Does anyone else feel like holiday food can take over your house! I have to admit it is one of my favorite things about the holidays too!!! I enjoy entertaining and making my favorite foods to share with others. I can’t pass up the opportunity to make all those yummy, unhealthy foods I love without the guilt of eating it all myself!
But, with all of that holiday cooking and baking your kitchen can get a bit crazy! At least mine can. I used to pack all of the extra ingredients in my pantry and then be frustrated every time I needed something. Now, I don’t even try to put it all away.
Before I entertain I usually make 1-2 big shopping trips to gather all of the things I’ll need. As soon as I get those groceries home I place the non-perishables on a tray. Here you see some of the things I have started to gather. This way I have all of the ingredients I will need in one location – and can just pull out the tray as I begin cooking, instead of digging through my pantry. I also don’t have to sort through all of this stuff as I cook regular weekly meals during the holiday season.
I then stash the tray in my laundry room, because it is conveniently located right next to the kitchen. Some things will stack beside the tray and others will placed in the laundry basket for additional room. If you don’t have a good tray, you could use a plastic tote, basket or cardboard box. If you don’t have a closet or laundry room nearby to stash the food in, consider taking it to the basement, or the garage.