This is the year of the seemingly never-ending sinus and ear infections. I’ve been tempted to cancel Christmas, but instead, I thought I’d go with my fast and easy holiday recipes. It doesn’t have to be a kitchen marathon to be a meal to remember.
If you feel overwhelmed, I’d suggest first that you farm out the cooking load. Maybe Grandma made every dish with love and from scratch, but it was a different era. There’s no reason one person should shoulder the entire load. Plus, it’s good for everyone to learn a few basic cooking skills and get a chance to shine with a new dish on the holiday table.
Also, you do not need to break out the china and polish the silver to make the meal special. If you feel up to it, then great. If not, get some pretty plastic plates and cups. Then, no one gets dish washing duty at the end either.
Holiday Meats - Keeping it Simple
Many grocery stores and restaurants offer fully prepared heat and eat meats, and those usually take the most time and work. Bojangles, for example, makes a really yummy Cajun turkey. Just be sure to order ahead.
If you come from a fairly traditional home, consider having the guys do the meats on the grill or smoker. That takes part of the load out of the kitchen. Plus, smoked turkey, pork shoulder, or ham is really delicious.
Instead of doing the huge turkey and baking it for hours, consider a crock pot turkey breast. Crock pot turkey is super easy to make, and it comes out very moist.
I also enjoy making honey ham. Since I start with a pre-cooked ham, it's really just heating and glazing which is not hard at all.
Side Dishes - Don't Go Overboard
Remember that you really don’t need to have ten side dishes at a single meal. Select two or three favorites and have plenty. You can rotate other side dishes with leftover meals later in the week.
Some of the classic holiday side dishes really are simple to prepare, so don't overlook the classics like Green Bean Casserole with French's onions on top, Sweet Potato Casserole with Cranberries, or Copper Pennies (carrot recipe).
Add some make-ahead side dishes to the meal. Dividing out the work load can make a big difference. It’s much less overwhelming to split the work up and have some of the meal prepared and ready the day before Christmas.
Favorite Easy Make Ahead Recipe
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes – The boys are big potato fans, so I hate to leave mashed potatoes off the list. Hand mashing potatoes can be a bit daunting right on the wire the old fashioned way, but I have found the make ahead version works out great. Then I just heat up ready made gravy. The Campbell’s gravy is our favorite of the canned gravies.
Chilled Macaroni Salad – Really easy to make, this is a basic Southern pasta salad that has been popular with the family for years.
Grandma’s Broccoli Salad – This is one of my all-time favorite holiday dishes. Well, it’s good any time, but it colorful and makes a nice side recipe for the holidays.
Breads – The Bakery is My Friend
Yes. I am a bread fanatic. I’ve always loved bread and especially homemade yeast bread. But, I usually do something like that on a snow day home with loads of time.
For holiday breads, I turn to the bakery section of the grocery store. Even the small grocery near my home carries a few nice breads, and if I plan a trip to town for last minute things or ask someone else to do that, the bigger grocery store has breads galore.
As far as the stuffing, I do love homemade cornbread stuffing. I can mix that up the night ahead and bake it right before the meal. Or I have whipped up Stove Top stuffing if time and oven space were tight.
Beverages – If I Don’t Have It, Feel Free to Bring It
I have water, milk, and soft drinks. No. I don’t have everything that anyone might happen to be drinking on a holiday. Family and friends are more than welcome to bring what they prefer to drink, and some of the younger family members get tasked with checking to see what everyone wants to drink with dinner and with getting the drinks poured and to the table.
Desserts – After All . . . It is Christmas
Again, bakery items are just fine, although I do like to make a couple of family favorite desserts at the holiday. I just go with easier desserts and do use ready made crusts for pies and other shortcuts like that.
Some of Our Favorite Easy Holiday Desserts
Pecan Pie – This is the pie that my family associates with Christmas, and it’s not hard to make. I make it the night ahead, and we try not to eat it before the holiday meal.
Key Lime Pie – My son wanted a real easy dessert recipe to make at college. This is the one I gave him. He said it was really simple, and all his friends loved it. I like the citrus contrast with all the rich holiday dishes.
Peanut Butter Fudge - Fudge can be made several days ahead, and this recipe is very easy and one of the most popular recipes in my collection.
Banana Pudding - This Southern classic is simple to make. It also makes a good sized dessert, so when I have more family coming, I'd go with this over pies which don't go as far.
And, I always keep ice cream on hand. If, by chance, a dessert does not turn out or does not get made, there’s something sweet for the end of the meal, and it’s hard to beat ice cream even for Christmas.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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