Holiday Deals and Advice
After spending some time price comparing, I found that once again that Aldi's has our backs. Their hams start at $.85 per pound. They don't have a beef roast, however, their lamb is 9.99 per pound. If you want lamb, that's not a deal. Kroger (or their other stores like Fry's) would be a better deal at $5.99. They do have beef roast starting at $5.49 a pound.
For the sides which we have to make anyway, Aldi's is the better deal. Potatoes at $2.69 a bag plus they have everything you need for appetizer plates. They have gourmet cheeses as well and yes they cost more. The crackers are awesome. I keep at least two boxes of the club style and the Ritz style. Desserts are covered as well. They have wonderful pies and cheesecakes.
Ina Garten's two rules of thumb which I follow are:
Make something, assembly something, and buy something. Of course, you want wow people with the meal itself so make it. Assembly an appetizer tray and buy the dessert.
Make a game plan. Start working on your meal at least two or four days ahead. That's cleaning up to the components for the meal. On the day of the meal, you could just fill your house with the smells of the meat.
Now, I am putting the ball y'all's court. Share your game plan of things you do every year and the things you have done in the past and will never do again.
Here is the video