Free Holiday Recipes
and Menu Ideas
Here you will find my best, FREE holiday recipes and Menu Suggestions. All of my menus have been designed specifically to take the stress out of entertaining! They are very easy to follow and in most cases much of the preparations can be done well in advance.
Gourmet food........the EASY way!
Simply click on the link below to see my free holiday recipes and menu ideas:
When the winter Holidays Season is upon us, we all have so much to think about! It's just one long party season - starting in earnest with Canadian Thanksgiving in early October, or late October for Halloween, worldwide. And then it just doesn't stop until the 1st of January, when we all wake up with a sore head, and a hefty credit card balance!
But we all love it, and so we should!
What we don't love, and should actively avoid…….is the stress that often accompanies all of the planning and preparations that are so essential for a successful host or hostess entertaining guests at home. So apart from my free holiday recipes, I would also like to share with you some well rehearsed tips and advice which just may help to get you through this season……..without a headache!
So here are my TOP 10 SUGGESTIONS for slick and stylish holiday entertaining without inducing a single, grey hair!
- Menu & Recipes
Plough through as many cook books and websites as you need to in order to prepare a menu that YOU are happy with. If using a website, always look for FREE holiday recipes and print them off as you find them. - Keep it simple!
Don't get carried away by trying to create a menu that is beyond your comfort zone. It's always far better to serve very casual, simple food that has been well prepared than it is to serve extravagant and complex dishes which are poorly or badly cooked! - "Cheat" a little!
Don't be afraid of buying in 1, 2, or more prepared dishes. There are so many excellent suppliers available now - many of them online. When combined with your own offerings and finished with your individual flourish, no one need ever know your little secret! - Get some Help
If the occasion is beyond your abilities (whether due to restrictions on your time, a large number of guests or a lack of culinary skills), call in some help. That might be just be a few close friends. Or perhaps you need to hire Caterers or a Personal Chef. - Prepare a Timetable
Sit down with a large sheet of notepaper and make headings for at least 7 days leading up to the event. Now with all of your free holiday recipes spread out in front of you, decide which tasks can be performed ahead of time, and by how much (try to choose dishes that are suitable for freezing and can be prepared a week or more in advance). Then under each date heading, list all of the separate stages of preparation.
- Make Lists
From your timetable, now prepare lists for the grocery shopping (look out for foods that must be ordered well in advance). Make lists for drinks & beverages to be purchased. And finally make "to-do" lists. Prioritize these in the order of importance (taking the timetable into account). - Prepare the Invitation List
Again on a large sheet of note paper, prepare your guest list. Be realistic about numbers! Don't invite more guests than you are comfortable with (or can physically accommodate!). Decide on the invitation format. Depending on the formality of the occasion, a card by post, email or the telephone may be the most appropriate. - Shopping
Always leave plenty of time for grocery shopping and do as much well ahead of time as your menu will allow. Bulk shopping can now easily be done online which takes a lot of the physical effort out of the equation. Specialty food purchases can also often be ordered online from gourmet food suppliers. Don't leave shopping to the last moment…….. or you will regret it! - Only Spend That Which You Can Afford
Don't be tempted into unnecessary extravagance that you cannot afford as spending excessively rarely impresses true friends! Plan your budget…..and stick to it. Just a few small, luxury items will go a very long way and is all that is needed. - Relax and enjoy yourself!
My final golden rule to stress-free entertaining is to at all times, remember that good hospitality is all about enjoyment…..for your guests, and especially for yourself! So relax. Don't allow yourself to get too bogged down by worrying over every small detail.
I do hope that my choice of free holiday recipes proves to inspire you. None of them are difficult or complicated, but even if kitchen mishaps do occur, our well intentioned, invited friends are almost always, very forgiving! After all, it is the Holidays…….another drink anyone?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
To go from my Free Holiday Recipes to some great ideas for
HOLIDAY BREAKFAST & BRUNCH RECIPES
CLICK HERE
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