Holiday Entertaining Musts

Cut down on extra work in the kitchen with top holiday entertaining tips that makes hosting guests easy, stress free (and delicious!)

By The LifeMinute Team

November 19, 2016

From your appetizers to main courses to beverages, 'tis the season to make your life as easy as possible with the best ingredients and kitchen gadgets.

"Shake On" Cheese

Cheese makes everything from appetizers to entrees just a little bit better. Simply Artisan Reserves Simple Seasons, a brand new shakable soft cheese, makes adding it to your meals easier! "This is from an award-winning brand, a very high quality brand in both bleu cheese and feta that is available in the refrigerated deli section of you grocer," says Lifesyle Expert Amy Goodman.

"It's so beautiful in its presentation. You can literally put it on your party table top right next to the salt and pepper. Look at this ingenious lid. It has both the ability to shake it out, as little as you want, or to spoon it out as much as you want." Add them to your favorite dishes whether that is a soup or a salad, an appetizer or an entre.

Safe, Easy Spiralizer

When it comes to easy entertaining, consider buffet style. "On the front end as a host it does require a little bit more preparation at first but then you get to enjoy the party once your guests arrive. It can be self serve and they can go back for seconds when they want. And you can too," says Goodman.

The key is presentation. From the brand that has revolutionized food prep when it comes to our kitchens, check out the Gourmia Spiralizer. It's so easy to use--just a press of a button (it's electric). It also has a large prep bowl that captures everything, which means less mess in the kitchen. And it's also enclosed for your safety as a cook.

The result? Fun-shaped vegetables your children are going to delight in eating. It also a wonderful alternative to pastas, so nothing too heavy. "It incorporates your vegetables into your holiday cooking. And last but not least beautiful garnishes for your holiday tabletops. Everyone's going to wonder if the party was catered, and you get to answer that no, you did everything yourself," says Goodman.

The Spiralizer is available for $39.99 on the Internet and comes complete with a wonderful and educational cookbook.

Self-Serve Beverages

"My guests are always asking me what they can do to help, and I like to tell them to help themselves. With a Keurig beverage bar they can serve up their favorite coffees and cocoas and teas," says Goodman. "Everything from Green Mountain Coffee Cinnamon Sugar Cookie to Swiss Miss Peppermint Hot Cocoa which is limited edition for the season. Everything is delicious." And everything is brewed in under one minute's time, less time in the kitchen means more wonderful conversations with family and friends and discussing everything over a hot beverage.

This is the rhubarb-hued K55 Keurig, available at Keurig.com. It's also available in black. If you wish to make a wonderful present out of this for one of your lucky friends and family members you can also pair it with their new coffee subscription program which keeps giving all year long beyond the holidays.

Kids'Table Toppers

Don't forget the kiddos when it comes to the holiday party. "I love to do a kids' table. Something really festive and fun so that they can do some interactive activities while they're eating," says the expert. "It put at their place setting a Capri Sun, write their name on it and that tells them where to sit. Of course good luck keeping those in place because the kids love to drink them up and moms and dads love to serve it because there's no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives in this wonderful beverage selection."

There are so many different choices within this line. There's Capri Sun Organic which is USDA approved as an organic beverage with no added sugar, and Capri Sun Roarin' Waters, which is a flavored water sweetened with a blend of sugar and stevia leaf extract. It has no more than 30 calories per serving. So that's fantastic if you happen to be watching your waistline this holiday season and you want to make sure that you keep that in check. And wonderfully thirst-quenching all across the board.

Happy holidays everyone!

Sourced