A quick look at what countless hours spent behind the stove told us about how to best handle next year‘s feast and how a little planning can guarantee us the best gift for our loved ones. How we can prepare a better Christmas, with food…

We spent hours behind the oven cooking goodies for our guests to enjoy during the holidays… And found ourselves overwhelmed, having to cook again every single day because there was not enough leftovers to satisfy our routine-deprived stomach.

The solution. We take an honest look back to assess our holidays.

The Hits And The Misses.

So it is time to take good note of what we enjoyed making this year. And what we enjoyed eating. All of us. What worked. The hearty Cassoulet was a hit, and soooo satisfying ! Lasted for days too, and a breeze to warm up. What did not work. The tuna casserole, not so much. Tasted too strong on day one. Day two : did not bother showing up at the table, a little mishap at reheat, oupssss… Let’s inventory what we had to come up with last minute. If it was good, easy to make. We should keep some last minute recipes just-in-case on hand. But most of all we should run a friendly survey and come up with a list of what we would have liked to see on the table. Sure, taste can change before then, but I can assure you that most of the items on our top 10 list will still be a hit next year !

Double Duty.

We should plan for plenty of bite size appetizers. The type that can be used with a good portion of rice or grain as well to turn those snacks into a real meal in no time. Caribbean ground pork stuffing bite size pasties. Will also pair great without the dough with a healthy portion of jasmine rice and some greens. Spicy salted cod will do wonders on individual rye toasts. And just as well with warm potatoes and a hearty lime sauce. Salmon tartar nested in creamy tortillas will be as pleasing to the eyes as they are to the taste buds. But will be just as appealing with a rich gratin dauphinois or along with fresh pasta. So many choices can do double duty while taking the meals to a whole new level, from casual to fancy gatherings. And all of those can freeze easily, making last minute dinners flawless.

Thinking Ahead.

The good thing about knowing our menu that much ahead of time is to be able to prepare some items in advance. Some meals can last a good little while when properly frozen or canned. Meaning we can start stocking up on food early to ease our kitchen time when Christmas comes. And for what we will need to prepare last minute, we can start saving recipes as soon as now. Slowly building up a Christmas recipes book with all of those great finds. So when the big day comes, we already have a thoughtful present for our loved ones. We can gift a copy to our guests so that everyone has a very useful memory of the time spent together. And, a solid base to repeat the recipes themselves if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to.

Homemade Wonders.

Cooking, of course, is a great way to make our own presents. From now on, we might even want to start switching from a traditional gift to a homemade preparation. A genius way to set a better Christmas with food ! Preparing something we are good at. Something that is easy to present nicely and to preserve. Goodies that will remind our loved ones of us. The good side of us. Giving food items is a wonderful way to gift sustainably. A good way to keep our expenses in check too. No return or exchange involved. And as long as we know well enough the person we are presenting the food basket with, not much can go wrong.

Luxurious Perishables.

If we have been trying to cut down on the amount of things we accumulate at home, then turning to perishable presents is an awesome way to make the best of gifting. Some kitchen staples are now on the verge of becoming a luxury. So even if we are not much of an apron, we can decide to still stay in that line of giving food products but buying them instead of making them. As long as our loved ones are foodies, they will truly appreciate all that we took the time to gather for them to present them with. A great selection of fresh spices, quality baking chocolate, a bottle of pure vanilla extract, a bag of rich coffee beans—or ground coffee if they don’t have a coffee grinder—, a nice selection of bulk teas, etc. A basket full of goodies will be useful and treasured all year long, a nice way to make a better Christmas next year, with the food !