Don’t let the holiday cooking get you down!   With some preplanning, and cooking ahead of time you can cook many holiday meals without all of the stress that you might otherwise have.   No one is a super human that can whisk out a 5 course meal after they have gone to work, but you can utilize cooking head of time, and ease the work you need to put into any given meal, yes, even those special ones you spend with your friends and family.

Many dishes can be cooked ahead of time, and many dishes taste better when reheated.  Be sure to keep ideas like soups, and stews in mind when planning out special meals.  Crock pots are also a good way to save on cooking time. Keep ideas for pot roast or other types of slow cooking meats in mind for holiday meals.  Consider making ahead casserole dishes, like a potato casserole in mind, because you can easily cut out a whole cooking step.  Consider a pasta dish like spaghetti with sauce that you can make ahead of time.  You have lots of options.

Consider using appetizers such as pickled stuffed jalapenos to buy yourself more time when cooking during the meal.  You will have time don’t need to feel as rushed if your guests have time to munch on something you have made ahead of time.  If you don’t have time to make something open up some nuts, or a couple of nice cheese and crackers, and you can finish up your meal at a much relaxed pace.

Another thing you can do is to plan ahead.  Be sure to plan out your meal, and shop ahead of time.  Do not leave something like this to the last minute.  Consider going to the store during non peak hours, for example after dinner is a great time to go to the grocery store, it is less crowded, or going early in the morning is also another terrific option to save time in a busy store.   Read over your recipes ahead of time, and make sure you have everything on hand.  While making a list ahead of time may seem simple, I know all of us have accidentally forgotten a key ingredient at the last minute.

 You can easily see that through shopping during non conventional times will have you sailing through the grocery store when it isn’t so busy, and it is much less of a hassle.  You can plan ahead, and not realize you are out of milk at the last minute.  Plan to include one or two dishes that can be made ahead of time, and could be reheated at the last minute.  This way you aren’t too busy to enjoy the evening.  Consider an appetizer that your guests can enjoy while you are finishing up the meal.  You can make your holidays less stressful and easier for yourself so you entertain and have a great holiday occasion.