of time too.
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Create a timeline. I like to create a timeline over several days. Doing a little bit each day helps me to stay on track. The grand plan is that I won’t have to be in the kitchen all day. Each day, I write out specific tasks that I need to accomplish. Whether it’s prep work, assembling a casserole, or event setting the table, breaking this down into daily projects is the surest way for me to get things done. And if I don’t complete something, I just add it to the next day. Just remember, though, that no plan is fool-proof so release any need for perfectionism!
Have tips that help you out when you’re entertaining? Tag me on IG at or Facebook
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