Cold cuts, jacket potatoes, some salads, quiche, and a good chutney can be a least one meal. All of these make a great lunch or even as a Christmas buffet for the next day - cold platters are always tasty, even with guests round. If you have lots of bits and bobs to use up, why not have a buffet?
Full Answer
What are the best Christmas party food ideas?
They are an ideal Christmas party food idea. Chef John At All Recipes provides this gorgeous and delicious Christmas cheese ball recipes. The almonds are so pretty, and the tangy goat cheese spread inside is delectable! If you have a large crowd coming, a charcuterie board is a great way to go!
What should I make for Christmas dinner for a crowd?
Feed a Crowd With These Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas. 1 Spinach Pinwheels. Credit: smartt. View Recipe. "Three simple ingredients with great results! Even when they're messy to cut, they still end up ... 2 Baked Brie with Quebec Maple Syrup. 3 Vidalia Sweet Onion Dip. 4 Jimmbo's Garlic Knots. 5 Cranberry Dip. More items
How do you serve your family’s traditional holiday foods?
For the holidays, I usually serve the traditional foods with a new spin or two on family favorites. I put together these creamy potatoes the night before and simply bake the day of to save precious holiday time. —Wendy Ball, Battle Creek, Michigan
What do I need for a weekend guest grocery list?
My Weekend Guest Grocery List 1 Non-alcoholic drinks 2 Wine and/or beer 3 Coffee beans 4 Milk, half-and-half, or other coffee additions for guests 5 Ingredients for Breakfast Day 2 6 Ingredients for Breakfast Day 3 7 Shelf-stable snacks (chips, nuts, crackers, etc.) 8 Refrigerated snacks (crudité, cheeses, dips, etc.) 9 Ingredients for Dinner Day 3
What food can be prepared the day before Christmas?
Make & mature Christmas cake. This traditional festive fruitcake is best made well in advance, and can be fed regularly with brandy, sherry, whisky or rum. ... Easy mince pies. ... Golden roast potatoes. ... Super-simple cranberry sauce. ... Best ever Yorkshire puddings. ... Pigs in blankets with a twist. ... Make-ahead gravy. ... Spiced red cabbage.More items...•
What do you feed guests when they come over?
Items like canned beans, jarred olives, artichokes and peppers, crackers, Chex mix, dry pasta, jarred sauce, seltzer and even baking mixes are lifesavers.
What is the traditional Christmas Eve meal?
One of the more popular Christmas Eve dishes is fish, particularly fish pie. "This is a Catholic tradition related to the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Some Catholics still include seven different fishes in the meal – not difficult if you're making a pie," says Brown.
What can I prepare the night before Christmas?
What to do the night before ChristmasBake for Santa. It wouldn't be Christmas without leaving a plate of milk and cookies out for Santa. ... Check your turkey. ... Super sauces. ... Finishing touches. ... Last minute desserts. ... Star side dishes. ... Emergency gifts. ... Drink up.More items...
What can I serve my guests?
11 Quick and Healthy Party Foods to Serve Your GuestsSpicy Pecan Popcorn Chicken. These spicy and crunchy pecan-crusted chicken nuggets are paired with a quick, creamy ranch dip. ... Zesty Bean Dip & Chips. Stirring salsa into versatile canned refried beans makes a quick and healthy bean dip. ... Green Pizza.
What should a 2pm guest serve?
Consider these options:fresh baguette.chocolate croissants.eclairs.a variety of cheeses.apple slices or other seasonal fruit.sparkling water, wine, beer, or juice.olives, pickles, and other pickled vegetables.
What are the top 10 Christmas dinner foods?
Top 10 Christmas Dinner RecipesClassic Bread Stuffing.Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans.Pillsbury™ Tourtière.Roasted Rosemary-Onion Potatoes.Crispy-Coated Lemon-Pepper Salmon.Perfect Apple Pie.Simple Cranberry Sauce.Slow Cooker Wild Rice with Cranberries.More items...
What is the most popular main dish for Christmas dinner?
Today, I am sharing my 25 most popular and favourite best Christmas mains and entrees.Holiday Glazed Baked Ham.Roasted Pork Tenderloin.Best and Juiciest Roast Turkey.Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb.Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken.Roast Beef.Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Vegetables.Ground Beef Meat Pie.More items...
What is the most popular food for Christmas?
The Most Popular Christmas Dishes The #1 pick is roast potatoes, with a win percentage of 76%. Mashed potatoes came in second (75%), and turkey was third (73%)—the only protein in the top five.
What should I do the day before Christmas?
Before the kids go to bed, share some holiday traditions to build up the anticipation for Santa. Bundle up and take a little walk around the neighborhood. See if you can spot any shooting stars! Get cozy at home and read some holiday stories together or watch a movie in front of the fireplace with cocoa and popcorn.
Can you prepare vegetables the night before Christmas?
Prep your veg the night before Peel potatoes, carrots, parsnips and any other veg you're having and leave them in pans of cold water overnight. This will save you a lot of faff and additional mess on Christmas morning.
What Christmas vegetables can be prepared in advance?
Prep your veggies Getting these prepped and lined up in a tray on Christmas Eve will make Christmas morning so much more enjoyable. Get your potatoes, carrots, parsnips, red cabbage and Brussels ready, then simply cover with foil and pop in the fridge, ready to cook tomorrow.
What do you serve when a friend comes over?
Nothing is easier than a platter of cheese and crackers. Nothing is tastier either. Keep a selection of gourmet crackers and cheeses and you can slide them all onto a platter when your friends appear at your door. Try Triscuits with Havarti or Saltines spread with creamy brie.
What do you bring to someone's house as a guest?
You don't have to match the price of the gift to the bill, but consider bringing something you might bring to a home dinner party....Dinner PartyBouquet of flowers in a vase.Boxed candies.Potted plant.Bottles of wine.Tin of cookies.Decorator candles.Guest soaps.Flavored vinegars.More items...•
What do you serve an unexpected guest?
7 ways to cater for unexpected guestsSave the day pancakes. Whip up speedy pancakes using self-raising flour, milk, egg and whatever is in the fridge. ... 2-minute star popcorn. Popping corn, a little oil and your imagination… ... Speedy dip. ... Everyone loves pasta. ... Jazz up a cheese toastie. ... Dessert in a glass.
What do you bring to a guest?
A FEW PARTY ESSENTIALS TO BRING IF YOU ARE A GUEST IN ATTENDANCEBring Alcohol. Alcohol, such as wine, champagne, beer, or quality hard liquor is almost always going to be a gift that your host will welcome. ... Bring Food. ... Bring A Gift for the Host.
Getting Organized
If you haven’t already read it, check out Faith’s post on 10 things she does to prepare for houseguests, which has some great tips for getting ready both in the kitchen and elsewhere in the house.
What to Serve
I usually make a snack (or two) that keeps well in the refrigerator before guests arrive, and focus most of my cooking on breakfasts during their visit, with an easy dinner thrown in.
The Night Before
Assemble breakfast. All of the recipes in this collection can be either cooked ahead of time or assembled the night before and cooked in the morning. Be sure you've done all your recipe prep work on Christmas Eve.
Orange Pecan French Toast
Home cook SR got this recipe from a bed & breakfast she and her husband stayed in, making it a slam-dunk, Christmas-worthy dish. It needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour, but can also sit overnight for an easy Christmas morning bake.
Bacon, Cheddar, and Spinach Strata
Home cook annaweezie makes her strata in advance, then lets it sit in the fridge overnight, to delicious results. "From the first fork-full, everyone was impressed," she says. "I made it as written but added two small boxes of frozen spinach, drained. Not difficult to make, either."
Eggs Benedict Casserole
"Just served this for Christmas morning breakfast," says Allrecipes home cook HOLLYBELL. "The immediate comments were that it looked so beautiful. Someone said it looked like a picture out of a magazine. I made it exactly as stated in the recipe."
Overnight French Toast II
Dare we say, overnight French toast is even more delicious — not to mention easier — than traditional French toast. Add bread slices whole, or cube them up to make better use of the space in your casserole dish.
Quiche
Swiss cheese, ham, parsley, and pimento peppers come together deliciously in this recipe that's specifically meant to be a make-ahead option. Recipe submitter MORGIE says, "My mother used to make mass quantities and take them out whenever she needed an easy meal or hors d'oeuvre." So if you need to feed a crowd, this one's going to be a winner!
To Die For Blueberry Muffins
These blueberry muffins freeze nicely, making them a great option to help you get a jump on Christmas day. If you want to freeze them, be sure to wait until muffins have cooled completely, then wrap them tightly in two layers of plastic and place in the freezer. Wrap them in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Spinach Pinwheels
"Three simple ingredients with great results! Even when they're messy to cut, they still end up looking pretty decent and tasting wonderful," reviewer cookntaste says. "This is a keeper."
Baked Brie with Quebec Maple Syrup
"Made this once for an appetizer at our Christmas family dinner, and now I have to bring it every year!" -- TFULL
Vidalia Sweet Onion Dip
"Absolutely loved the recipe. Made this for a Christmas Day appetizer, and everyone loved it -- from ages 15 to 85. Sweet, creamy, and delicious," writes home cook Loves2Bake.
Jimmbo's Garlic Knots
Transform a can of refrigerated pizza dough into your family''s new appetizer obsession with olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, parsley, and crushed red pepper.
Cranberry Dip
"This recipe is a great addition to a Christmastime appetizer buffet —simple to make and pleasing to the eye. Easy and delicious, it's just what I'm looking forward when things are so busy," says Stacy Peterson of this 32-serving Cranberry Dip.
Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Though the recipe serves eight, you can easily cook five times the amount. "I made enough for 40 servings. There was none left!" – hcg
Tom Szaller's Great Pan or Bird Stuffing
"I tend to try a new stuffing recipe every year," reviewer REDDRAGONQUEEN76 says. "But I'll tell you something, I tried this one for the first time this year. Next year, I am going to use the same one. This is the best dressing ever."
Plan Early
I like to plan what I’m going to make and serve at Christmas, many weeks ahead of time. This allows me to come up with a menu that we like, gives me time to figure out who’s coming to dinner, and time to put together a comprehensive grocery list. Once that’s done it’s much easier to focus on the timeline of actual food prep closer to Christmas.
A few Christmas Dinner Planning Tips!
Plan, plan, plan. Make a menu, put together a grocery list, make a to-do list. The more you plan and write it out, the less stress there is.
To Make a week or more before Christmas
You can make bread stuffing up to a week ahead of time and freeze it in an airtight container in the freezer. Just take the stuffing out of the freezer on Christmas morning (or even the night before) and allow it to thaw, then proceed with baking.
Make a Few Days Before Christmas Dinner
Clean, chop, dice or slice any vegetables you will be serving for dinner: like carrots, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower.
Make the Day Before (on Christmas Eve)
The day before Christmas dinner, get your turkey ready. Clean it and put into the roasting pan. When prep ahead like this I like to rub the skin of the turkey with butter or olive oil to keep it moist. Or, if you’re serving a Bacon Wrapped Roast Turkey, wrap it in the bacon, then refrigerate. Cover the turkey tightly with tin foil and refrigerate.
How to decide what to serve at a Christmas party
When planning your Christmas party you need to have options for appetizers, the main course, side dishes, and desserts. Try to have a couple of Christmas party food ideas for adults in mind to keep the fun going all night long, like alcohol-infused snacks or energy-boosting appetizers.
Christmas party appetizers
Your guests will want some snacks to munch on while they are waiting on dinner to be served. Try any of these suggestions and your guests will be delighted.
Christmas party food main courses
The main course is the star of the Christmas party. Most of these ideas are very traditional or put a new spin on a classic.
Christmas party desserts
Make sure your guests have something to snack on after dinner. It can be as simple as having cookies out or making something fancy like a buche de noel or croquembouche.
Christmas Party Food Ideas: Buffet Options
Holiday buffets often include finger foods to snack on, in addition to warm, decadent, and flavorful dishes. Of course, you can’t forget about pies and treats such as cake, crepes, and cupcakes. If you’re building out a Christmas party food buffet, you should include all of these and more in your feast.
How to plan Christmas party foods for your crowd
As long as you plan things ahead of time and follow these tips, your party should go smoothly.
Final thoughts on Christmas party food ideas
After you decide what you want to serve at your Christmas party, you can shop for everything you need on Instacart. Order all of your ingredients ahead of time so you can prepare everything. You can schedule this delivery, or if you need a last-minute item, choose either same-day pickup or delivery.
How long to defrost chicken and potatoes in oven?
Make sure you take them out at least the day b/f to defrost. You can do this with chicken or steaks too. Roast asparagus, green beans, and potatoes, no matter what combination you choose you can prepare them ahead and then put in the oven 40 minutes before serving. Follow these steps for sheet pan dinners.
Can you bake ham biscuits ahead of time?
Monkey Bread and or scones are always a hit and can be made ahead of time. Bake up the scones before heading to church. Ham Biscuit s can be made up to 3 months in advance, cover them in foil, which you need to for baking purposes and then into a freezer bag.
Who said "I threw together this recipe while drinking my morning coffee"?
By the end of the gathering, the beans were all gone and someone had even washed the crock for me! —Mary Anne Thygesen, Portland, Oregon
What is the flavor of fluffy fruit salad?
This fluffy fruit salad gets its sweet-tart flavor from cranberries and whipped cream. We like it because it's not as sweet as many other "fluffs." I'm often asked for the secret to this luscious holiday salad. —Lavonne Hartel, Williston, North Dakota
Do you need potatoes for au gratin?
You don't need potatoes to make a delicious au gratin dish! Sometimes I even substitute rutabaga for the turnips. I definitely cherish having this recipe in my collection. —Priscilla Gilbert, Indian Harbour Beach, Florida