Lauren from Hunger Thirst Play shares her tips for making holiday cooking easier! Learn how to plan, shop and cook seamlessly for a stress free Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Today's episode is all about how to make holiday cooking easier.
Holidays can be stressful at the best of times but when you are hosting people for a holiday meal stress can get out of hand.
Today I chat to Lauren, the recipe developer, food stylist and photographer behind the blog Hunger Thirst Play where she shares seasonally inspired recipes with a sprinkle of New England living.
Lauren lives just outside of Boston with her husband, two daughters and English bull dog. She has a passion for creating seasonal comfort food that’s a mix of healthy and indulgent and loves to sip on a creative cocktail or well paired glass of wine.
After leaving the restaurant industry to stay home with their first born, Lauren started the blog as a way to channel her creative energy and passion for cooking. Her experience working in restaurants is especially handy when it comes to organized food shopping, dinner parties, repurposing leftovers and holiday prep. When she’s not working on a recipe, taking photos, or negotiating toddler bedtimes, she’s helping her husband with their two restaurants.
Lauren's years in the restaurant industry have taught her a thing or two about cooking for a crowd, and she shares all her tips for making holiday cooking as stress free as possible.
Whether this is your first or 30th time hosting the holidays you'll get so much out of today's chat.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
The recipe of the week is my Roast Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary. I used to think that cooking a whole chicken was pointless when you can easily buy a rotisserie chicken and boy was I wrong. Roasting your own chicken tastes so much better and is so tender and juicy. Try this delicious and impressive roast chicken over the holidays.
LISTEN IN
Listen in to today’s episode on Apple, Stitcher or Spotify.
EPISODE 15 - MAKING HOLIDAY COOKING EASIER
MENU PLANNING
- Look through Pinterest for recipe inspiration.
- Once you know what kind of dishes you'd like to make, think about what you'll need to use to cook them and let this guide you in making final decisions. E.g. can you put something cooked in the oven in something else to keep it warm while you're finishing other things off? Leverage other appliances you have on hand - pressure cooker, toaster oven, slow cooker etc.
WRITING YOUR SHOPPING LIST
- Write down everything you'll need.
- Organise your shopping list by aisle or department, or in the order you shop the store.
- Buy extras where it makes sense to make sure you don't run out of anything crucial.
PREP IN ADVANCE
- What can you get done ahead of time? Cut vegetables, make sauces - and make things easier on the day.
- Set the table the day before.
- Think about what you'll eat the day before. Grab a frozen pizza, order take out - keep it simple so you can save your energy for the big day.
DELEGATING
- Don't be afraid to ask people to bring things.
- Ask for things like extra side dishes or desserts. Be careful asking people to bring appetisers if they aren't very punctual people! Less stress 🙂
DON'T BE A HERO
- Don't try to take on everything yourself.
- Have fun with it and enjoy your time!
LAUREN'S FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DISH
WHERE TO FIND LAUREN
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