Host This Weekend plans the weekend table: what to make ahead, what to finish while they arrive, and how long each of it really takes.
Latest recipe · Halloween
53 min total16 servingsServes 1625 min prepMake ahead
On the calendar
Halloween is 58 days away. 10 recipes and lists ready for it.
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Halloween10 recipes and lists
25 recipes and lists
19 recipes and lists
10 recipes and lists
8 recipes and lists
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Halloween
45 min total24 cookies35 min prep10 min cookOccasion: HalloweenMake ahead
Bake reliable Halloween cookies from one vanilla-orange dough. It rolls cleanly, holds sharp shapes, and needs only simple icing decor.
Halloween
55 min total12 cupcakes35 min prepMake ahead
Bake dependable chocolate halloween cupcakes with orange vanilla buttercream, black sprinkles, and candy eyes for an easy party tray.
Halloween
35 min total24 bites, serves 6Serves 615 min prepMake ahead
Make Halloween finger foods easy with chicken mummy meatballs wrapped in crescent dough, olive eyes, and marinara for dipping.
Plan ahead
10 min total12 servingsServes 1210 min prepOccasion: HalloweenMake ahead
Make this fizzy Halloween punch with fruit punch, orange soda, pineapple juice, ginger ale, and dramatic blackberry swirls in 10 minutes.
Before you start
Occasion archive
Christmas
40 min total30 cookies30 min prep10 min cookOccasion: ChristmasMake ahead
Make the best Christmas cookies with one reliable almond vanilla cutout dough, a quick glaze, and simple decorating options for holiday trays.
Christmas
44 min total24 cookies20 min prepMake ahead
Make cranberry oatmeal cookies with gram weights, exact timing, clear texture cues, practical shortcuts, and make-ahead guidance for holiday hosting.
Christmas
1 hr 5 min total16 bars20 min prepMake ahead
Make cranberry orange crumble bars with clear texture cues, gram weights, practical timing, and make-ahead notes for a relaxed seasonal table.
Occasion archive
120 min total8 servingsServes 820 min prep100 min cookOccasion: FallMake ahead
Start your gluten free Thanksgiving menu with herb roast turkey breast: a one-pan centerpiece with lemon, maple, and an easy 20-minute prep.
50 min total4 servingsServes 420 min prep30 min cookOccasion: FallMake ahead
Turn turkey, stuffing, gravy, vegetables, and mashed potatoes into a crisp-topped Thanksgiving leftover skillet pie with 20 minutes of prep.
1 hr 15 min total10 side servingsServes 1025 min prep50 min cookOccasion: FallMake ahead
Make sage apple stuffing with clear texture cues, gram weights, practical timing, and make-ahead notes for a relaxed seasonal table.
Occasion archive
Celebrations
35 min total24 stuffed mushrooms, serves 8Serves 817 min prep18 min cookOccasion: CelebrationsMake ahead
Make these sausage-stuffed mushrooms for New Year’s Eve food that feels party-ready: creamy, crisp-topped bites baked on one sheet pan.
Celebrations
45 min total30 cookies35 min prepMake ahead
Make red, white, and blue 4th of July cookies from one buttery vanilla dough. Star cutouts and sanding sugar keep the tray simple and festive.
Celebrations
50 min total12 servingsServes 1225 min prepMake ahead
Make berry flag shortcake slab with clear texture cues, gram weights, practical timing, and make-ahead notes for a relaxed seasonal table.
Occasion archive
75 min total30 cookies55 min prep20 min cookOccasion: EasterMake ahead
Use one dependable vanilla dough for Easter cutouts, sugar-topped rounds, and iced cookies, with practical timing and decorating options.
1 hr 15 min total12 slices25 min prep50 min cookOccasion: EasterMake ahead
Make lemon coconut bundt cake with gram weights, exact timing, clear texture cues, practical shortcuts, and make-ahead guidance for holiday hosting.
1 hr total8 servingsServes 820 min prep40 min cookOccasion: EasterMake ahead
Make lemon berry pudding cake with clear texture cues, gram weights, practical timing, and make-ahead notes for a relaxed seasonal table.
Recently published
Celebrations
25 min total8 servingsServes 825 min prepOccasion: CelebrationsMake ahead
Build a red, white, and blue 4th of July charcuterie board with cheese, fruit, crackers, salami, and two easy dips in 25 minutes.
Celebrations
40 min total10 servingsServes 1025 min prepMake ahead
Make this creamy dill potato salad for your 4th of July side dishes lineup. It is tangy, crisp, budget-friendly, and serves 10.
Fall
70 min total8 servingsServes 825 min prepMake ahead
Make this reliable Thanksgiving sage bread dressing with crisp edges, a soft center, and everyday ingredients for eight servings.
Editorial standards
Ruth Callahan is the named editor accountable for Host This Weekend’s editorial decisions. Every recipe states its amounts, sequences the method coherently, gives plausible timing and cues, and says what can be made ahead.