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It's no shock that the holidays can be stressful. Family and friends are constantly coming and going, and they always seem to be hungry. Cooking for a lot of people can be a challenging and expensive. That's where Trader Joe's comes into play. The inexpensive grocery store has tons of prepared foods that hardly require any cooking. TJ's makes cooking easy and no one needs to know little money you spent. Check out the slideshow for some of our favorite easy-to-make Trader Joe's foods that will make the prefect holiday meal.
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Stuffed Brie with Garlic & Herbs
Need to serve a pre-dinner snack? You can't go wrong with Trader Joe’s Stuffed Brie with Garlic & Herbs (8.99 per lb). Serve with their Cracker Assortment ($3.49)
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Another great starter is Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese ($4.99). I served these at Friendsgiving and they were easily the most popular item.
Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Pork Roast
Impress your dinner guests with Trader Joe’s Uncured Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Pork Roast ($6.99 per lb). All you have to do is pop it into the oven. Serve with roasted potatoes and any green veggies.
Antibiotic Free Spiral Hams
If you're not a fan of bacon-wrapped goodness, try Trader Joe's Antibiotic Free Spiral Hams ($4.99 per lb). They’re fully cooked and ready to serve. They even include a packet of glaze you can baste onto the ham.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Okay, this side takes a little effort, but with only 6 ingredients it's still pretty easy to make. Plus, the end result is so tasty, no one will complain about eating their vegetables. Check out the recipe here.
Savory Butternut Squash Soup
For an appetizer, try this Savory Butternut Squash Soup recipe that uses all TJ's ingredients. All you need to do is add them to a pot.
Everyone will love the flaky goodness of these buttermilk biscuts ($2.99). Simply pop open the tube, take out the individual portions of biscuit dough, place them on a baking sheet and bake.
Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake
This recipe couldn't be more simple. Just defrost TJ's Pumpkin Cheesecake and add a few toppings and serve.
Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Panettone
Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Panettone ($5.99) manages to take the traditional Italian Christmas cake and make it better. How? They removed the candied fruit pieces and replaced them with sweet chocolate chips. It's the perfect holiday dessert.
Egg Nog
No holiday meal is complete without egg nog. You can pick up Trader Joe’s Egg Nog and Light Egg Nog for only 2.99 each.
