For the Holidays and Beyond!

As we near Thanksgiving, I’m pulling out some classic serving dishes- my grandmother’s gravy boat for example, and it’s so nice to have the memories of her very big and fancy dinners! When I’m hosting today, I like to use fun serving dishes, trays, and plates that are as beautiful as the meals themselves. You want your meals to be inviting, so everyone can’t wait to dig in! All of these trays and dishes create fun, self-service for your guests. You can put everything out ahead of time so you can enjoy the party too!

MAKE great dishes, but USE great dishes, too!!

Note, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on the links, you’ll go right to the products.

Seafood Tower. Isn’t the one in the picture above gorgeous? There’s something about feeling like you are in your own restaurant at home. If you enjoy seafood (yes, please), then maybe you’ve ordered a seafood tower before. You must get your own for entertaining. This is perfect for displaying some shrimp cocktail, crab legs, and oysters or clams. If you love a good crab boil, this would be useful for displaying that as well. Other ideas might be to display cookies, cupcakes, petits fours, etc.

Cakes AND Chips Tray. I LOVE this serving dish because it is so versatile.

Use it as a chip and dip tray, then just flip it over to turn it into a cake dish! However you use it, you have a cover to keep your food fresh before and during the meal. I only realized recently that this can also be used as a punch bowl!  

Oyster Grill Pan.

In keeping with seafood, if you’re an oyster lover these are awesome little pans that hold the shells perfectly. You can put these right on the grill to make some yummy baked oysters, or just use as serving trays if you’re serving them on the half-shell. A nice mignonette sauce (vinegar and shallots) can be placed in the middle of each tray with a few cut lemons. See my upcoming blog on working with oysters!

Trifle Bowl (and Cups). I like this one in the link, since it has a cover which is perfecting for transporting to an event or party. This is an elegant set we got as a wedding gift (it’s nice to have some matching cups alongside your trifle).

I thought it would inspire me to make some beautiful trifles, and it definitely did/does. There are such a huge variety of trifles you can make, and they’re so great for holiday meals since you can make them well-ahead of time and bring them out for self-service. You can also be really creative with your layering- making desserts to include pound cake, cookies, fruit, whipped cream, chocolate sauce- on and on. Alternatively, try savory dishes like layered nachos or a taco dip.

Serving Tray. My daughter actually made this in shop class in middle school!

It’s a perfect tray for serving breakfast in bed, or transporting food and drinks, maybe outside to your patio. But feel free to use something like this as a serving tray on your table or buffet. I see this as perfect for a coffee/tea service area to include a coffee pot, hot water, tea bags, creamers, sugars, and spoons.

You can get fancier versions, too. With very convenient handles, they come in many different shapes and sizes, and using material from metals, basket/weaving, and wood. I’m partial to the wood, because since these are nice and big, I like to make charcuteries with them. They can be so easily brought out to the table for a wow effect. Last Christmas I used the fancier one to put out a breakfast charcuterie, complete with mini pancakes, waffles and bagels, bacon, sausage, a big bowl of scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. I included little bowls of syrup, ketchup, a variety of cream cheeses, and butter. YUM.

Fondue Set. When the girls were young we were into this quite a bit. There are so many uses for this, and fondue pot restaurants have actually become a thing.

You just heat up the burner and add a dipping sauce like cheese (meltable like Velveeta), chocolate chips, marshmallow, or caramel. Whatever you want to dip- pretzels, chips, crackers, fruit- just place it around and give everyone a skewer! Put this pot by your appetizers with a bunch of skewers and let everyone help themselves. You can also make a soup in this and put some small cups and a ladle next to it for the same fun self-serve idea.

Hot pot. (This is the only thing I don’t have a photo of, but do check out the link!) Taking inspiration from the Korean Barbecue, these pots are so fun to make into an interactive meal. Similar to the fondue, put all your ingredients onto a few plates, and let people decide what they want. A variety of meats, seafood, and Asian vegetables work well, and in the pots you can have sauces, soups, or noodles. To complete this meal, use a steamer basket to steam and serve bao buns and a rice cooker for some nice jasmine rice.

Salad Bowls. I like having a salad ‘station’ when serving my dinners. A pre-dinner salad is very good for your digestion. But since not everyone likes salad, having a little serving area where people help themselves (if they want) is perfect. I love a big wooden bowl like this, with serving utensils and small bowls.

Similar to the trifle set, these go well together and make the salad invitingly self-serving. Put out a variety of dressings (including non-fat) and toppings like croutons and maybe some grilled chicken or bacon bits? It can even be a good idea to just put lettuce in the bowl and have all the veggies separately- ie, one of my daughters does not like tomatoes, and my husband isn’t a fan of cucumbers, so letting everyone customize their own salads is considerate and a nice touch!

Charcuterie Boards. I naturally have to mention these boards as perfect serving dishes. I have one with a built in cheese-serving drawer, and another (see below) with small dishes included. So depending on what I’m serving, these are great to use for appetizers, a bread board, or to serve something where you have a variety of dips. Think along the lines of a hot dog board with dishes of condiments, onions, etc. 

The sky’s the limit with sizes and styles of charcuterie boards. I love this one that opens up into a large circle. What a great space saver; and the look is very elegant.

I hope you enjoy entertaining for the holidays, and every day, and can try serving your favorite foods using these stylish and functional trays and plates. These dishes help turn your meals into interactive, self-serve feasts for everyone, including the host, to enjoy!

If you have your own ‘go-to’ serving dishes, I’d be so interested to hear! Drop me a line and share!