The holidays are a lot of fun since it is a time to see everybody you have been too busy to get together with during the rest of the year. People come to visit and you are on the go visiting friends and family at their houses. When people come to you, it can be nice but also a bit stressful.
This is because you have to entertain and with time being limited, this can be a challenge. Having some foods out for people to pick on that are tasty but don’t require much effort is a great way to solve this problem. In this article, we will go over several ideas for you to put things out for when guests visit over the holidays.
1. Candy And Sweets
Although candy might not be a healthy snack, keep in mind that the holidays are a time when it’s ok to indulge. This is why sweets in the form of an assorted candy gift box or some cookies are a great thing to put out on the holiday when people pop by.
This means that you don’t have to go out of your way to cook anything like a cake or other dessert. Just grab some boxes of treats next time you are at the baker or the supermarket to have on hand. It is best if you have something that won’t go stale like candies or hard cookies.
Try to avoid anything that needs a plate to eat or will make a lot of mess with crumbs. Something sweet that a person can grab and move on is the best idea.
2. A Grazing Platter
Salty and sweet go hand in hand so coming up with a grazing platter that includes things like fruit and cheese is a great idea. They don’t require any cooking and only involve adding a few things to your shopping cart the next time that you go food shopping to complete.
The idea is to get some things like salami, prosciutto, or some other charcuterie and pair them with cheeses and some dried or fresh fruit. Make sure that everything is in bite sized pieces so that they can actually graze. It should be easy to grab a piece off of the platter when walking past.
They can be very visually appealing when set up correctly so use your imagination when setting it out. For instance, you can stack cheese sticks, fan out salami, and group together the fruits like grapes or dried figs.
3. Punch
Don’t forget something special to drink when guests visit. A punch bowl will go down a treat with guests since it is something that can be personalized. You can mix a variety of fruit drinks and add alcohol or leave it out in case there are kids around. Bring out your fancy glasses and allow people to ladle them up themselves from a big punch bowl.