Happiest Holiday Menus Ever

Plan a get-together for any occasion with these combinations of our favorite holiday foods.

Baby Blue Salad

Photo: Charles Walton IV

Grand and Gracious Traditional Dinner

This menu for 8 is a beautiful balance of delicacies―some to make ahead and others that you can prepare immediately before the meal.

Fireside Brunch

Fireside Brunch

This menu is mostly make-ahead―so like us, you can relax and enjoy the beginning of the holiday.

You don’t have to sit at the dining room table to break out your best. Take a casual approach, and serve the meal fireside using your special china and silver.

Cozy Christmas Dinner

Photo: William Dickey

Cozy Christmas Dinner

These dishes create unexpected twists without being too fancy. Best of all, you can pull off this fabulous menu for 6 to 8 with plenty of time left to share with family and friends.

Casual Holiday Gathering

Casual Holiday Gathering

This mouthwatering plate of holiday favorites may look fancy, but it's easy enough for even the novice cook to pull together with success.

Cajun Christmas Eve

Van Chaplin / Styling Mindi Shapiro Levine / Food Styling Pam Lolley

Cajun Christmas Eve

This marvelous meal is full of spicy Louisiana flair. Gather family, invite friends, kick back, and relax—Cajun style.

Casual Christmas Eve

Casual Christmas Eve

Serve Caribbean- and African-inspired dishes before Santa arrives this year. Each recipe is perfect to serve buffet style and easy to eat with a fork while balancing a plate on your lap. So fill your plate, find a comfy chair, and be joyful.

Easygoing Southern Dinner

Photo: Ralph Anderson

Easygoing Southern Dinner

Matt and Ted Lee adapted this tempting holiday menu for 6 from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook (W.W. Norton, $35), their critically acclaimed collection of regional recipes and witty commentary (not to be missed by any food lover). This merry menu creates an easygoing style but reflects Ted and Matt's serious food knack for updating Southern classics without loosing a lick of their delectable essence.

 

Ladies' Lunch

Ladies' Lunch

Let these outstanding recipes, along with the warmth and laughter of these friends, resonate with you and your family.

Ragoût of Mushrooms With Creamy Polenta is a hearty meatless main course. Don’t let polenta scare you―it’s just the Italian version of grits.

Traditional Family Dinner

Traditional Family Dinner

Ring in the Christmas season with a special family dinner. It will set the tone for the season and create memories for your children.

Easy Brunch

Easy, Cozy Brunch

Do some prep work in advance to pull off this menu with ease and time to spare. Your family will love the twists on their favorite breakfast dishes.

Fun Holiday Luncheon

Fun Holiday Luncheon

Invite over your office buddies or best girlfriends for a holiday luncheon full of Southern hospitality.

Fresh and Elegant Holiday Dinner Menu

Photo: Jim Franco

Fresh and Elegant Holiday Dinner

This beef tenderloin menu inspires the creative cook in you while pleasing guests who love a traditional meal. From the start to its grand finish—Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake—this Christmas celebration will be one for the memory book.

Delightful Dinner for Company

Delightful Dinner for Company

Cookbook author Katherine Cobbs shared her tried-and-true recipes for creating a memorable holiday meal that puts a new spin on classics.

Splendid Holiday Feast

Splendid Holiday Feast

Test Kitchen pro Marian Cooper Cairns developed this mostly make-ahead menu that mixes traditional recipes with updated Southern classics.

Traditional with a Twist

Tradition with a Twist

Put the spark back in your turkey dinner with fresh recipes we promise will mingle beautifully with your family’s time-honored dishes.

Sweet Potato Soup

Photo: Jim Franco

Wintry Feast Menu

This hearty midwinter's meal showcases the bounty of the season and pairs especially well with a crackling fire.

Perfect Party Host

Photo: Jim Franco

Glamorous Cocktail Party

Crowd-pleasing small bites and sparkling drinks make for a festive-yet-relaxed holiday féte. (We'll clink to that.)

Sweet Red Velvet Dessert Recipes

Photo: Jim Franco

Red Velvet Dessert Buffet

This wondrous, Wonka-esque dessert buffet celebrates one of the South's most iconic flavors in creative new ways. And yes, you're going to need a bigger dessert plate.

Breakfast Enchiladas

Merry Morning Christmas Brunch Menu

With a little help and advance prep work, these recipes deliver awesome flavor while you relax and reconnect with family and friends.

Printed from:
http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/holiday-dinner-party-menu-00417000068897/

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