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Holiday Hosting Hacks – Festive Tips and Delicious Dishes

It’s the most wonderful time of the year to host a party!  No matter which holiday you and your crew celebrate, it’s easy to choose a theme that’s inclusive of all guests and feels festive and fun. Happy holidays, everyone!

Pajama party: We could all use more time in pajamas this month! This versatile, casual theme works equally well for a brunch or late-night party. For entertainment, plan karaoke, board games, and a movie marathon. For your menu, prepare brunch or breakfast for dinner with a mimosa bar and hot cocoa station, or just keep it simple and order a couple pizzas.

Ugly sweater party: Ask guests to don their most outrageous holiday sweaters for this fun theme and host a contest for the best ugly sweater. Try these ugly sweater cookies for on-theme treats or set up a cookie decorating station for guests to design their own. Be sure to have a photo op with festive props too, so you can take a group photo to capture the memories!

Black and Gold Gala: Feeling fancy? Host a glamorous and sophisticated Black and Gold Gala. Decorate your party space with black and gold accents, bring out the gold foil-wrapped chocolates, and set the dress code with elegant black and gold attire. This color scheme also works well for New Year’s Eve parties. 

What’s on the Menu?

Get the party started with these simple and delicious appetizers.

Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

This savory, cheesy bread is sure to be a favorite among guests.

Ingredients

  • 16-ounce loaf of sourdough bread
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • 1-½ tsp Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 2 tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions 

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Cut a grid on the bread, making cuts through the loaf and stopping before you reach the bottom crust. Place the loaf of bread on a foil-lined sheet pan.
  3. In a small bowl, combine butter, Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic, Italian seasoning, rosemary, and parsley. Mix until combined, and evenly spoon all the butter into the cuts made in the bread.
  4. Stuff each pocket of bread with the mozzarella cheese and wrap the bread in the foil to cover.
  5. Allow the bread to bake for a total of 20 minutes: 10 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. Once the cheese is nicely melted and golden brown, it’s ready to serve.

Mix, Bake, and Dip

These two creamy, cheesy dips are packed with flavor and require minimal prep, thanks to Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic and Spice World Chopped Easy Onion. They’re best served warm, so prepare them as guests arrive (or ask early arrivals to help you in the kitchen.) Serve with your favorite chips, crackers, and raw veggies.

Crowd-Pleasing Casseroles and Make-Ahead Menus

Prepare hearty dishes like casseroles the day before so you can bake or reheat in the oven the day of your event, giving you more time to enjoy the party too. Ask guests to confirm any allergies and dietary restrictions when they RSVP so you can ensure you have menu options for everyone to safely enjoy.

Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole

Vegetarian and gluten free, this cheesy spinach-potato egg casserole is sure to impress at any holiday gathering.

Ingredient

  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more, softened, for brushing
  • 2 cups Spice World Chopped Easy Onion
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 lb. curly-leaf spinach, thick stems removed, sliced (8 packed cups)
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a ½-inch dice (3 cups)
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 12 large eggs
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated (or ground) nutmeg
  • 6 oz. fontina cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Brush a 2-quart baking dish with butter. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Spice World Chopped Easy Onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden in places, 5 to 7 minutes. Add spinach and thyme; cook until spinach wilts and darkens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and milk, then season with pepper.
  2. Simmer until milk thickens and reduces slightly and potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a knife but still retain their shape, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs with 1-1/2 tsp salt and nutmeg. Stir the cooled potato mixture and half of cheese into the eggs.
  3. Transfer to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. (If assembling the day before, wrap the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake). Bake casserole, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle evenly with remaining half of cheese, and continue baking until set and golden brown in places, 15 to 25 minutes more. (If the top is browning too quickly, tent with foil). Let cool slightly before serving.

Sweet Noodle Kugel

Noodle Kugel is a traditional Jewish holiday casserole with a creamy, custard-like texture. Serve this sweet noodle kugel for breakfast, as a side dish, or dessert. It’s equally delicious warm or cold.

Ingredient

  • 1 lb. wide egg noodles
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ tsp cinnamon (to be divided)
  • 1 tsp Spice World Squeezable Minced Ginger
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups cottage cheese
  • 1 ¼ cup crushed cornflakes
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp butter

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350o Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook egg noodles according to package directions or until al dente. Drain and rinse and add the butter into the noodles and mix in pot.
  3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, sour cream, ½ of cinnamon, Spice World Squeezable Minced Ginger, and sugar and stir until combined.
  4. Pour the egg mixture over the buttered noodles and mix well.
  5. Add the cottage cheese to the noodle mixture until well incorporated.
  6. Pour noodle mixture into the baking dish and smooth the top.
  7. Combine crushed cornflakes, brown sugar, and remaining cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the top of the noodles. Add a few dots of butter.
  8. Bake for 1 hour until set. Serve immediately.

Gift Exchanges and Games

After your meal, add some friendly competition (and guaranteed laughs) to your holiday party with these gift exchanges and games.

White Elephant

To host a white elephant gift exchange, ask guests to bring a wrapped present as all guests swap, steal, and try to get the best one.

Rules

  • Everyone participating brings a wrapped gift, which is placed in a central location at the beginning of the game.
  • Have each person in the group draw a number to determine the order in which they will choose gifts.
  • The first player should select a gift from the pile and open it.
  • The next player can either choose a new gift from the pile or “steal” a previously opened gift. If a gift is “stolen”, the person who had their gift taken can either choose a new gift or steal from someone else.
  • The game continues until everyone has a gift.

Tips for a Successful Game

  • Set a budget for the gifts. (A good tip for all of these games!)
  • If needed, you can set a limit on the number of times a gift can be stolen (usually up to 3 times) to keep the game moving.
  • Consider having a few extra gifts on hand in case someone forgets to bring a gift or brings a friend.
  • If it fits the personality of your group, encourage people to choose funny gifts.

Musical Gifts

In this mashup of music chairs and hot potato, players pass gifts around the room until the music stops.

Rules

  • Everyone brings a small, wrapped gift and sets it in a pile by the DJ (likely the host streaming music from their phone).  
  • Arrange everyone in a circle and the have the DJ hand someone a gift. 
  • When the DJ starts the music, players pass the gift. Whoever is holding the gift when the music stops gets to open it. Once you’ve won a gift, step out of the circle to watch (or dance) along.
  • Repeat until everyone has received a gift.  

Tips for a Successful Game

  • The designated DJ can add unexpected pauses for more fun.
  • Aim for songs that people already know. In addition to holiday music, mix in some 90’s favorites.
  • Encourage non-breakable gifts.
  • For larger groups, pass more than one gift at a time to speed up the game.

Gifts by Number

Gifts by Number is a simpler gift exchange that still adds a nice element of surprise and anticipation as gifts are sequentially unwrapped.

Rules

  • Ask each guest to bring a wrapped gift and assign each gift a unique number. 
  • Participants draw a number from a hat or bowl.
  • Players retrieve the gift with the corresponding number they drew.
  • Once everyone has their numbered gift, guests take turns unwrapping them in numerical order.

Tips for a Successful Game

  • Keep track of who brought each gift when you assign the unique numbers to avoid guests choosing the gift they brought.

Pro tip: For all gift exchanges, be sure to set a budget limit for the gifts (usually around $25 maximum).

Gingerbread House Competition

Let your festive flair and creativity flow with a gingerbread house decorating competition. You’ll need pre-baked gingerbread house kits (which you may want to assemble in advance to save time) plus lots of candy, icing, and cardboard bases/cake board. It works best when your guests work in pairs.

Give teams about an hour to decorate their gingerbread house while upbeat, festive holiday music plays in the background. When time is up, ask guests to vote (as individuals) for their top 3 houses, and award prizes (such as movie tickets or restaurant gift cards) to the winners.

 

Here’s to all the holiday hosts out there! With a little planning and some good friends, you’re sure to create a festive event to remember. Find more recipes to keep you inspired throughout the holiday season at Spice World Inc.

Sources

Black and Gold Accents

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Casseroles

Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Hot Cocoa Station

Photo Op Props

Spice World Chopped Easy Onion

Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic 

Spice World Squeezable Minced Ginger

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Sweet Noodle Kugel

Ugly Sweater Cookies

White Elephant Gift Exchange

2-Quart Baking Dish

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