Disaster-proof your holiday feast by testing recipes before the big day
Whether you’re cooking for a crowd for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or any feast with friends and family, one of the most stressful things is the cooking. What if you could ease that stress with a little ingenuity and work beforehand?
Do you know the feeling when your stress levels climb prepping for a holiday or a big birthday event? Add on the stress of cooking for a crowd. That's some pressure, for sure.
The secret to less stress in the kitchen during the holiday season is to test recipes before the big day. You’d never promise to make a wedding cake without knowing how to bake it, would you? The same applies to any meal where your food will be the star.
Reasons to recipe test before the big day
There are several reasons to try a recipe, or multiple recipes, before cooking it for a crowd. Do you have all the tools called for? Is your kitchen up to snuff? Do you have the right sizes of pots, pans and mixing bowls to pull this off? Don’t let a recipe like whipped potatoes fool you by calling for a hand mixer to finish off the dish.
Kitchen confidence
To start with, can you even manage to make the recipe? This is a big one because oftentimes we assume the steps will be easy but in reality, it's just too much. Making it beforehand answers a lot of questions that may cause stress leading up to your big day.
Time management
When you’re cooking for a crowd on a big day, time can seem to slip away. Making sure you can make the recipe in the allotted time can make the day easier.
Remember food writers and recipe developers are professionals. They work hard to ensure the times are correct in their recipes but what may take them 10 minutes might take you 15. Just a few steps like that can set you back.
Recipe personalization
When you make a recipe, you’re always looking for ways to make it yours. Recipe testing in advance allows you to know if you like the recipe. And if you should make any changes. You don’t want to take chances on your big day.
How to test recipes
It’s best to not start with all new recipes for a big meal. Make several recipes or dishes you're comfortable with and add one you're unfamiliar with.
New to baking bread rolls? Maybe that’s your new special recipe for Thanksgiving. Spend the first couple weeks of November working on your bread-baking skills or learning how to make a bread wreath.
Remember, not every dish has to be complicated even for special occasions. You can just serve green beans as a side dish instead of a homemade green bean casserole. A simple green salad is just fine to serve with dinner; no need to make a huge impressive salad.
Make it in advance
With all that recipe testing going on, you’re bound to have a great version of your new favorite dish finalized and ready to cook for the big day. If it can be made in advance and frozen before the big day, do it. And take that worry off your plate. This one is a game changer and happy home cooks do it all the time.
Ask for help
When friends or family ask “What can I bring?” that's the perfect time to ask for help. Don't want to mess with pre-dinner drinks? Have someone bring a cooler and let them prepare and hand out drinks.
That triple-layer raspberry pretzel salad that you want to make this year? It will taste so much better when you haven’t stressed out over it and stayed up all night trying to make it work. Hand the recipe off to a friend or family member and let them make it.
Chances are, as guests, they are not stressing out over a big meal or worrying about it at all. And everyone is going to ask what they can do. So why not just let them help? It takes some of the stress off you and they feel useful. It's a win-win situation.
Make it a wonderful day
When it comes down to it, testing recipes isn’t just about the food itself — it’s about setting yourself up for a calm, enjoyable day with friends and family. By tackling recipes in advance, you're setting a stress-free stage where you can focus on what matters: Enjoying time with the people you're cooking for.
And remember, not everything on the table has to be complex or impressive. A few tried-and-true dishes can anchor the meal, while one or two new recipes add just the right amount of flair. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, and accept those offers from friends and family who want to contribute. When everyone pitches in, the meal becomes a team effort, and you'll spend less time feeling like a one-person show.
With a little prep and some honest delegation, you’ll find yourself savoring not only the meal but the moments around it. And special days get to stay special.
• Laura Sampson of Little House Big Alaska is on a mission to teach modern family-oriented home cooks how to make old-fashioned foods new again. She shares her passion for home cooking, backyard gardening and homesteading on her website and blog.
Texas Roadhouse Rolls Copycat
Cloud-like soft, these copycat Texas roadhouse rolls will be the star of the table. Baked until golden and brushed with melted butter these rolls will melt in your mouth with each bite.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 packet instant yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
1 cup milk
¼ cup butter melted
1 egg
2 Tablespoons butter
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix together.
Add milk, butter, and egg, and mix until dough comes together, and pulls away from sides of the bowl.
Knead dough for about 7 minutes in stand mixer, or by hand for about 10 minutes. When done, the dough should be soft, but not sticky.
Use oiled hands to shape dough into a ball (this is more to keep the dough from drying out than to keep it from sticking to your hands)
Cover, and let rise until doubled — about an hour in a warm kitchen.
Dump dough out onto a clean, smooth surface, and knead back into a ball.
Roll about to about ¾ inch thick rectangle, and cut into 2×3 inch rectangles.
Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise about 30 minutes, until puffy.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake rolls in center of oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Melt butter while the rolls bake.
Remove from oven. Brush with melted butter.
Makes 16 rolls
Serving: 1 Roll| Calories: 152 kcal| Carbohydrates: 23 g| Protein: 3 g| Fat: 5 g| Saturated Fat: 3 g| Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g| Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g| Trans Fat: 0.2 g| Cholesterol: 23 mg| Sodium: 190 mg| Potassium: 53 mg| Fiber: 1 g| Sugar: 5 g| Vitamin A: 172 IU| Calcium: 25 mg| Iron: 1 mg
— Laura Sampson
Raspberry Pretzel Salad
Delight in the sweet and salty harmony of our Raspberry Pretzel Salad — a refreshing blend of creamy filling, tangy raspberries, and crunchy pretzel crust!
Crust Layer
1½ cups crushed pretzels
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Whipped Layer
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Jell-O Layer
8 ounces raspberries
1 5-ounce box raspberry Jell-O
1½ cups boiling water
Combine crust ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix well.
Dump into a 8×8 inch dish, and press in.
Refrigerate while working on the next step.
Beat whipping cream and vanilla together until stiff, set aside.
In another bowl beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth.
Fold in whipped cream.
Spread over pretzel crust.
Arrange raspberries over whipped layer.
Place back in refrigerator.
Combine water and Jell-O and stir until Jell-O is dissolved.
Let cool until lukewarm. Don’t let it cool too much, or it will get stiff, but you don’t want it to cook the berries or melt the cream cheese, so cool just until cool.
Pour over dessert, and place back in refrigerator until Jell-O is set, this could take as little as an hour.
Cut into squares as desired and serve.
If you need to chill this longer cover tightly and serve chilled.
Notes: You can make this in a 9×13 pan but the layers will be very thin
Serves 8
Serving: 1 serving| Calories: 441 kcal| Carbohydrates: 41 g| Protein: 5 g| Fat: 30 g| Saturated Fat: 18 g| Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g| Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g| Trans Fat: 0.3 g| Cholesterol: 85 mg| Sodium: 370 mg| Potassium: 149 mg| Fiber: 2 g| Sugar: 24 g| Vitamin A: 1090 IU| Vitamin C: 8 mg| Calcium: 63 mg| Iron: 1 mg
— Laura Sampson
Green Bean Casserole
1½ pounds frozen green beans
10.5 ounces Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup evaporated milk can use whole milk or cream or half and half
1½ cups crispy fried onions use as many as you want, French's Fried Onions work well
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Butter an 8×8 inch square plan and set aside
Cook the green beans according the package directions, just until the beans are bright green and crisp tender, drain well and set aside
Put the soup, milk, garlic and onion powder in the same saucepan, whisk together and cook just until combined
Add the green beans and stir together, stir in 1 cup of the crispy onions, or use as many as you like
Taste for salt and pepper and add as desired. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes
Remove the foil, top with the remaining onions or more
Bake 15 minutes longer or until bubbly
Serves 6
Serving: 1 serving| Calories: 170 kcal| Carbohydrates: 16 g| Protein: 5 g| Fat: 10 g| Saturated Fat: 5 g| Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g| Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g| Cholesterol: 9 mg| Sodium: 495 mg| Potassium: 285 mg| Fiber: 2 g| Sugar: 5 g| Vitamin A: 556 IU| Vitamin C: 9 mg| Calcium: 85 mg| Iron: 1 mg
— Laura Sampson