The Make-Ahead, No-Mess Dinner Party Combo You'll Turn to During the Holidays

The words "hassle-free holiday trick" are music to our ears. We partnered with Delta® Faucet to announce their newest addition to the kitchen, ShieldSpray™ Technology. It makes holiday cleanup easy by keeping the splashing contained, so we're free to entertain more. And we're celebrating by sharing how-to videos of favorites, from table decor to dessert, that'll add that something extra to all your holiday dinner parties.

Steak and green sauce is our co-founder Amanda's go-to when company comes calling last-minute: It's a back-pocket combo that always works when you're in a bind. And during the holidays, when a dinner party feels like it needs a little extra oomph even when you're crunched for time, all you have to do is give this pair a little boost to make it fancy enough. Do it ahead of time and even better; more time with guests, less time washing dishes or tidying the kitchen (where everyone will end up anyway).

Charmoula, sometimes spelled chermoula, is a North African green sauce that's bright and zesty from lemon, chile, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon. It makes an appearance in our cookbook A New Way to Dinner, and for good reason: It's the ultimate fancified green sauce. Zip it in the food processor a few days in advance of your party and you're already halfway done with dinner. Then, for dinner, use this Genius Recipe for J. Kenji López-Alt's Butter-Basted, Pan-Seared Thick-Cut Steaks. The gist? Salt the meat ahead of time, flip the steaks constantly in a screamin' hot pan, and baste them with butter.

The only thing to give a wash will be the pan and your tongs, and then back to your guests you go!

Watch how our make-ahead, no-mess dinner party comes together in the video below.

We partnered with Delta® Faucet to celebrate their newest addition to the kitchen, ShieldSpray™ Technology. It allows hosts seamless cleanup (be gone, stubborn food specks) without making an even bigger mess (thanks to an innovative shield of water that surrounds the water jet). And all that means more time with guests—plus less time soaking, scrubbing, and shirt swapping.