This post is sponsored by Wegmans. All opinions are my own. You can read my full Disclosure Policy here.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and also the busiest and craziest, and if you’re me, it’s the time to get the most behind because your kids have been sick for weeks. This holiday season I actually started early and made a list of all the things I wanted to do. Being intentional about how we spent our time meant I could enjoy Christmastime instead of feeling like I was rushing until the last second.
What’s that they say about the best laid plans? They don’t include the flu, that’s for sure. While I am hopeful I’m going to have my crew healthy in time for the holidays, we’ve missed out on a lot of holiday prep time. Those new recipes I was going to try, cookies I was going to bake? Not happening.
3 Steps to Foolproof Easy Holiday Entertaining With Wegmans
I’m not giving up on spending time with friends and family, though, and thankfully Wegmans makes it so easy to pull together a beautiful holiday spread for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day munching before dinner, and New Year’s Eve parties. Honestly, they make me look like a better hostess than I could do on my own! Wegmans Menu magazine is packed with recipes, food and drink pairing ideas, and presentation tips to create a fantastic holiday feast.
If you have some holiday entertaining plans and need some help to pull it all together, I’ve got a few tips to help you be the hostess with the mostess with the help of Wegmans. There’s a 3-step formula for what you need on your table, plus a few presentation tips below. And if all you want to do is to set the trays of food on the table, Wegmans Catering has you covered.
Something Savory
Finger foods are the name of the game. These savory bites are easy to graze on, everyone gets to try a few different things, and there’s no need to set a table when you entertain this way.
Wegmans makes this so easy with their variety of ready-to-cook appetizers in oven-ready pans. Bacon wrapped scallops, mini crabcakes, and sausage-stuffed sweet & spicy peppers are just a few of the options. I chose the ones you see above.
Here’s the part that’s fantastic: these appetizers come in oven-ready pans so you don’t even need to take them out of the container to cook them! I put them on a tray just for ease of getting them in and out of the oven, but they cook right in the container you buy them in. NO DISHES! What a huge time-saver!
Look at those scallops on the half shell. Mmm…delicious! They look so fancy, and this food tastes amazing. The beef tenderloin wrapped in pastry was my absolute favorite!
Something Sweet
Anyone else with a major sweet tooth? The bakery section at Wegmans is a slice of Heaven.
We’ve always loved these iced cut-out cookies, and the holiday themes are so good! You can pick and choose the ones you like and buy them by the pound, or pick up a ready-to-go tray with a variety of designs.
Wegmans also has a beautiful selection of slice-and-serve desserts, like this chocolate yule log that I’m pretty sure is calling my name. Double crust apple pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and cherry pie are some of the other mouthwatering options for a sweet treat.
Whether you need a hostess gift or something pretty to put out on your dessert table, this selection fits the bill. These beautiful panettone breads (that’s an Italian Christmas bread – I had to Google it!) wrapped in paper and a red bow are so pretty; I take a photo of them every time I’m in the store! Wegmans also has cookie trays and fruitcake which are great for gifting as well as serving at your own get togethers.
I settled on this gorgeous fruit tart for our gathering. Isn’t it so pretty? They are available in round, square, rectangular, and even Christmas tree shapes.
My tip for the sweets: get an assortment. Not only will this give your guests options, but it makes your table look prettier. I plated my cut out cookies on my ‘cookies for Santa’ plate and no one would know they came from a store!
Variety of Drinks
Can I tell you how much I love being able to pick up wine and beer in the same stop as my groceries? This year in particular, I have zero time for extra running around, and the selection at Wegmans fits the bill for every one of our holiday celebrations.
My husband is the beer drinker (I prefer wine), and it’s so fun to try new varieties when you have company. In our local Lancaster, PA store, they carry a nice selection of local beers, including Troegs which is very popular around here.
You can find me over in the wine section, and because I’ve visited several PA wineries, I check those local wines out first. On this trip, I was on a mission to get some champagne to make cranberry mimosas.
Here’s what’s awesome about Wegmans’ wine shop: You can find what you want at any price point. The sparkling wine I bought was $8, and I saw bottles that went up to $44. They even have a fine wine room stocked with bottles for really special occasions, and they have $6 wine for gifting to your friends. This is my happy place!
My party planning tip: Provide a variety of drinks to suit different tastes. In my family and group of friends, the guys seem to like the beer and the ladies like the wine. So we picked up a few Craft Your Own 6-Packs for the men, and I grabbed a few bottles of wine for the women.
You should also have one planned ‘signature’ drink of the night. Who said mimosas were just for breakfast?
These are delicious, and so easy to make, and of course you can quickly grab all of the ingredients at Wegmans.
Cranberry Mimosas
Ingredients
Instructions
They taste just as fantastic as they look, and your guests will love trying your signature cocktail!
Presentation Tips
How do you pull this all together to make it feel homemade and not store bought?
Listen, I am NEVER ashamed of serving anything that came from Wegmans, but when I entertain I do like it to look more homemade, so there are a few simple things I do make that happen.
- Use your own serving plates and dishes when possible.
- Break out a tablecloth, some cloth napkins, or place mats to serve on.
- Fairy lights are always a good idea, especially around the holidays. They can be woven in and out of your dishes and make everything look festive.
- Scatter a few dry ingredients on your serving table. For me, cranberries and rosemary sprigs pulled it all together. You can use nuts, chocolate chips, or holiday candy too.
Wegmans Catering To The Rescue
If you’re really strapped for time, or if you have a particularly large crowd to entertain, Wegmans Catering is the way to go. Looking for the stress-free route? Right this way.
Beautifully arranged trays, dessert assortments, deli platters, and so much more are all available. What a total lifesaver when you want to make your gatherings special, with food you know is going to be amazing, and you just don’t have the time to do it solo.
Get More Holiday Entertaining Inspiration
With your Wegmans Shoppers Club membership (that’s free and you need one!), the Menu magazine should be mailed to your home. If not, stop by their customer service desk and they’ll provide one and make sure you start receiving them. This magazine is packed with ideas: food and wine pairings, recipes, sample tablescapes, and so much more. You’ll find tons of holiday entertaining inspiration here, in addition to these ideas on the Wegmans website.
Don’t forget to visit the page dedicated specifically to the Lancaster store! They also share tons of delicious, easy meal ideas on social media, so be sure to check those channels out: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
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