The holiday season is perhaps the most exciting for many people, but those who actually do food preparation around this time don’t really look forward to all the jostling and long lines they’ll surely run into. The harrassed and cranky salespeople can get on your nerves, and not finding the particular food item you need can be extremely stressful.
If you want to avoid all this next Thanksgiving or Christmas, help is within reach. Simply shop with the use of catalogues. You can do it weeks in advance, in the comfort of your own home or wherever youfeel like doing it – at your in laws’ house, at the airport, or at the office. You will also be spared the harrowing experience of going after something that you’ll later find out isn’t in stock.
There is an abundant selection of food items in holiday catalogues, for instance, and they’ll take the wrapping job off your hands as well. With food catalogues, you’ll have a virtual mall or grocery at your fingertips.
Do away with the fruitcake mentality. There’s a host of other mouth-watering food items that people on your guest list would appreciate. Chocolates are all-time favorites, and catalogues showcase varieties that are not found in stores. Petits fours, truffles, and classics such as chocolate-covered cherries or macadamias and butter toffee...the list is endless.
Pastries and cakes are likewise bestsellers during the holidays because they’re easy to serve and can keep for several days. You can’t go wrong with tortes, rum cakes, cookies, and tarts. Plan ahead and know what your recipients’ favorites are.
You can choose from a wide variety of gingerbread houses that will surely be a hit with the kids during the holidays. It’s true, Martha Stewart encourages you to make your own, but hey, who really has the time to do this during the holidays?
Adults, on the other hand, would especially appreciate ham – they’re fire-glazed, slowly baked, lightly smoked, spiral-sliced, and ready to serve! Order a catalog from the Holiday Ham Company, voted by Cuisine Magazine and Ladies Home Journal as the best mail-order ham.
Delicious cheeses are also great suggestions, because you could choose sampler baskets for those with discriminating tastes. The Swiss Colony prepares gift boxes and baskets. It offers a “Cheese Bars with Slicer” box for less than $20. Aside from cheeses, they also have sausages, chocolates, tortes, and cakes. If you’d rather shop online, they also have an attractive online catalogue with mouth-watering photos of their products.
Nuts are a safe bet because they last for months. Choose from pecans, almonds, pistachios, cashews, filberts, or macadamia nuts. However, make sure that the recipient isn’t allergic to them.
Food catalogues aren’t just for holiday shopping. Whenever you need to entertain guests at home or perhaps cater an event, there’s no need for you to scour shops to find the right ingredients. If you need Beluga caviar from Russia, melt-in-the-mouth foie gras from France, or high-quality Angus steaks all you’ll need to do is leaf through a hardcopy or virtual catalogue and your party’s set.
