the 2024 easy-but-fancy holiday menu

with a detailed prep guide and entertaining tips!

Ready to party in Rothy’s Point Mary Jane II in black!

The 2024 Easy-but-Fancy Holiday Menu is in partnership with Rothy’s, our favorite shoe brand for both cozy moments and fancy occasions.

Our holiday gift to all of you is here: the 2024 Easy-but-Fancy Holiday Menu!

We published our first easy-but-fancy holiday menu last December, and so many of you cooked it for your special holiday meals that we knew we’d make it an annual tradition. I love being your go-to resource for quick and easy weeknight meals, but it also feels really incredible to be a part of your bigger celebrations and holiday moments. I’m so happy to get to bring a bit of the *what to cook when you don’t feel like cooking* magic to the world of entertaining, which can feel daunting — but really doesn’t have to be!

When Molly and I were in New York in early November, we stumbled into a Rothy’s store in search of comfy walking-for-miles shoes. We left with many, many pairs each, and have since become Rothy’s diehards. The clogs for chill days, the sneaks (and flats, and boots…) for heavy walking days, the Mary Janes for dressing things up. We’re not just obsessed with how comfortable they are, we’re also in awe that these shoes are truly sustainable – Rothy’s are made with single-use plastic water bottles (which otherwise would end in landfill) and every pair is crafted in their zero-waste certified factory.

Rothy’s is all about sustainability, and so is this holiday menu (how’s that for a pivot?!). Sustaining your energy during the holiday season. Sustaining your mood and good cheer while you prepare a special meal for the people you love. And sustainability in the kitchen — as always, whenever possible, my recipes use up the full amount of the ingredients that I ask you to buy. No recipes calling for half a can of coconut milk here.

Here’s what you’ll find in this guide:

1. A complete entertaining menu with recipes to feed 6 to 8 people that can be dressed up or down – make it a fancy dinner party with a gorgeous tablescape and a fun outfit, or make it a cozy night in with close friends or fam (and your Rothy’s clogs).

2. A printable playbook complete with the recipes, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and a timeline to keep you on track in a totally manageable way, allowing you to stay calm, cool, and full of the holly jolly festive spirit.

3. A list of ways to make this very easy and manageable feast even easier and more manageable.

Big thanks to Rothy’s for making this behemoth of an entertaining guide possible!

Let’s dive in!

Something I hear a lot is that it’s not so much the cooking of a fancy meal that deters people from entertaining — it’s juggling cooking with prepping the house, mixing drinks, getting dressed, knowing how to serve everything hot at the same time, etc. etc. And I get it! There are a lot of moving parts when you’re a host. In this menu playbook, I’ve taken all of those logistics off your plate with a *very* detailed plan of attack.

My fave cooking shoe — the Rothy’s buckle clog (in honeybun bouclé)!

In the playbook, you’ll find an hour-by-hour plan for the day of your dinner — plus what to do on the days leading up to it — as well as a grocery list sorted by aisle, and printer versions of each recipe.

Here’s a peek at the 12 (!) page guide!

Click below to download the PDF, or click here to access it as a Google doc.

The 2024 Easy But Fancy Holiday Menu Playbook

312KB ∙ PDF file

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this doc includes the plan of attack, entertaining tips, a grocery list, and printer versions of each recipe!

Download

OK, now onto the recipes!

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Serves 6-8

• 3 large lemons (organic, if possible)

• 1/2 cup white (AKA granulated) sugar

• 3 cups apple cider

• 1 1/2 cups bourbon

• 1/3 cup orange liqueur

• 1/4 cup apple butter

• Optional: cinnamon sticks for garnish

To make lemon sugar, zest 1 lemon into a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar and, using your fingers, pinch the zest into the sugar until evenly mixed. Set aside.

In a large pitcher, combine the juice of 2 lemons, 3 cups apple cider, 1 1/2 cups bourbon, 1/3 cup orange liqueur, and 1/4 cup apple butter. Stir until the apple butter dissolves. Taste. Do you want it more tart? Use that third lemon to add more lemon juice!

Rim your glasses with the lemon sugar by running a cut lemon along the rim of the glass to wet it, then dipping it in the lemon sugar.

Fill the glasses with ice, then fill with bourbon smashes! If you have cinnamon sticks, stick one in each glass.

NOTES:

• Not into alcohol? I love apple cider with a little club soda and a lemon wedge!

• FYI, Southern Living taste-tested store-bought apple ciders and here are the results. (Trader Joe’s “Spiced Cider” won, which is what I use too.)

here are the skewers I used1

Jillian’s mom was a caterer and tortellini with garlic aioli was one of her most popular appetizers. We made it even easier with this insanely delicious pesto aioli. It’s such a retro throwback and we couldn’t stop eating it! My kids are obsessed!

• Kosher salt

• 9-ounce package of cheese tortellini (or a bigger package for a bigger crowd — I used a “family size” package in the photo above!)

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup store-bought pesto

• Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (preferably organic)

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Finely chopped parsley

• Optional: crudités such as celery sticks, carrot sticks, etc.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 9 ounces tortellini and cook per package instructions.

Meanwhile, make your pesto aioli: in a bowl (either a mixing bowl or the bowl you plan to serve it in — see note beneath recipe), stir together 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup pesto, the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon (or just the juice if zesting feels hard right now), and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan.

Drain the tortellini, return them to the pot (off heat), and drizzle with a big glug of extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 tablespoons, but no need to measure) and a pinch of kosher salt. Toss gently to coat.

Stick 2 tortellini on a small skewer and place on a platter. Repeat with remaining tortellini! Or, just throw ‘em on a platter and serve with toothpicks and let people skewer their own! Sprinkle the tortellini with finely chopped parsley and maybe a little grated Parm if you have extra.

Put a bowl of pesto aioli on the platter and serve! They’re good warm or at room temperature, but NOT cold.

You can also add crudités to the platter — cold veggies are so, so good dipped in the pesto aioli.

NOTES:

• If you’re hosting a fancy dinner party, you can make the aioli in a mixing bowl, then transfer it to a nice serving bowl so there are no smudges along the side. If you’re hosting a cozy, more casual meal, just mix it straight in the bowl you’ll put on the platter to skip having to clean another bowl.

• Dairy-free/gluten-free: Shop for vegan or GF tortellini if needed (you can find both on the market). There are also vegan mayos and pestos out there!

Get a large platter or wooden board and cram it full with: really good crackers (I like Firehook), prosciutto (peel it apart and pile it into little swirly mounds on the platter), sliced aged white Cheddar cheese (Tillamook from a normal grocer, Unexpected Cheddar from Trader Joe’s), and the rest of the apple butter. People can make themselves little cheddar-prosciutto-apple butter crackers — a bite of heaven.

I feel the need to share that I served this salad to a group of salad-hating men while testing this recipe and they all got thirds! It is my ideal winter salad.

Serves 6-8

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• Several grinds of black pepper

Salad:

• 1 (5-ounce) bag mixed greens

• 1 green pear

• 1 red pear (you can use 2 of either color pear if needed — apple or fuyu persimmon would also be great)

• 1 large ripe avocado, diced

• 1 cup candied/honey-roasted pecans, roughly chopped (you can use any nut, although honey-roasted peanuts aren’t really the vibe — the sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe’s are my favorite here if you have a TJ’s)

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (or feta or goat cheese!)

To make the dressing: Add 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and several grinds of black pepper to a large jar and shake vigorously until thick and emulsified (AKA until the oil’s incorporated and everything’s well mixed). Taste and adjust as desired — too sweet? Add more oil. Not tart enough? More vinegar. Keep adjusting to make it your own.

To make the salad: Toss 5 ounces mixed greens in a large bowl. Thinly slice 1 green pear and 1 red pear, and chop 1 avocado and 1 cup candied nuts. Add the pears, nuts, avocado, and 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (or more! do your thing!) to the bowl. Just before serving, season with kosher salt and black pepper and drizzle about 1/4 cup of the dressing over top. Toss to combine, and add more dressing as desired. With family-style salads like this, I like to dress them very lightly, then place the salad dressing with a spoon beside the bowl so that the dressing-heavy people (me) can add more.

Serves 6-8

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut 1 1/2 inches off the bottom of the asparagus.

Toss the trimmed asparagus on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, several grinds of black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder to evenly coat. Spread in a single layer and roast for 12 minutes.

Take a bite. If they’re almost perfectly crisp-tender, sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan over top and roast for another 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. If they’re still tough, roast for another 3 minutes without the Parm, then proceed with the Parm step.

Serve immediately (but don’t worry if you can’t — it’s great at room temperature too!).

NOTES:

• Skip the cheese if you’re avoiding dairy or want to simplify a dish! It’s delish without, just more festive with.

• Note that I served this asparagus straight off the sheet pan! Yep! Throw a pretty napkin under there, add some lemon wedges if you’ve got ‘em, and serve it straight off the pan.

Serves 6-8

• 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (peeled or unpeeled! I keep the peels on!)

• 3 cups whole milk

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 (5.2-ounce) container Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Cut 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Add them along with 3 cups whole milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to a wide pot (like a braiser) or a baking dish (like a large Pyrex) — a pot is ideal though so that you can keep it warm on the stovetop later. The milk should mostly cover the potatoes — if it doesn't, add a little more.

Cover the pot/baking dish with a lid (if it doesn’t have a lid, you could use aluminum foil or a sheet pan as a lid instead).

Bake for 1 hour. Remove the cover, stir the potatoes, and add 1 container Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs right on top. Return to the oven to bake for 45 more minutes UNCOVERED.

Remove from the oven and mash!!! Ideally using a potato masher, but, if you’re like me and don’t own one, a wooden spoon will (slowly but surely) do the trick. Season to taste with more salt and pepper (you will probably want a lot more salt!). Sometimes I add a little (like 1/2 teaspoon) garlic powder, too! Sometimes I add some Parmesan! Get wild!

NOTE: If you’re avoiding dairy, Boursin makes a dairy-free version! And for a milk swap, I’d suggest extra-creamy unsweetened oat milk (unsweetened almond would be my second pick).

Serves 6-8

• 1 (roughly 4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 medium or 2 large yellow onions, sliced

• 1 cup apple cider

• Finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Place 1 boneless beef chuck roast in a baking dish (like a large Pyrex) or Dutch oven. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper (1 teaspoon salt per pound, 1/4 teaspoon pepper per pound. Thinly slice 2 large (or 3 medium) onions and place the onions all around the beef. Pour 1 cup apple cider around the beef.

Cover (with a lid or foil), and bake for 1 hour per pound of meat, rounding up to the nearest half hour. So, 4 hours for a 4-pound roast.

Let the meat rest with the lid off for 10 minutes.

Using two forks, shred the meat into large chunks — I like to serve people large chunks so that they can experience the tender shreddable moment themselves, versus a pile of fully shredded meat. If the roast isn’t shredding easily, cover it and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes. (Yes, cook it for longer if it’s not tender and shreddable yet!)

Serve the beef and onions over the mashed potatoes with asparagus on the side. Sprinkle the beef and potatoes with finely chopped parsley to give it some color and freshness.

I have pots de crème recipes in both Just Married and What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking because they are just the most low effort, high reward dessert out there!! If you’ve never had pot de crème, it’s like a fancy chocolate pudding.

Makes 6 to 8 pots de crème

• 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (NOT milk chocolate — it will not work!)

• 4 large eggs, room temperature (room temperature is important! You can put them in a bowl of hot water to speed this up, if needed)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract

• Pinch kosher salt

• 2/3 cup strong, VERY hot coffee (decaf is fine! You can also use hot coconut milk, milk, oat milk, almond milk etc. — the consistency will be softer but still delicious!)

• 4 small Peppermint candies or 1 candy cane

• Optional but encouraged: Whipped cream (from a can, baby)

Blend 8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) semisweet or dark chocolate chips, 4 large room-temp eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, and a pinch of kosher salt until coarsely combined.

With the motor running on low speed, slowly pour in 2/3 cup very hot coffee. Blend until smooth.

Taste. Do you want it to be sweeter? If so, blend in a big pinch of sugar.

Pour into 6 to 8 small bowls/ramekins and refrigerate to set for at least 1 hour.

Put the peppermint candy in a ziplock and use the bottom of a skillet or something heavy and flat to crush them.

Serve topped with whipped cream and crushed-up peppermint candy.

NOTE: These are very rich so I like to make 8 small pots de crème. But if your crew loves dessert, double the recipe and make 8 big ones!

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• Instead of fully hosting a dinner party, make it a collab. This is how my friends and I hang out most of the time – one person offers to host and the rest of us ask what we can bring. As the host, I think you should make the roast and mashed potatoes, and ask people to bring a veggie side, a salad, an app, or a cocktail!

• Buy store-bought shrimp cocktail and caesar salad from Costco as your appetizer and salad.

• Buy mashed potatoes from the hot bar at Whole Foods (or Bob Evans’ from another grocery store). Nobody has to know.

• Just add bourbon to the apple cider — forget the rest of the cocktail ingredients. It won’t be as good, but it’ll still be goooood.

• Skip the asparagus — you’re getting greens in the salad. Or, skip the salad!

• Use a store-bought balsamic vinaigrette for the salad.

• I’m just here for a weeknight meal: Skip the cocktail, apps, and dessert! Choose either the salad or asparagus to go with your meat-and-potatoes dinner. Halve the recipes if needed.

• Asparagus shopping tip: Asparagus aren’t in season (but they’re a good hothouse veg so it’s fine — tomatoes are an example of a not-so-good hothouse veg), so you probably won’t have a ton of options, but we want to find asparagus that are about the width of a standard Sharpie. If you get the really skinny kind, only roast them for 5 minutes before adding the Parm. If you get the super fat guys, they’ll need closer to 20 minutes before adding the Parm.

• My roast is less/more than 4 pounds, what do I do?! Use the “hour per pound” method and round up to the nearest half hour. AKA a 5.25-pound roast would cook for 5 and a half hours.

• Beef chuck roast shopping tip: Look for a nice fatty roast with lots of marbling (AKA white streaks running through it). A roast that is too lean (AKA all red meat, with not a lot of white streaks) will not break down and be delicious! Note: I am not a huge fan of grass-fed beef ever because I find it to be too lean, but especially here, I do not suggest grass fed!

• Blue cheese shopping tip: If we were just making a salad as the meal, I’d make you buy a nice piece of blue cheese and cut it up yourself. Pre-crumbled is simply not as good. But we are doing A LOT with this menu, so pre-crumbled is gonna do the trick.

• Love your leftovers:

  • Mashed potatoes: OK, my new obsession after making 45 pounds of mashed potatoes while testing this recipe is turning mashed potatoes into potato soup!!!! Blend a big ole scoop of leftover mashed potatoes with just enough hot chicken stock to get a nice thick soup consistency. Taste and add salt, pepper, maybe some cheese, and blend again. Top with sour cream, bacon, cheddar, chives, etc., etc.

  • Roast: With the leftover roast, we made tacos, quesadillas, but best of all, I made beef ragu by shredding about 3 cups of leftover beef really finely, and simmering it covered over low heat with two jars of Rao’s marinara, plus a little leftover heavy cream from Thanksgiving. Stir often so the bottom doesn’t burn. INSANELY GOOD. I served this to friends and they were absolutely obsessed. Toss with hot pasta (I tried it with orecchiette and spaghetti and we preferred the spaghetti!) and top with tons of Parm!!

• Vegetarian: Swap the roast out for a delicious soft, slouchy mushroom main to serve atop the mashed potatoes. You could make my butter balsamic mushrooms (double it). Or, if you’re up for more of a project, Deb Perelman’s mushroom bourguignon would be fab. One other idea would be to move tortellini into the main meal. Cook two packs of it, toss with store-bought pesto (skip making the aioli), and serve with the rest of the meal.

• Where are all of the substitutions?! We don’t do our extensive list of subs for these menus, instead we provide a full shopping list to help you avoid needing a last-minute sub! But see the individual recipes for some main-ingredient subs (and ways to cut dairy and gluten), and leave a comment if you have another specific substitution question!

• Tabletop sources: Tablecloth, napkins (similar), placemats are old but I love these, huge wooden salad bowl, plates, white wavy platter (the one with the red bows), gold candleholders, wooden candle holders, brown candlesticks, green candlesticks, jingle bell napkin rings, starry night glasses

• Cookware: Roast was cooked in a 9-quart oval Le Creuset, potatoes are in a 3.5-quart Le Creuset braiser, pots de crème were in little vintage bowls that Lily found at a thrift store in Carmel (tiny bowls are a fun thrift store hunt!)

• Outfit details: Tartan Dress, pants, black top, Rothy’s Mary Janes, Rothy’s clogs

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Click here for the full index of What to Cook recipes categorized by protein, cook time, and *mood.*

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Editor: Molly Ramsey
Photographs: Breana Janay Photography