What are some tasty holiday dishes that travel well?

A baked ham works well. Bring one over and we can prove that.

I’m not that nice.

Jerky.

Fruitcake is relatively indestructable. I say relatively because, while they will survive air travel in a suitcase, a trip in the trunk of a car, or even the abuse that the UPS man dishes out, get one near me and it’s doomed. :-)

Here you go link‘s-Engine and link
You just gotta time it just right !

Rice Krispy squares with those coloured rice grains; pour wine on them if they’re too hard.

Srsly.

Scalloped potatoes

@Symbeline what kind of wine?

“Maison Nicholas”. Not a fan of white wine, but somehow, I discovered that it tasted good when mixed with solid food, after this one time where I just happened to take a sip when my mouth was fulla rice crispy square.

Nobody has replied with fruitcake yet??

Talk about a stable food item…

[edit] Oops, someone did.

Twice baked potatoes.

Travel as in driving an hour across town or travel as in flying from St. Louis to Sacramento? or as in taking a bus, a subway, another subway, a trolley, and a bus?

Pie tends to travel well. Pop it in the oven to reheat and it will go very quickly.

If you’re looking for Real Food™ then I’d go with stuffed mushroom caps. Super easy, vegetarian adaptable, absolutely delectable, and definitely reheatable.

Can’t remember the source, but here’s what I made for thanksgiving.

Trim cremini or portobello mushrooms and chop stems. Cook crumbled sausage in olive oil until it begins to brown, then add stems and chopped onion and garlic. Mix with cooked rice. Bind with Parmesan. Spoon the stuffing into the mushroom caps and bake until tender. (They only cooked for ~20/25 minutes at 375º. I used medium portobello caps, wild rice, and Vermont Cheddar instead of Parmesan. I also actually cooked them in cupcake pans and used a fork to remove them! That kept the bottoms from getting rubbery or burnt, and the trapped moisture kept them juicy!)

If some sort of desert, Peppermint Bark is surprisingly simple to craft in volume. Think 9“x13“x.25” for under $10. (Tips from experience: I didn’t layer, just went with classic one layer dark, top layer white. I’d also suggest mixing the peppermint extract into both types of chocolate, along with mixing the crushed candy into the white chocolate instead of sprinkling it. Unlike the specified 7, 12 oz. of bittersweet chocolate was just enough to cover the pan. Spreading the chocolate can be done much more easily by hand than with a spatula after covering the chocolate with saran-wrap as it looses it’s heat very quickly and the plastic won’t melt or stick. [EmpressPixie is to be credited for that last trick!])

@Jeruba We’re going by car or possibly the surfliner from the Valley to Santa Barbara.

So—preferably not something you want to have to keep hot from the oven, but you can probably manage it so it doesn’t spill. Is that right?

@Jeruba Exactly.

Beer cheese is a great make-ahead to take:

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ medium onion, minced
¼ tsp. hot sauce
¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
6–9 oz. flat beer, not too dark.

Combine all ingredients except beer in a food processor. Pulse until slightly blended. Turn to on, and slowly pour beer into cheese until the consistency is like thick soup.

Refrigerate 1–2 days, will thicken as it chills. It can be served cold as a spread, or heated as a hot dip for soft pretzels.

@PandoraBoxx MMMMMMMMMMMMMBEERCHEESE
That’s one of my favorite things to take to parties. I have also hollowed out a round pumpernickle bread, like many do with spinich dip….

@Beta_Orionis Oh My! Thank you for that recipe! That sounds like something we’ll be having on our Christmas table!

I would go with the mushrooms, or a salad….there are several other good ideas here…Good luck!

@AnnieB no problem! They were a huge hit when I made them, and I didn’t even pre-test them!

@Beta_Orionis Theres a chinese restaurant I like to go to just for the stuffed mushrooms, they stuff theirs with cheesy mashed potatoes….I will be trying yours! I love mushrooms any way.

Anything pickled.

Deviled eggs are always popular. Any kind of salad other than a molded salad. Finger foods. A relish tray. Cranberry sauce. Fresh bread.

@AnnieB I share your love of mushrooms! The main course I cooked for thanksgiving was actually mostly 5 kinds of mushrooms. :D deeeelicious.

Cookies are easy and travel well, so long as they aren’t iced. Ginger snaps are always a hit.

Also, you could go Italian and bring calzones. What could be better than folded-in-half-pizza for Christmas? :D

There are so many travel options anymore. You can transport just about anything in a crock pot. It will stay hot and you can serve it right from there. Mashed potatoes, pasta,yams, any veggie, really. The same for a meat entree. Practically anything you can cook, you cab transport. The secret is in proper re-heating. Use of foil in a warm oven is great for lots of stuff,

these are a huge hit: candied pecans. i have a great, super simple recipe if you’re interested.

Just went to a holiday party, and brought some chips and artichoke dip (here’s the recipe I used—delicious!): artichoke dip Heated it right before I went. Or if you want, you can cook it there, only takes 15 mins…
Or make some cookies/brownies/bread (like banana-chocolatechip, ginger, pumpking, or whatever) those are always winners!

@Samantha_Rae—
could you post the recipe? I’d love it too! haha : )

@ Dancingmind & anyone else who wants the candied pecans recipe:

1 tsp cold water
1 egg white
1 lb large pecan halves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar

beat the water & egg white until frothy… mix well with pecans
then combine the sugar, cinnamon & salt, add to pecans – mix well.
spread out on a cookie sheet & bake at 225 for 1 hour, stirring occasionally

i loveee them warm but they’re also fabulous if you put them in the freezer :) enjoy!