Hey, listen up.
The holidays are tough.
Getting your house ready to host a holiday means lots of wrapping, cleaning, cooking and running to the store for that one last item you inevitably forgot but definitely need to make your favorite dishes.
Give yourself a little grace and consider how you can cut down your prep time for your holiday meals.
Is it condensing the menu?
Or maybe you don’t have to make every single dish from scratch.
We’ve picked 5 of our crazy amazing mind-blowing side dishes to help ensure your meals are extra delicious. Here are our suggestions for pairing these side dishes with your holiday favorites.
1: Not Your Mama’s Potato Salad
A spicy potato salad with jalapeños and cheddar cheese, this potato salad pairs well with barbecued ribs, steak or grilled chicken. You could even pair this with cold-cut sandwiches if you want to keep your meal simple.
Are you doing a buffet-style potluck holiday meal? This is a great choice to bring along.
When the group size starts getting into the 20s and 30s, it’s worthwhile to invest in some easy refrigerated sides to bulk up the main dish staples.
2: Bacon With Your Bowtie Pasta Salad
We’re makin’ bacon classy here. A bowtie pasta salad with bacon and cheddar cheese screams to go alongside some grilled beef.
Whether you keep it simple and do a burger bar with all the fixings, or go fancy and stuff them with gourmet cheese, onion and peppers, this pasta salad will hit the spot.
You could also pair this with a tasty NY strip or porterhouse steak.
3: Where You Bean, Baby? Baked Beans
Let’s spoon with this perfect brew of baked beans, brown sugar and bacon.
You warm these bean babies up in a crockpot and it’s the side dish that dreams are made of.
Does your family make baked ham for the holidays? These beans are a great side dish to pair with it.
Or, you can use baked beans as a side for any Latin-American meals.
4: Cherry Parfait Your Way Dessert Salad
A fluffy pillow of joy in every bite! It’s light, fluffy, creamy and downright irresistible.
This handcrafted salad is a sweet dessert with cherries, marshmallows and coconut that was a classic around many grandmas’ tables in the past.
Use this salad as a Christmas dinner dessert, or even on your Christmas Eve buffet. Whether you’re serving shrimp cocktail or meatballs, ham or roasted Cornish hens, this parfait is perfect as a nostalgic blast from the past.
5: Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes
These are a get-together staple around many holiday tables. The classic flavors of potatoes, sour cream, cheddar cheese and that creamy sauce simply scream homemade.
Pairs well with roast chicken or a turkey, prime rib or glazed ham. Honestly, even if you’re grilling salmon or eating lobster tails, cheesy potatoes just plain go with everything.
Where to find us
You can find our sides at Family Fare grocery stores as well as other local grocery stores in the Midwest, and our cheesy potatoes at Gordon Food Service Stores.
At Craftology, our mission is to bring people to the table for captivating experiences and meaningful relationships.
This year, we wish that you’ll create family memories that fill hearts with joy as we all look forward to the next year with hope.