There's nothing quite like the experience of hosting your first holiday dinner for family or friends. If you don't plan ahead, you might join the ranks for many who, just hours before dinner is set to begin, find themselves in a kitchen that looks like a bomb hit it. You're sure to wonder just how your mom or grandma ever put it all together, and made it look easy. With a bit of practice, you'll be able to manage it quite well too.
To begin with, the way to best survive your first big dinner is to plan the day ahead of time. It's not just about the cooking, but about the arrangements. For instance, where will your guests eat? How is your supply of dinnerware, glassware, flatware, and serveware? A good place to start is by making a list of the items you'll need, and get them in advance of the big day. You'll want to consider who your guest will be - is it your friends who will be quite content with a casual event, or is it your in-laws who you need to impress?
Then you can start mulling over the menu. Will you need to make someone's sentimental favorite, like a homemade apple pie? Is your friend yearning for her favorite green bean casserole? You can't be all things to all people, so don't pressure yourself to cook everything to please everybody. And hopefully you've kept the guest list a manageable size too.
If this is your first holiday hosting, you might not want to take on too many dishes at once, so take a good look at your list and think about editing it down to something comfortably manageable. While you'll surely want to take into account some of the sentimental favorites, and maybe a new favorite of your own, plan on keeping it rather simple. You'd be surprised at how people will still enjoy a scaled down dinner. Concentrate on the quality rather than the quantity of the dishes. Gather your recipes and prepare your shopping list. Take one last review of your kitchenware to make sure you have all of the tools you need.
Now that your kitchen is in order, let's move onto the food list. Make a list of the items you'll need for all of the dishes and double-check it so you can avoid running out to the store on the holiday for last minute items. If the meal is based on a ham, turkey, or roast as a main dish, be sure that you've got it or ordered it a couple of days ahead of time. You can then move forward to buying the rest of your needs for your drinks and sides, holding off until the day or two before for the most perishable foods.
Another good idea is to tackle the big housecleaning a week ahead of time, including a good thorough cleaning and shining of the kitchen. If you're at all tight on space, try to eat the items you have in stock rather than buying too many groceries unrelated to the holiday. You'll be glad you did, as it will give you more room in your cabinets and fridge. The day before the holiday, it's also a good idea to lay out your supplies and tools in easy reach of your cooking area so you can get the morning off to the right start.
The next step is the most important thing you can do to ensure a stress free day. Get out all of the recipes. Now make a schedule. The schedule should have every step you will need to prepare every dish listed and the time you will need to do it. That way, at 9am on the big day you know exactly what you should be doing. Pin the schedule somewhere easy to see. As you complete each task, mark it off. That you won't forget in the stress of the moment if you remembered to baste the turkey. Don't forget to enjoy the holiday! - 15359
To begin with, the way to best survive your first big dinner is to plan the day ahead of time. It's not just about the cooking, but about the arrangements. For instance, where will your guests eat? How is your supply of dinnerware, glassware, flatware, and serveware? A good place to start is by making a list of the items you'll need, and get them in advance of the big day. You'll want to consider who your guest will be - is it your friends who will be quite content with a casual event, or is it your in-laws who you need to impress?
Then you can start mulling over the menu. Will you need to make someone's sentimental favorite, like a homemade apple pie? Is your friend yearning for her favorite green bean casserole? You can't be all things to all people, so don't pressure yourself to cook everything to please everybody. And hopefully you've kept the guest list a manageable size too.
If this is your first holiday hosting, you might not want to take on too many dishes at once, so take a good look at your list and think about editing it down to something comfortably manageable. While you'll surely want to take into account some of the sentimental favorites, and maybe a new favorite of your own, plan on keeping it rather simple. You'd be surprised at how people will still enjoy a scaled down dinner. Concentrate on the quality rather than the quantity of the dishes. Gather your recipes and prepare your shopping list. Take one last review of your kitchenware to make sure you have all of the tools you need.
Now that your kitchen is in order, let's move onto the food list. Make a list of the items you'll need for all of the dishes and double-check it so you can avoid running out to the store on the holiday for last minute items. If the meal is based on a ham, turkey, or roast as a main dish, be sure that you've got it or ordered it a couple of days ahead of time. You can then move forward to buying the rest of your needs for your drinks and sides, holding off until the day or two before for the most perishable foods.
Another good idea is to tackle the big housecleaning a week ahead of time, including a good thorough cleaning and shining of the kitchen. If you're at all tight on space, try to eat the items you have in stock rather than buying too many groceries unrelated to the holiday. You'll be glad you did, as it will give you more room in your cabinets and fridge. The day before the holiday, it's also a good idea to lay out your supplies and tools in easy reach of your cooking area so you can get the morning off to the right start.
The next step is the most important thing you can do to ensure a stress free day. Get out all of the recipes. Now make a schedule. The schedule should have every step you will need to prepare every dish listed and the time you will need to do it. That way, at 9am on the big day you know exactly what you should be doing. Pin the schedule somewhere easy to see. As you complete each task, mark it off. That you won't forget in the stress of the moment if you remembered to baste the turkey. Don't forget to enjoy the holiday! - 15359
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Don't forget to make a delicious dessert to complete your holiday meal, such as a festive pound cake made in this springform loaf pan. There are so many great desserts you'll be able to make with versatile Kaiser bakeware products.
