31 Provisions You Should Include in Your Holiday Spread

Butter Block Granola, Step Out Buffalo — Butter Block Granola / Step Out Buffalo

Updated Dec 2015

Whether you’re guest at or host of a holiday breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner we think one of the best ways to spread the Buffalove this holiday season is through some of our city’s finest purveyors! Check out the great markets and shops around town for high quality provisions to make holiday entertaining easy and unique.

By no means is this an all inclusive list, but one recommendation can go a long way for inspiration. We suggest you read, digest, hit your local shops and go crazy!

Hors d’oeuvres

It’s easy to collect unrealistic hors d’oeuvre ideas on Pinterest that will cost you a fortune and probably fail you completely in the end. But if you actually want to enjoy the holidays, skip all that and craft an app out of a couple simple ingredients.

Penzeys has an endless supply of spices to make your life easier. I love picking up a spice that includes cheese like their Sicilian Salad Seasoning or the Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle and pairing it with an extra virgin olive oil from D’Avolio. D’Avolio offers a variety of fun flavored olive oils and vinegars. If you’re at Penzey’s picking up your spices, head to the D’Avolios right across the street on Elmwood. I recommend pairing a cheesy spice blend with the regular extra virgin olive oil or their butter flavored olive oil (which is great on its own, as well).

D'avolio Kitchen, Step Out Buffalo, Restaurants in Buffalo — D’Avolio / Step Out Buffalo

Once your two ingredients are meshed, you’ll need something delicious with which to scoop it up. The Lexington Co-Op offers delicious rolls perfect for dipping in your seasoned olive oil. Their petite baguettes are deliciously soft and doughy on the inside and absorb the oil and spices creating a powerful flavor.

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The Co-Op is full of useful and tasty ingredients. Their fresh baked breads, like their Roasted Garlic crunchy bread is the perfect item to bring to the party with a smear of First Light Farm and Creamery goat cheese and topped with roasted eggplant. As for the hostess, it’s a smooth and satisfying dish to pass around with dinner, as well. Mix and match the flavored goat cheeses with complimentary toppings.

Need something sweet added to the menu? Try the Sweet Smoky Maple Double Cream goat cheese topped with crushed candied double smoked bacon from Spar’s European Sausage Shop (to candy, coat the bacon in brown sugar and bake on foil at about 400 degrees until crispy) on toasted baguette or crackers. Insert groan here.

Brunch Club Worthy

Heading to brunch? Hosts are usually on top of the mimosas, so dare to be different and bring some Bloody Mary ingredients. KegWorks has a stock pile of Bloody Mary necessities. With items like Demitri’s Bacon Flavored Bloody Mary Rim Salt, Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning Variety Pack (classic recipe, chilies & peppers, extra horseradish, and chipotle-habanero), and Benny’s Smokin’ Chipotle Bloody Mary Snack Straws, making a perfectly seasoned and exquisitely garnished Bloody Mary at brunch will be no problem. If bacon salt and pepperoni straws don’t add something special to your homemade drink, nothing will. All you will need is vodka, tomato juice and ingredients from KegWorks to concoct the perfect brunch cocktail. Take it a step further by adding some celery bitters and pouring your concoctions into fun glasses from Queen City Shaken and Stirred or add Smoked Spicy Pepperettes garnishes from Spar’s (similar to spicy Slim Jims). Looking for another local Bloody Mary “mix” to add to the mix? Get your hands on some of Barrel + Brine’s new Bloody Mary Pickles and use the juice as your bloody base and the pickles as your garnish.

If you’re hosting brunch and want some juicy sausage links to pair with the cocktails and the rest of your menu, we highly recommend checking out the selection available at Spar’s European Sausage Shop. If you weren’t convinced by double smoked bacon or spicy pepperettes, their wide variety of sausage is sure to persuade you. Smoked Polish Sausage, Apple Bacon Chive Chicken Sausage, and T-Meadow Heritage Pork Sausage w/Roasted Poblano Peppers & Cilantro are just a few of the scrumptious flavors offered at the European sausage haven. Regardless of what flavors happen to be in shop, your guests will most likely not be able to stop talking about it.

Get Last Course Creative

Desserts are a great go-to if you are the house guest. In my opinion, you can never have a big enough dessert selection. Chrusciki Bakery offers adorable Buffalo Cut-Out Cookies, Cookie Bottom Cheesecake, cinnamon buns, cheese danishes, pastry hearts, cherry almond crumb rings and more. Their desserts are so special and delicious, you’ll be wishing you left more room at the end of the meal. Bringing a bottle of sweet Loganberry 999 wine from Chateau Buffalo will complement any dessert the host or guests put out beautifully. Dare we add bottles of Imperial Sponge Candy Stout by Resurgence Brewing Co. paired with Sponge Candy from Watson’s to this list? We think so.

White Cow Dairy Yogurt / Step Out Buffalo

Hangover Helper

The morning after a holiday dinner isn’t something many people plan for. Hopefully there will be leftovers (food – not guests, but it’s entirely possible so be prepared). If you have the forethought to plan ahead for Leftover Day (new made up holiday to ease pain of after holiday sump), stop by the Farm Shop on the corner of Ashland and Lexington downtown on a Friday or Saturday when the Butter Block Pop Up is there. (We stole this idea from Butter Block.) Grab some of their buttery croissants and some White Cow Dairy Cranberry Spread available at the farm shop, and craft a sandwich using leftover meat (turkey, ham, chicken – anything goes). If you’re feeling ambitious (this actually takes no work at all), get some Butter Block granola and a few jars of White Cow Dairy yogurt for parfaits. (Okay, there are no leftovers involved in that one but who cares? It’s a great idea.)