The key to a successful holiday meal is to make careful decisions about what to do yourself, and what to purchase or delegate.  Few people have to time create everything from scratch, but we still want to personalize the meal for our own family and friends. A good rule of thumb to achieve this is to choose a few proven recipes that will stand out, and purchase other dishes from a restaurant or store; or better yet, ask each guest to bring his/her own specialty dish.

Deep fried or baked turkeys can be purchased from many area restaurants.  Pair with Garlic Green Beans and Toasted Bread Crumbs, which can be made ahead and frozen.

Add to this, Broccoli-Corn Casserole, which can be assembled the day before and baked before serving, and delicious Sweet Potato and Pineapple Casserole.  Your guests may not think they have room for dessert, but they won't be able to resist a slice of Pecan Cream Cake while watching the big game.

These easy and impressive dishes can all be found in Assistance League of the Bay Area's cookbook, Settings Sunrise to Sunset.  For experienced chefs or beginner cooks preparing their first holiday meal, the recipes in this book can be trusted, as they have all been tested at least three times and carefully selected from hundreds of other recipes before being published.

Proceeds from the sale of this cookbook benefit Assistance League of the Bay Area's many philanthropic programs.  Settings Sunrise to Sunset is available on Amazon.com, or, to order directly, call 281-554-2594.