6 Tips to reduce holiday meal madness

Is it your turn to host your family’s holiday dinner this year? Lucky you! I wish I could give you an Easy button for your holiday meals, but the best I can do is to share a few terrific tips that will help you get through the holidays smoothly!

1. Develop the menu.

The best way to get started with planning a big meal is to develop a menu. For inspiration, flip through magazines, cookbooks and ask friends for recipe ideas. Unless you’re a pro in the kitchen, don’t pick a bunch of new dishes with long lists of ingredients. It’s best to keep it simple.

Holiday meals should be feasts, but you don’t need to make an entire cookbook worth of side dishes. Side dishes are often the most time consuming part of making the meal. Select a menu that includes 3-4 side dishes that compliment your main entrée. Generally, the menu will include a main entrée such as turkey, 3-4 side dishes, and a dessert. If guests plan to arrive a couple of hours before dinner, plan on having a simple, light appetizer.

2. Select make-ahead foods.

The less you need to do the day of the event, the more you will enjoy it. You can prepare some of your dishes 2-4 days ahead and warm them up prior to serving. Many foods often taste better when they have a chance to set. Review your menu and identify the dishes you will make ahead of time, and set aside the time to make them a few days before the event.

3. Accept help.

When you call your relatives and friends to extend the invitation, graciously accept any offer of help. When they ask, “What can I bring?” have a suggestion ready and when possible, match up the person with what you know they do best. Keep track of who is committed to bringing specific dishes on your menu. If your relative does not cook, ask him to bring a no cook item such as wine, juice, dinner rolls, pie, etc.

4. Create a shopping list.

Once the menu is set, review each recipe and write down the ingredients you need for a shopping list. Depending on the size of your guest list, you may need to double or triple your recipes. When figuring the number of servings, count kids under age 12 as a ½ serving.

For faster shopping in the market, organize your shopping list by the departments in your market. For example, write down all produce items in one part of the list and Dairy items in another. Grocery shopping is easier with a list. First check the cupboards to make sure you’re not running low of the basics – flour, sugar, butter, etc.

5. Buy prepared foods and ingredients.

It’s a holiday meal not a contest on the Food Network to make dinner for 20 people from scratch. Don’t hesitate to buy prepared ingredients that will cut down on meal prep time. Items such as canned soup stock, chopped nuts and dates, stuffing mix and pre-washed vegetables will all save time in the kitchen.

There’s also no need to go out on a culinary limb. If you don’t know how to make gravy, buy it. If you’re not a baker, ask people to bring desserts or buy them at a bakery.

6. Prepare the table and serving plan.

Set the table the night before your party. A fun children’s activity is to have them make place cards for the dinner table. A quick Google search for Thanksgiving place cards will provide plenty of kid-friendly place card ideas.

Decide if you will serve your guests family or buffet style. Food that is passed around the table is served family style. Buffet style means that a food area is set up where guests fill their plates and then seat themselves at your dining table.

Get your serving dishes ready by writing down menu items on small pieces of paper and place each piece of paper in the serving dish you plan to use for that food. If you plan to serve buffet style, set out the serving dishes as you want them for the meal. This type of planning and organization makes it easy for your guests to help if they volunteer.

Happy cooking and happy holidays!

What tricks do you have for taming the chaos of preparing for holiday dinners?

Cheryl Tallman

Cheryl Moellenbeck Tallman is the Founder and CEO of Fresh Baby. Since Starting Fresh Baby in 2002, Cheryl Tallman has been honored with many prestigious awards, and is a US Department of Agriculture National Nutrition Education Strategic Partner. As the head of product and content development for her company, Cheryl develops innovative products and authors materials that inspire parents to raise healthier children. She serves as both a parenting and cooking expert for many high-profile online communities. Cheryl's ultimate vision is to make the task of raising a healthy eater easier for all parents.

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