Cooking and Planning for a Holiday Party

Image above: A selection of crostini, cured meats, and salads as part of a holiday party buffet. All photos on this page are by the author, sockii, unless otherwise indicated.

You should start planning your menu for the party well in advance - that way you'll be able to work up a list of all of the supplies and food stuffs you'll need, and develop a plan and strategy for cooking and baking that will work.

Look for appetizers, dips, salads and other dishes which can be prepared ahead of time and either served cold, room temperature or just reheated as needed. Avoid planning on dishes which are too labor-intensive at the finishing stages, so that you won't be stuck in the kitchen while your guests are enjoying the party. I'll discuss more good options for dishes later on.

Once you've roughed out your menu selections, start shopping for your party food supplies as early as you can - say around Thanksgiving, when many supermarkets are running big sales on kitchen and entertaining staples such as baking supplies, cooking stock, dried pasta, canned goods, crackers, nuts, soda pop and of course those big frozen turkeys! A turkey - or perhaps a ham or other roast - can be a great centerpiece for a holiday party buffet.

By stocking up on non-perishables when you can get the best prices, you'll save quite a bit of money on your party food. You'll also save yourself having to be in a last minute rush to buy food items for your party, beyond perishable items such as fruit, vegetables, cold cuts and cheeses.

I mentioned above planning your menu in advance. This is important for a few reasons. Not only do you want to make sure you have all the ingredients on hand that you need, but you can also make sure that you've got options planned to cover any common dietary issues that may come up, especially with a large group.

I like to make sure, personally, that I have good options offered for vegetarian and vegan guests, and also nut-free options as that is such a common allergy these days. If I know a fried has other specific issues (like gluten intolerance), I'll try to plan some options for them as well. Of course you can't cover every possibility that may arise, unless all guests inform you of their dietary restrictions in advance. But it's nice to have something to offer vegetarians besides raw carrot sticks or plain salad.

I also want to plan dishes that will work well together, perhaps along a certain theme. One year, for instance, I did a menu based on the idea of Venetian cicchetti. You could also do something based on the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes for a Christmas party, or Spanish tapas, or maybe retro comfort food. 

Planning ahead will also give you time to prepare dishes that may need longer marinating or extended preparation time, too - like Alton Brown's Free Range Fruitcake which needs 2 to 3 weeks to soak in all the delicious flavor it can. Or as pictured here, sarde in saor, a dish I made for my Venetian party which required several days of marinating before it would be ready to serve. So spend some time with your favorite cookbooks, or browsing recipes on Pinterest boards or elsewhere, and come up with that menu plan for success.

Up to a week or so before your holiday party, you can start preparing items which can be frozen or otherwise put aside until the last minute. For instance, I like to make fresh yeast rolls and breads, however waiting for dough to rise can be time consuming, as well as making all those braids, knots and spirals. But bread dough freezes very easily, and you can prepare rolls up to the baking stage, freeze them on baking trays to keep their shape, and then just take them out to defrost and bake right before your party.

Want to serve fresh-from-the-oven pizza at your party? Again, you can make your dough, let it rise, shape it out and cover with toppings - and then freeze on pizza baking pans! Keep your oven going during the party and just pop in a frozen pizza or two as you go. They'll be far tastier than the preservative-laden supermarket varieties of frozen pizza and you can truly customize the pies with your own favorite toppings and sauces. I personally enjoy making individual-sized "Pizza in a Bite" appetizers. They freeze well and can go straight into the oven to bake. You can fill them in different ways (cheese, pepperoni, vegetables) and just serve up with some marinara sauce on the side.

Meatballs make for great party food, and can also be prepared in advance, frozen, and then warmed up in the oven on the day of your party. You can also make and freeze marinara sauce to serve with them. I like to offer a variety of different meatballs every year, both meat and vegetable-based (eggplant meatballs are tasty and a great option for vegetarians.)

Many soups and casserole dishes freeze exceptionally well, and make good choices for advance preparation. Again, with a casserole you can prepare it ahead of time, freeze it, and then just pop it in the oven at party time to either finish cooking or to reheat. (Lasagna is perfect for something like this - like my vegetarian lasagna shown here.) The same can be done with many hearty soups and stews. Just keep in mind a few tips: don't freeze mixtures containing hard-cooked egg whites, raw vegetables, mayonnaise or sour cream - they won't reheat or cook well. Starchy ingredients such as beans, potatoes, rice and noodles can become mushy, so undercook them slightly before freezing. And leave off toppings such as breadcrumbs or pastry until the final cooking stage for the best results.

On the sweet side, Christmas cookies are always a popular delight and can again be made several days to a week before your party and just stored in airtight containers on in the freezer until the last minute.

The day before your party is likely to be your busiest cooking day. If preparing a turkey, your bird should be fully defrosted by now and ready to roast in the oven. I don't prepare it with bread stuffing but simply fill the cavity with a mixture of sliced apples, oranges, lemons, onions, celery and fresh herbs. This will keep the meat extra juicy and slightly fruit-infused, perfect for serving sliced at the party for sandwiches. Cooking the bird the day before lefts you not have to tie up your oven right before or during the party, nor worried if it doesn't turn out right.

While the turkey is in the oven, work on other dishes for the party that will be best if they've had a day to marinate and chill in your refrigerator. These dishes will either be served chilled or brought back to room temperature before serving at the party. Here are some of my suggestions, from which you can mix-and-match based on your taste preferences, and what you think your guests will enjoy:

* Fresh fruit salsas. In my experience people love unique, homemade salsas at parties, and they're super-easy to make - just requiring some preparation and chopping time. A salsa can be made from almost any kind of fruit - mango, papaya, apples, nectarines, and of course tomatoes - combined with citrus juice, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, cilantro or parsley, and hot or sweet peppers to your taste. I like to prepare three different colorful salsas for a party, say red tomato, yellow mango, and blueberry, to make a colorful display for the buffet. And salsas typically are best once they've had a day in the fridge to chill and marinate, making them a perfect plan-ahead party dish.

* Dairy, bean or tofu-based dips. It's nice to have some creamy dips available for your guests, along with or instead of the salsas. Sour cream or cream cheese-based dips are easy to make at home with some fresh herbs, seasonings and additions of your choice. A pureed bean dip is often well-appreciated - making your own hummus is quite easy and great in all different varieties, including garlic, jalapeno, olive or lemon. And soft tofu can make for great high-protein dips as well! Dips are just always popular at parties for light snacking, served with chips, crackers, raw vegetables or small slices of bread.

* Pasta salad. It's hard to go wrong with a pasta salad, and of course the possibilities are endless. You can continue a Mexican theme from the salsas and make a pasta salad with corn, black beans, tomatoes, roasted peppers and ranch or a chili-lime dressing. Or make an Italian-style pasta salad with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in a nice Italian dressing. One of my favorite pasta salads is very simple: I saute canned chick peas in olive oil seasoned with fresh garlic, rosemary and chili pepper flakes, then toss with cooked pasta and fresh parsley. This dish is great hot or cold, and so simple - even people who swear they don't like chickpeas love this dish! What's great about a pasta salad is you can have a nice and filling vegetarian option for your guests - or add some quality canned tuna fish and have both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions available.

* Cheese Ball. I know, it sounds so very 1950s, but cheese balls can be really delicious and a nice change of pace from a simple sliced cheese tray or baked brie. Try my cheeseball recipe, which you can dress up with any number of toppings such as fresh chopped parsley, walnuts, or paprika.

* Home-Roasted Mixed Nuts. Oven still hot after baking your turkey? Toss in a tray of raw mixed walnut halves, cashews, almonds, pecans and/or peanuts mixed with salt, rosemary, sugar, coarse pepper, olive oil and a little maple syrup. Roast them for 10 minutes or so, until the syrup is bubbly and the nuts toasty. Take out and cool on wax paper. Your guests will love these flavorful, salty/sweet (and homemade!) nut snacks.