Make It Yours
Make the holidays fun and stylish without spending hours in the kitchen! Keep things simple by adding a few personal touches — like fresh ingredients or an innovative presentation — to your favorite ready-made foods. Here are our top recommendations for fast and festive holiday noshing.
Appetizers
- Start with a ready-made dip and spread it on crackers or mini toasts and decorate with a shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano, an herb sprig or a paper-thin slice of radish.
- Fill mushroom caps with pre-made crab or spinach dip; sprinkle with bread crumbs or shredded Gruyere and bake in a 375° oven until the mushroom is tender and the top is lightly browned.
- Fill individual endive leaves with a prepared spread — pimento cheese, seafood or salmon salad or just crumbled blue cheese and walnuts.
Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
Soups
- Make your soup an hors d'oeuvre by serving it in shot glasses — no spoons required! Top each mini serving with a luxurious garnish, such as a teaspoon of lump crabmeat or a tiny dollop of mascarpone or crème fraîche.
- Reheat a big batch of butternut squash soup or other creamy bisque, spoon into bowls and garnish with chopped, toasted pecans and a few pinches chopped chives for a contrast in color and texture.
- Present prepared soups in natural tureens or bowls. A large hollowed-out pumpkin or other large squash makes a seasonal tureen, or use small squashes like butternut or mini pumpkins as individual bowls.
Main Courses
- Get artistic when presenting a pre-roasted turkey, rotisserie chicken or premade vegan roast by covering the platter with curly kale, then surround it with fresh or roasted pears or apples; fresh or dried figs; or small bunches of grapes and sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Before warming a precooked ham, stud it with cloves and brush it lightly with warmed marmalade.
- Jazz up store-bought gravies (turkey, beef and vegan varieties are available) with sliced sautéed mushrooms, finely chopped fresh herbs, or a splash of wine, brandy or aged balsamic vinegar.
Sides
- Prepared stuffing mixes can be a big time saver, and it's easy to personalize them by stirring in one or two fresh ingredients just before baking. Some of our favorite additions are diced apples, sage-flavored breakfast sausage, chopped dried Turkish apricots, chopped chestnuts, and a few tablespoons of fresh herbs.
- Our bakers make an excellent selection of dinner rolls; try serving them with a homemade herb butter. Simply stir your favorite chopped fresh herbs and a pinch of sea salt into softened butter, then press the mixture into a ramekin.
- Doctor up prepared mashed potatoes with a cool garnish, like chopped crispy bacon, a drizzle of garlic-flavored oil or shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano — use your imagination!
- Purchase prepared (or even canned) mashed sweet potatoes, stir in a little maple syrup, spread in a casserole dish, and sprinkle the top with chopped nuts or coconut flakes. Bake in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
- Toss a precooked grain from our salad bar with slivered almonds, chopped green onions, a sprinkle of apple cider vinegar and some seedless Clementine segments for a delicious room temperature side dish.
Drinks
- Dress up store-bought eggnog (organic, low-fat and vegan varieties are available) with dollops of whipped cream (or your favorite non-dairy whipped topping) and a sprinkling of pumpkin-pie spice and finely chopped pistachios.
- Try serving espresso or strong-brewed coffee with a peppermint stick hooked over the rim of each mug, a dollop of your favorite whipped topping and a sprinkling of cocoa powder or finely chopped dark chocolate.
- Add elegance to inexpensive sparkling wines or sparkling cider with a simple garnish of raspberries, pomegranate seeds or a few frozen grapes in the glass.
Desserts
- Dress up a pumpkin pie from our bakery with an outrageously delicious topping of 1 cup chopped fruit and nut trail mix stirred together with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
- Use a ring mold or large round biscuit cutter to cut out individual serving size rounds of sheet cakes or cheesecake. Top each serving with fresh fruit, whipped cream and a mint sprig for elegant desserts. This also works beautifully with premade meringue (or sponge cake) in individual serving sizes.
- Make a fabulous dessert platter by combining one homemade cookie variety with delicious bakery and packaged selections: pure-butter shortbread, chocolate-coated pretzels, truffles and marshmallow squares are festive choices.
- Split dried dates and stuff them with a bit of cheese: Goat cheese, Stilton and rich Fromager d'Affinois are some favorite choices.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates