Holiday Foods

As we enter the month of November, the holidays are just around the corner. It is a time when friend and family visits are frequent. In preparation for the season, we often forget that most of us have an item in our home that can help us with last minute food preparation: our freezer! Here are some simple ideas to make food preparation quick when unexpected guests arrive.

1. Frozen cookie dough. When you make your favorite cookie dough rather than cooking it all at once, scoop out individual cookies on parchment paper. Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and freeze for a couple of hours. When they are frozen well, put them in a zip lock bag and return to the freezer. Now you can put cookies in the oven within moments of guests arriving. Since cookies are so small and have so much surface area they often take the same of amount of time to bake frozen as they do fresh. Remember, who doesn’t love a warm homemade cookie from the oven or the lovely smell that lingers after baking?

2. Frozen biscuit dough. You can do a similar effort with leftover biscuit dough. Shape your extra dough into biscuits and freeze on parchment paper. Don’t forget to add cheese and sausage for a savory treat. Baking them frozen rather than fresh will take a few extra minutes but they will still be delicious.

Be creative and do your the bulk of your baking ahead. Use your freezer to take the stress out of food preparation during the holidays. Not only will your guests enjoy your warm homemade food but they will also be able to enjoy your company!