Holiday Recipes, Hacks, and Ideas for Your Holiday Occasion, Guest List, and Budget
Looking for ways to “sleigh” the holidays? Bad pun aside, the holidays can be stressful, especially if you’re hosting. It’s easy to be anxious about the food, because so many of our treasured holiday traditions revolve around it. And it’s no wonder. Food brings us together, builds memories, and embodies cultural traditions. Fear not! The California Beef Council (CBC) and BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com have put together menu ideas, dinner party plans, and budget-conscious strategies in a series of four interactive stories all primed to help you host like a pro without breaking the bank or collapsing under the weight of too much holiday stress. Each recipe in the four different stories features clear, illustrated ingredients and step-by-step cooking instructions. Ready to build some new memories? Let’s get started!
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Mini Beef Wellingtons from BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com are bite-sized appetizers perfect for holiday entertaining.
Story 1:
In The Ultimate Guide to Holiday Beef, the focus is on relieving the stress of the first-time holiday host. The CBC has put together a mix of holiday recipes paired with different budgets and occasions to help even seasoned meal planners minimize the anxiety of hosting, spark some new traditions, and make your holidays deliciously unforgettable. The story features six delicious beef recipes from Beef and Veggie Quiche to Pistachio-Crusted Beef Rib Roast with Holiday Wine Sauce, and a variety in between. The ultimate message of this ultimate guide? From budget-conscious ground beef appetizers to show-stopping ribeye roasts, there’s a perfect cut and recipe for your occasion, guest list, and budget.
Story 2:
The challenge: create the perfect holiday party that’s both Instagram-worthy and genuinely memorable. The solution: Reinvent the Holiday Progressive Dinner Party. The CBC has taken the holiday tradition of the progressive dinner party and brought it home with an innovative twist: three gourmet fondue stations that let you and your guests experience the variety and excitement of a traditional progressive dinner without leaving your dining room. In this story, you’ll learn how to produce a progressive luxury fondue experience featuring three stations, three beef cuts, and three wines. The party begins with a Classic Swiss Gruyère Fondue with Top Sirloin then moves to a Bold Beer Cheese Fondue with Ribeye Steak, and finishes indulgently with Truffle Horseradish Cream Fondue with Filet Mignon. An evening of inspired conversation, good cheer, and compliments for the chef—challenge met!
Story 3:
Many budget-minded shoppers are searching for ways to stretch their dollar while still creating delicious meals for the holidays and beyond. Beef, with its incredible versatility and high nutritional value, is a great foundation for cost-effective meal planning—planning being the operative word. A little planning and the right cut of beef can help stretch those food dollars. In Holiday Treasures on a Budget, the CBC brings together six recipes that focus on being budget-friendly by using less expensive cuts like cubed steak, leftover prime rib from another holiday meal, stew meat, leftover pot roast, and chuck roast. Plus, food influencer Whitney Bond walks you through how to make her amazing, budget-friendly Sirloin Tip Roast with an Herb Rub and Fennel Brown Gravy.
Story 4:
What’s your perfect holiday pairing? With all due respect to mistletoe and kisses, or reindeer and jingle bells, we think the most flavorful holiday pairing is delicious beef paired with your favorite beverage. In Holiday Beef & Beverage Pairings, the CBC selects six mouth-watering recipes and pairs each with a wine, a beer, and a mocktail selection. For an elevated holiday experience, Beef Osso Buco is paired with a Barbaresco wine, a Barolo Chinato beer, and an Italian Orange & Rosemary Spritz. Making appetizers? Mini Beef Wellingtons are paired with an elegant Champagne or Crémant, an English Bitter, and a Cucumber Tonic. And for New Year’s Day, how about Bibimbap-Style Korean Marinated Flank Steak paired with a Grenache-based Rosé, a Rice Lager, or a Korean Pear & Ginger Mule. Whatever your holidays bring, there’s a beef and beverage pairing to meet the occasion, the budget, and the guest list.
And for even more holiday cheer, the California Beef Council is offering $2 cash-back savings on a fresh beef purchase of $15 or more through the Checkout 51 mobile app or at Checkout 51 online. The offer is available in California only and ends at 11:59 p.m. on December 27, 2025.
From small gatherings to hosting the extended family, bringing people together around the dinner table during the holidays brings out our most cherished memories and traditions. Bon appétit.
About the California Beef Council
The California Beef Council (CBC) was established in 1954 to serve as the promotion, research, and education arm of the California beef industry, and is mandated by the California Food and Agricultural Code. The CBC’s mission is to amplify the voice of the California beef industry to strengthen beef demand through innovative promotions, research, and open communication. For more information, visit www.calbeef.org.
About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
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Beef, with its incredible versatility and high nutritional value, is a great foundation for cost-effective meal planning—planning being the operative word. A little planning and the right cut of beef can help stretch those food dollars.
Contacts
Annette Kassis
California Beef Council
annette@calbeef.org