One of the best parts of the holidays is entertaining. One of the worst parts of the holidays is entertaining. While we love spending time with our friends and family, the problem with being the host is that you spend much of that time in the kitchen prepping, cooking and serving. But like most other holiday troubles, we’ve got you covered on this one too. Well, TBH, Chef Michael Gray of M&M Food Market has got you covered.
M&M Food Market, as you might well be aware of, is our go-to place for all things food− from multi-cuisine frozen meals & appetizers, quality meats, to vegetarian & gluten-free options. And thanks to them and to Chef Michael Gray we now have all the tips and tricks to nail our holiday meals without breaking a sweat.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Leave meals to the pros
The easiest way to serve an elaborate, 3-course, delicious meal while also keeping the load off of you is to leave it to the professionals. Chef-designed meals crafted with quality ingredients are always a hit. FYI M&M Food Market just added a few holiday specials this season including Spicy Chicken Poblano Firecrackers, Honey Jalapeño Flavoured Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Tiramisu Cake(YAY!!!). Mix and match and you’ll get your own unique dinner.
Snack & Wine your way through the evening
The appetizer-only party is particularly great for smaller kitchens and cooking novices like us. Bring together a nice selection of snacks and appetizers and then pair them with some good red, white and pink stuff. FYI, M&M Food Market has a huge snack collection. The Pub Party Pack and the Indian Party Pack are our favourites.
Opt for less-effort-more-appeal plating
Let’s face it, the most basic of dishes can look fancy if glammed up with proper plating. Chef Michael Gray’s trick? Pick out some fancy dinnerware or a cutting board or even a cast-iron skillet you might have. Then lay out food and add a scrumptious dose of colour to it with the help of lemon wedges, sprigs of parsley, sliced red pepper, and maybe some olives. Then grab tongs or toothpicks and you’re set to impress your guests with your food styling genius.
View this post on Instagram
Stick to the classics with drinks
If you don’t have the expertise or the time for bartending, the easy way out is to set up a self-serve table with entertaining and holiday classics like fruit punch and eggnog. You can even have a spiked version of the punch for the grown-ups to enjoy.
Don’t let holidays get in the way of health
Just because you aren’t preparing meals from scratch, doesn’t mean you have to opt for unhealthy junk. Opt for brands that offer quick-to-prepare and frozen meals with top quality, fresh ingredients. And avoid artificially flavoured, coloured, and sweetened food at all costs. Fun fact: M&M Food Market checks all of these boxes. Not only do they use rich ingredients, they also steer clear of any artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners.
Make air fryer your best friend
A great tool to enjoy the holiday deliciousness without having to worry too much about the holiday weight is to get super comfy with the air fryer. Firstly, it reduces cooking time by 20%. Secondly, it gives you the same rich crispness you’d get with deep-frying minus the unhealthy oil intake. And thirdly, it is a lot easier to clean up after. Nothing but pluses!
Shop ahead of the holiday rush
This is probably the most important tip on the list− shop ahead of the holidays. This way you will neither have to face the disappointing ‘sold out’ tags nor will you have to stress over finding alternatives. And since all the food is frozen, you can actually stock up on everything well before the holiday rush kicks in.
View this post on Instagram
Those were the expert tips on mastering your holiday entertaining. While we are sure these will make your life a whole lot easy, what’ll make it even easier is M&M Food Market’s new website. With plenty of creative meal suggestions, personalized offers, real-time store inventory, and a convenient home delivery system, the food market sure is our solution to all holiday meal woes. Here, head over to the M&M Food Market website and stock up for a very merry holiday.
