Tips to succeed at Christmas with your recipes

These days I have gone through markets and supermarkets to buy what will be the Christmas menu at my house and I have been very surprised, the prices have not changed that much compared to last month either, they have risen but not like other years , the crisis in the end is for everyone.

So if you still don’t have ideas for these two weeks of celebration, and you are one of those who control the prices of typical Christmas foods, I will let that little head rest a little. With these recommendations, tips and our recipes for Christmas, I assure you that you will not have to worry if you have the whole family at home this year.

Tips and Recommendations for this delicious Christmas

Planning

• Calmly plan the menus that we are going to prepare . Browse books, recipe books and the internet before buying the ingredients we need for that day. Remember that we have a lot of proposals to help you, you can choose between 10 Christmas menus so that you succeed on these dates, there are no more ideas. Also specials, such as the Christmas Eve menu , another delicious New Year’s Eve menu or for the Three Kings meal .
• It is not good to buy them in the first establishment you come across, look around, compare prices to get the best price .
• opt for ingredients that have stable prices throughout the year , it is best to use foods such as rabbit, chicken, white fish such as hake (it has a great price), seasonal fruits and vegetables. Here is the secret of saving during these dates.

Closed budget

• Have a closed budget and stick to it . Calculate the number of guests who are coming that day and how much it will cost per person.
• Normally you already have it on the blog, in each recipe there is an approximate price for seasonal products , on these dates calculate 10-15% more.

Check beforehand what you are going to prepare. Investigation

• Gastronomic blogs are your best allies , we have been preparing these dates for months, we want to make your life easier.
• If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, I recommend that you visit the friendly blogs you have in your blogroll.
• Of course, your mothers and grandmothers have been preparing Christmas menus for many years, consult their recipe book and their advice. There is no one better than them to get you out of trouble and make your food delicious.
• Books and specialized magazines with Christmas recipes . In my case I have an extensive gastronomic library, but surely in your house you have a cookbook that you can trust.

Avoid paying by credit card

• It is not  convenient  to use credit cards  at this time of year, then in January you are going to mess up, it is better to take care of our health, which we will later regret.
• The best way is to get that budget and stick to it, and  pay in cash .

Don’t leave everything for last. Help yourself to the freezer

• Cooking on the same day as Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner is not the best idea .
• In my case, I use the previous two weeks to make the different dishes that I have in mind, this way you can take advantage of offers and you don’t have to worry about those days, in half an hour you can have everything ready.
• Logically you have to have a free freezer to store the different dishes. Pull out the freezer , you surely have things lying around that you had forgotten, you may get a surprise in some cases, and you may find one of the dishes for dinner or Christmas food.

Your time is money. Organize your menu

• If you can take an empanada , lamb or a goat to the trusted baker, you save on electricity and time. The result will be from a professional, yes, the raw material must be of quality. You can take care of having the best accompaniments for your barbecue.
• Experiments with soda . Remember that all types of people, different ages and tastes, usually come to these dinners, it is not time to bring out the Adrián that you have inside. Leave it for a dinner with your friends, it’s time to show off in another way.
• Using xanthan gum, agar agar or specifications tends to be a bit expensive, here the traditional triumphs, although you can innovate by recovering a dish from your grandmother with a modern touch.

If there is no money… let everyone bring their specialty

• If the issue is very bad, it is best to prepare  a “cow” dinner or meal , it is a way to unite the family more.
• What does it consist of? It consists of agreeing with your family and friends to bring a dish for dinner, we usually do this a lot throughout the year, more than to save, to have more variety and convenience, everyone is a fool and we save a lot of time in the kitchen.
• If you set your house for this occasion, you can ask your guests to bring wines, cava and liqueurs, this is usually what enhances the food the most, and we all have some special wine that has been given to us at home, what better occasion than to have it at home? family.

And finally, buy wisely

• Once you have everything ready and organized, don’t give in to temptations , don’t go shopping without having a clear objective.
• Don’t rush and get bogged down by all the advertising campaigns of these dates. Buying is the same for Christmas as it is for everyday life, on the blog we have already advised you how to make the right purchase . Go to the supermarket only for what you need and take advantage of the offers.
• By making purchases in advance we can make use of discounts or promotions that will disappear as the key days approach. In trusted markets you can get interesting offers and in some large stores and supermarkets they maintain  3 x 2 type offers on these dates .
• Meat, seafood and fish can be frozen so they remain intact until the holidays arrive.

If you’ve made it this far and stuck with any of these tips, congratulations! You’ll see how this post will really help you this Christmas and I’m happy to collaborate, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!