With the holiday season in full swing, I am SO excited to plan the details for my upcoming holiday party. If there’s one thing I love, its entertaining. I love having friends and family over for food and drinks. The holiday season is such a fun time to host a party. Between the festive cocktails and delicious food, everyone seems to be in a better mood this time of the year. Not to mention, we get to live in leggings and sweater to hide the extra holiday pounds! š Whats not to love?
Although the holiday season is a fun and exciting time, it is also one of the most stressful times of the year. Shopping, school Christmas parties, end-of- year work deadlines, etc. The list goes on and on. With two children, I definitely have a lot of hustle and bustle happening over here. No matter how busy we are, I always make a point to have our holiday party because I enjoy it so much. The part of the party planning that I don’t enjoy is the cooking preparation. I have literally spent all day in the kitchen preparing the meal, cleaning up my mess, and washing dishes. It is an ALL day affair, and by party time, I am EXHAUSTED. I’ve also spent so much time trying to pick up toys and make the house look presentable, that there is no time left for me! Throw on a dress, makeup, and no time for hair. Before I know it, the doorbell rings, and it’s party time!
This year I have chosen to take some stress of me, and make it easier by ordering our holiday meal from Market Street. When I found out it was all fully cooked, all I had to do was heat it up and serve, I knew this would be a life saver. This year I choosing the roasted turkey package. The turkey option is great for a party, because it feeds a lot of people. It also includes the side dishes, which saves me so much time! If you have been to our house when we serve steak, I guarantee we’ve served you mashed potatoes and green beans from Market Street. The potatoes are my absolute favorite, and I always serve them because I know my homemade version won’t ever be as good. Not only is this very cost effective, it is equally as delicious! I would never serve my guests food that I wasn’t confident in eating myself.Ā
All of the food comes in a perfectly packaged in this cardboard box. All of the heating instructions are included to make this super easy and fool proof. Literally, take off the packaging and heat in the oven. Couldn’t be any easier!
Of course, you are able to serve the sides in the black dish it comes in, but I wanted to trick my guests. I wanted them to think I had spent all day in the kitchen making each dish. Since my husband says he married Betty Shopper, not Betty Crocker, people would probably know I had help with these delicious sides š
A little presentation can go a long way. If I ever use store bought or pre-made food, I always transfer it in to a festive or pretty dish. It makes it seem as if I made it myself. My decorations this year are silver and gold, so I used all of the silver dishes I had. Here are some tips to help garnish and enhance your presentation.
- Transfer main dish to a large serving tray. Although I heated it in the oven in an aluminum pan, putting it on a tray is a prettier and more formal way to serve.
- Garnish your dishes. For the turkey, I purchased some bay leaves, fresh rosemary, and cranberries to surround the turkey. I also added the fresh cranberries on top of the cranberry jelly. It is an easy, and festive way to incorporate the holiday red. Adding some dried parsley on top of the mashed potatoes and dressing is a simple touch that pulls it all together. Garnishing your prepared dish is so easy, and has a huge impact. It can trick your guests into thinking everything is homemade, plus, it makes everything more visually appealing.
- Since you will have cranberries left over, they make a cute garnish to your cocktail. Add a few to your holiday punch for a cute holiday touch. As long as no one has a nut allergy, adding candied chopped pecans on top of sweet potatoes, or a salad is also really good!
- Finding holiday trays or silver serving pieces doesn’t have to be expensive. Check your local Goodwill or thrift stores. I have gotten really lucky over the years and found some great silver plated pieces at Goodwill.
I am so impressed by the quality of the food that Market Street serves. I have never had a pre-made food item that I did not enjoy. I am so excited that they have put together these holiday meal options for you to order. Whether you are planning a party meal, or just a holiday meal for your family, I guarantee you will love it. You will appreciate having more time to spend with your family, and less in the kitchen! Visit this website for more info on available options and ordering.
Picking up and serving this Market Street meal for our holiday party will end the holiday hustle and make my life SO much easier. No more being stuck in the kitchen cooking. I will get to enjoy the party prep, and have time focusing on the decorations and little details that make my party special. Not to mention, I’ll actually have time to do my make up AND hair before the guest arrive.
Now, IĀ can sit back and admire the beautiful holiday meal that is ready to serve my guests! hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday season thus far. If you choose to order your holiday meal from Market Street, email me or tag me in a photo! I would love to see how you dressed it up and made it your own.Ā
XOXO,
Lyndsey
Although this post was a collaboration with Market Street, the opinions are 100% my own.
Beautiful Lyndsey! I enjoyed reading your post.
Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate your comment š