5 Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Meal
- by Omaha Steaks
- Last updated Sep 25, 2024
The holidays are the greatest time of the year, but can also be the most stressful. Tis’ the season to travel, host parties, cook delicious food, and spend time with family and friends. This holiday season give yourself the gift of time with these meal planning hacks to help you enjoy a stress-free holiday meal.
If you are hosting a holiday meal here are our simple tips that can make your holiday dinner perfect with less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests.
Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Meal
1. Plan Ahead
To make the holidays as stress-free as possible, planning and prep are essential. Start with an accurate head count of the number of guests attending your holiday meal. Then, plan your holiday dinner, including the main course, side dishes, desserts, and drinks. Have recipes for your dishes and drinks readily available, so you can create a detailed shopping list. The more you plan ahead, the easier the holiday meal will be.
2. Make a Shopping List
Once you have a meal plan, make a shopping list for food, drinks, disposable tableware, decorations, and any other items you may need to host your holiday meal. Take inventory of your pantry for less frequently used items, like corn starch or seasonings. There’s nothing worse than starting to cook your meal and realize you forgot an essential ingredient. Shop a few days ahead of your holiday meal to avoid the grocery store last-minute rush. Better yet, shop from your couch and order your entire holiday meal from Omaha Steaks. Talk about an easy and delicious holiday meal!
3. Prep, Prep, Prep
The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends. While delicious food is an important part of the celebration, so is spending time with your guests. If you are hosting the celebration, do as much prep work before the event as you can. Set out the pots, pans, and serving dishes you will need for cooking and serving. Prep as much food as you can in advance. Vegetables can be chopped and stored for recipes and desserts can be prepared before the big day. Also consider tablescaping in advance and arrange the place settings and decorations at your holiday table the night before. The more you can do before the guests arrive, the less stressful your holiday meal will be.
4. Ready-to-Cook Dishes
Keep the hustle of the big day to a minimum with ready-to-cook dishes and desserts. Omaha Steaks has everything you need for a holiday meal, including easy side dishes that you heat and serve. To complete your meals, we have a variety of sweet treats, like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple crumble, and cheesecake. With so many delicious dishes ready-to-cook that leaves you with more time with your family and less time in the kitchen.
5. Hassle-Free Ham & Turkey
Serving a gourmet meal doesn’t have to be difficult or take hours of your time. Our 10-lb whole basted turkey is already brined and basted with a cooking bag and pop-up timer included. No more guessing when your turkey is done. Check out our 10 tips for a perfect turkey with turkey cooking hacks from the Omaha Steaks chef team.
Our spiral-sliced ham has amazing flavor and is easy to make. No need to spend all day in the kitchen with this delicious heat and serve ham. This spiral-sliced ham is slowly smoked, glazed with brown sugar, and then torched to form the perfect combination of juiciness and crunchy crust. The 8-lb ham is spiral sliced to the bone, so you get the most from your ham. Watch our video below to see how simple the spiral-sliced ham is to cook and follow our instructions on how to cook a spiral sliced ham. Impress your guest with the best holiday ham this holiday season.
Cheers to a stress-free holiday dinner! Follow Omaha Steaks on Pinterest for more great tips and recipes.
And don’t forget, we also have amazing Christmas steak gift baskets and boxes perfect for the holiday season.
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Holiday Meals Delivered
With over 100 years of delivering the very best meals and gourmet food, Omaha Steaks is your go-to for a hassle-free holiday meal.
