Help! What holiday dinner items can I make ahead? recipes?

[Anonymous]

I am hosting my first ever "big girl" dinner party -- and it happens to be Christmas dinner for my husband's entire family! (Shockingly, I'm 36!). I've never made a turkey, so I think I might make a rib roast (which I've done before).

but I'm trying to keep the dinner from becoming an all-day cooking event. I have young kids and I want to enjoy them on Christmas.

Does anyone have good ideas for healthy/fresh side dishes/etc. that I can make a day or two ahead of time? I think dinner time is going to be a bit crazy any way you slice it, but I'm hoping to limit the craziness to an hour or two before dinner... not all day.

Anyone have good recipes? I need something for a competent person who can follow directions, but has no true culinary skill... somewhere in between scrambled eggs and souffle?

[Anonymous]

Two resources that might help you:

Flylady.net has a "flying towards Thanksgiving" plan with recipes and directions for doing a lot of stuff ahead of time.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/Thmm.asp

Every year Real SImple magazine also seems to have a simple Thanksgiving Meal Plan with a list of what to buy and what to make ahead.
About 4 years ago I followed one of theirs to the letter and it was truly tasty and easy.

[Anonymous]

Oops! Sorry, I thought you were talking about THanksgiving!!

Well, some of the recipes might be good for Christmas too!

[Anonymous]

I always make my pie crusts ahead and freeze them. Same with dinner rolls if I'm making those.

If you are doing a chutney or cranberry type sauce for the entree, you can make that a day or two ahead.

You can do a cassarole type dish like potatoes gratin or mashed sweet potatoes the day before, and then reheat (some in the microwave) the day of.

[Anonymous]

Good for you for taking this on!! My thoughts - I have tons of recipes at home, but nothing here at work so let me offer a few time-saving tips instead.

1. Yay for the PP who bakes her own rolls (wish I could come to YOUR house for the holidays! yum!). But, to me, this is one of those places where you can save time by buying good quality ones from a bakery a day or two in advance then pop in the oven to warm them before serving.

2. Agree that piecrusts can be made in advance and frozen (the weekend before christmas, maybe?). You could even then make the whole pie a day or two in advance. Same thing with cookies -- make in advance and freeze. Or, if you're going to the bakery anyway for dinner rolls, go ahead and grab a pie or cookies or whatever while you are there.

3. Think about your prep work as time consuming as well. On another thread, a poster suggested peeling your potatoes and then refrigerating them in cold water until the next day. Same thing with any other veggies. If you need onions or garlic or carrots or whatever as the base in a dish, dice them in advance and put in ziplocs in the fridge.

4. Per #1 and 2, don't feel you have to make everything. I tend to lean towards nuts, cheeses, olives, store-bought dips/hummus and crackers as my hor d'ouerves. that way, it's that many fewer things to prepare. also, opening jars and putting things on appetizer plates is a task you can hand off to anyone who offers to help while you focus on the actual cooking. I then focus on fresh protein, starch and veg as the things I'm cooking.

check out epicurious.com between Gourmet and Bon Appetit they have a million good recipes and you can search with caveats for simple, quick, etc...

[Anonymous]

You can definitely make this ahead of time. I love it!

Sweet Potato Surprise


2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 Tbs butter or canola oil
1 large green apple or ripe pear
2 bananas, peeled and quartered
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger root
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 Cups apple juice
2-4 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice



Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, heat the butter or oil. Add the apples or pears, bananas, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 min. Remove from heat; set aside. In a food processor, puree the potatoes with apple juice and 2 Tbsp of the lemon juice until smooth. Add the potato mixture to the skillet and stir to combine (if a smoother texture is desired, puree the fruit first before adding the potato mixture.) Place over low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Taste, and if desired, add additional lemon juice. If desired sprinkle with nuts.


Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 serving
Percent daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 288.11
Calories From Fat (12%) 34.43
% Daily Value
Total Fat 3.92g 6%
Saturated Fat 0.38g 2%
Cholesterol 0.00mg 0%
Sodium 321.71mg 13%
Potassium 1068.65mg 31%
Carbohydrates 61.92g 21%
Dietary Fiber 9.11g 36%
Sugar 20.13g
Sugar Alcohols 0.00g
Net Carbohydrates 52.81g
Protein 4.45g 9%



Recipe Source
Source: Washington Post 10-29-03

Recipe formatted and exported by Living Cookbook from Radium Technologies, Inc.

[Anonymous]

Ask guests to bring desserts, sides, etc. Put them to work!