25 Holiday Dishes Guaranteed To Impress Your In-Laws
The holidays often bring extended family members together in order to celebrate tradition. Sometimes, this means spending time with people we don't typically always get along with, like our in-laws. A 26-year-long longitudinal study reported that when a husband has a close relationship with his wife's parents, he has a 20 percent decrease in risk for divorce, according to Huffington Post. This study basically explains that in order to reduce your chances of divorce, it's important to have a good, balanced relationship with your in-laws. While you may not agree on parenting methods or the best way decorate the house, there is one universal subject everyone can get behind: a damn good meal.
Apple Pie
Apple pie represents a classic American tradition that has been bringing families together for ages. This apple pie's leaf decorations give it the perfect autumn touch for a Thanksgiving holiday party.
Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington is a rich dish that should be served on any special occasion. It takes a delicious piece of filet steak, coated in mushrooms and Madeira sauce, and wraps it in puff pastry to bake. This dish is sure to bring your family together in harmony this season.
The Best Turkey Recipe Ever – We Really Mean It
Roasted turkey is a traditional centerpiece for any holiday table. Follow this recipe to ensure that you make the perfect turkey and get your in-laws involved by asking them to carve it.
Braciole
This classic Italian dish is created by pounding beef flank steak that's thinned, rolled up, and filled with cheese and an array of ingredients. It creates a beautiful main course for the holidays.
Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Holiday Salad
Juicy Brussel sprouts combine with cranberries and pecans to create a seasonal salad full of complementary flavors. This colorful dish is the perfect way to show your in-laws that you've put in the effort and care needed to create a festive holiday meal for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Click here for the Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Holiday Salad Recipe.
Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup
This warm, creamy soup is actually made with no cream at all, making it a healthy appetizer to serve to your in-laws. Its warm fall flavors bring the autumn spirit into your home, which will put everyone in the mood to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Captain Morgan Toffee Pudding with Rum-Maple Sauce and Yogurt
Toffee pudding is a British steamed dessert that is super sweet and soaked in a sugar-based sauce. It combines rum with a moist sponge cake to create a deliciously sweet pudding. This rum-filled dessert will certainly get your in-laws to loosen up a bit.
Click here for the Captain Morgan Toffee Pudding with Rum-Maple Sauce and Yogurt Recipe.
Caramel Apple Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is a common holiday favorite and it will remind your in-laws of past Christmas celebrations. This bread pudding recipe is a new twist on an old classic because it adds caramel apple flavoring to this delectable dessert.
Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin cheesecake takes classic pumpkin pie and combines it with creamy, delectable cheesecake to create a mouth-watering dessert that satisfies two cravings in one.
Click here for the Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe.
Cheesy Potato Soup
Cranberry and Walnut-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Though this recipe may not be a classic yet, it combines traditional cranberry and walnut flavors with seasonal squash to create an autumn dish that should be on every table in America on Thanksgiving. Plus, it appeals to the growing population of vegetarians.
Click here for the Cranberry and Walnut-Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe.
Creamed Spinach with Nutmeg
Creamed spinach always makes an excellent side dish for holiday gatherings. It goes well with most main courses and adds a creamy component to everyone's plate which helps balance out the meatiness of the main course. This impressive dish adds freshly grated nutmeg, which makes it a definitively fall side.
Eggnog Sandwiches
Eggnog reminds every one of the Christmas spirit that naturally brings people together, so serve these cookies at your next holiday party. These sweet little cookie sandwiches will impress guests, regardless of whether they love eggnog or hate it.
Fruitcake Bars
Fruitcake has always been an iconic Christmas dessert, which will bring back memories of past Christmases for your in-laws. These fruitcake bars are an ideal treat to serve at any holiday party because each of your guests can enjoy their own bars.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
This sweet and tangy cranberry sauce will be a great addition to any holiday dinner. Cranberries were easy to come by in the first Thanksgiving, but didn't start being turned into a popular sauce to accompany meat dishes until 1663, according to Mental Floss.
Honey-Glazed Fresh Ham
Honey-glazed hams are typically served at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, and are great for bringing together families. This recipe uses honey, brown sugar, and mustard to create a sweet, savory glaze.
Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie
This recipe combines bacon, bourbon whipped cream, and maple syrup to give pecan pie an impressive twist. You may want to prepare two of these pies because your family will be asking for second helpings.
Pistachio-Crusted Lamb Rack
A roasted rack of lamb looks beautiful on any holiday table and tastes incredible. This recipe has a mustard and pistachio crust and is surprisingly uncomplicated which will certainly impress your in-laws.
Potatoes Au Gratin
Adding a dish filled with cheese and potatoes can only help your in-law situation. Traditional potatoes are served on any holiday plate, making the potato component critical to any holiday dinner. These potatoes are so cheesy and delicious that your in-laws will be begging you for the recipe.
Signature Pumpkin Pie
You can't go wrong with serving a signature pumpkin pie at a holiday dinner. This traditional recipe has been served at Thanksgiving dinners for years, making it the perfect pie to bring your family together.
Stuffing Filled Turkey Breast
No holiday would be complete without a turkey filled with flavorful stuffing. This recipe tightly rolls up crispy bread stuffing into a turkey breast to create a beautiful turkey dish. Serve this to spread the holiday cheer around.
Stuffing-Stuffed Mushrooms
You can never have too much stuffing on any holiday table. These stuffing-stuffed mushrooms are great for Thanksgiving because they work as a side dish or an appetizer. They also add a fancier element to your dinner, guaranteed to impress your in-laws.
Thanksgiving Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes naturally make people happy with their creamy, thick texture and warm, buttery taste. This recipe adds garlic and chives to give it a bit of a kick in each bite.
Click here for the Thanksgiving Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe.
Vanilla Sweet Potato Casserole
This sweet casserole is topped off with smoky marshmallows, which make for a gooey finish. This dish is puts a subtle spin on a traditional Thanksgiving recipe, making it the perfect side to serve to your in-laws.
Walnut Rice Stuffing
It's tradition for every Thanksgiving dinner to include stuffing, but this stuffing deserves a spot on your table with its inclusion of healthy ingredients like brown rice and walnuts. This traditional food naturally brings people together with its crunchy texture filled with vegetables. Serve this up at any holiday evening to kick off the family spirit.