Entertaining

Holiday and party food, planned like a chef would

Each hub is a party menu worked backwards from the doorbell: what to make, what keeps, when to start it, and how long it can sit out once the guests arrive.

A Christmas dinner on a wooden table with a white runner: a partly carved roast turkey on a platter, a gravy boat, two bowls of mashed potatoes, a dish of stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans with almonds, a basket of rolls and two stacks of plates

12 Christmas dinner ideas: full menus planned around one oven

Whole menus from two people to twenty: turkey, prime rib, ham, tenderloin, a British turkey crown, duck, schnitzel, a baked Italian-American dinner, salmon, a mushroom Wellington and a make-ahead buffet. Each has amounts per guest, an oven plan counted back from the serving time and make-ahead dates for 2026.

A long Christmas dinner table with the food on it: carved turkey, scalloped potatoes, gravy and vegetables down a clear center strip, low trays of fir between the dishes and a red cracker across each plate

How to set a Christmas table, around the food

The layout, with every number traced to who says it: 24 inches (61 cm) a guest and how many your table seats, the American and British place settings, where the crackers go, a centerpiece that leaves room for the roast, candle and greenery safety, Christmas napkin folds sorted by what they have to do, and a timeline to dinner.

A dinner table in evening light set with plated desserts, among them crème brûlée in a ramekin, a wedge of lemon tart, chocolate mousse in a glass, a pavlova with berries, a poached pear and profiteroles with chocolate sauce

24 fancy desserts for a dinner party, sorted by last-minute work

Desserts, most of them restaurant classics, sorted by how much work is left once guests are seated: plated from the fridge, one finishing step, in the oven during the main course, or cooked at the last minute. Every card gives the make-ahead window, the minutes after dinner, how to plate it and its allergens.

A Thanksgiving table of side dishes: stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, gravy and rolls

21 Thanksgiving side dishes, planned around one oven

Sides sorted by where they cook: with the turkey, in the 30 to 40 minutes it rests, on the stove or with no heat at all. Every card gives its oven slot and how far ahead it keeps, with amounts per guest and a make-ahead timeline.

A dark Halloween appetizer spread on black slate with spider deviled eggs, pumpkin soup cups, a web dip and ghost crostini

22 Halloween appetizers, spooky by plating

Spider eggs, ghost crostini and a kids' table, made scary with black olives, beets and orange cheddar instead of dye. Every card says how far ahead it keeps, and a timeline runs to the doorbell.

A long Thanksgiving table set with the food on it: carved turkey, sweet potato casserole, gravy and rolls down a clear center strip, with a low centerpiece of pears, squash and short candles

The Thanksgiving tablescape, set around the food

A table planned from the plate out: 24 inches (61 cm) a guest, a clear strip for the platters, a centerpiece low enough to talk over, formal and casual settings, the buffet and a timeline that runs the table and the turkey on one clock.

More seasons are on the way. Meanwhile the party boards live in Boards and the quantities in the party food calculator.