The holidays are a busy time for most people -- especially when it comes to planning meals and entertaining.
If you're in a crunch ahead of Christmas and need an easy last-minute menu, these culinary pros are here to help you out with a slate of simple solutions.
Check out their holiday recipes below.
3 Ingredient Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Ham
Jason Goldstein, recipe developer and creator of Chop Happy, shared this simple three ingredient main dish.
Ingredients
1 spiral ham
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chili paste
Directions
Mix the honey and chili paste together, place the ham in a slow cooker and smear the mixture all over the ham. Cook on low for 5 hours. You can also add pineapple to the bottom, or veggies like green beans or potatoes.
Use to make leftovers:
Chop up the leftover ham and make fried rice.
Mix the leftover ham with cheese and wrap it in pizza dough or puff pastry to make ham and cheese calzones for lunches for the week.
Make ham grilled cheese.
Wrap up the ham in an airtight bag and freeze for up to six months to use in the future.
Sour Cream and Onion Mashed Potatoes
Bon Appétit food editor Shilpa Uskokovic shared two easy holiday side dishes. First up, these mashed potatoes with an elevated twist on the popular potato chip flavor.
Ingredients
5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into quarters
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal or 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
16-ounce container sour cream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for serving
12 scallions (about 2 bunches), dark green parts only, thinly sliced
Directions
Place russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters, in a large pot and pour in cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon onion powder and enough kosher salt to make water taste briny like the ocean. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (do not boil!) until potatoes are tender but not crumbly, 30-35 minutes (a tester or skewer inserted into centers should meet with very little resistance). Drain potatoes; return to warm pot. Let sit off heat, uncovered, to allow excess liquid to steam off while you heat cream mixture.
Bring 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal -- or 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt -- and remaining 2 teaspoons onion powder to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium, stirring to dissolve salt, about 5 minutes.
Using a potato masher, smash hot potatoes until smooth (you can also pass through a ricer or food mill into a large bowl if you prefer, then transfer back to pot). Add cream mixture; mix vigorously to combine. Add one 16-ounce container sour cream and 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, and mix again to combine (return pot to low heat if needed). Season with more salt if needed. Stir in 6 scallions (about 1 bunch), dark green parts only, thinly sliced.
Transfer mashed potatoes to a large bowl and top with a pat of unsalted butter and remaining 6 scallions (about 1 bunch), dark green parts only, thinly sliced.
Recipe reprinted with credit from Bon Appetit.
Radishes with Nori Lemon Butter
Uskokovic also shared this "ridiculously easy" dish that uses top-notch butter and roasted or seasoned seaweed to add a boost of flavor to raw veggies.
8 servings
Ingredients
Zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more
Two .35-ounce packages salted toasted seaweed snack
Mixed radishes, trimmed, halved, quartered, and/or sliced (for serving)
Flaky sea salt
Directions
Vigorously mix zest of 1 large lemon, half cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal -- 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt -- in a small bowl to combine. Crush two .35-ounce packages salted toasted seaweed snack into bowl and mix well. Taste and season nori-lemon butter with more salt if needed.
Scrape nori-lemon butter onto the edge of a platter. Arrange mixed radishes, trimmed, halved, quartered, and/or sliced, around and pile a large pinch of flaky sea salt alongside.
Recipe reprinted courtesy of Bon Appetit.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Icebox Cake
Baker, blogger and Food Network personality Dan Langan shared his recipe for this simple, seasonal-inspired dessert.
Makes: One 9-inch icebox cake
Ingredients
4 ounces cold cream cheese
3 packages hot chocolate mix
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
A few drops peppermint extract
A pinch of salt
2 cups cold heavy cream
20-25 crispy or not-so-fresh cookies like chocolate chip, sugar, shortbread or gingerbread
Crushed peppermints and chocolate chips for finishing
Directions
Place the cream cheese, hot chocolate mix, vanilla, peppermint extract and salt into a bowl and mix until smooth with your mixer. Scrape the bowl and mix again until no lumps of cream cheese remain. Add the heavy cream and mix on low until combined, then raise the speed to medium and beat until medium peaks form.
Add a layer of cookies to the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, breaking any as needed to make them fit. Add a third of the cream and spread until smooth. Repeat two more times, finishing with a layer of the cream and spreading the top until smooth. Chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To serve: Run a knife between the pan and edge of the cake to loosen it and then remove the ring of the pan. Place the cake on a platter and sprinkle the top with the crushed peppermints and chocolate chips. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two days.
