It’s true what people are saying.

The holidays are getting out of hand. Spending-wise, expectations-wise and definitely stress-wise. All you really need to get in the holiday spirit are a few meaningful traditions, some festive atmosphere and the people you care about. Oh, and food. Lots of food. I happen to love cooking and entertaining, but I just did all that for Thanksgiving, big time. So now that the holidays are like, almost here, I jumped at the chance to let the folks at Eatzi’s treat me to a super easy takeaway catered Chrismukkah dinner, from apps to ‘zerts, so I could tell y’all all about it.

Picking up was super easy.

Just show up, give them your name and they’ll bring you the goods. They’ll even help you to your car because they’re sweet like that. Also included? Directions for warming, because everything comes packed for baking in a 350-degree oven for 5-30 minutes depending on the dish, which made prep super easy. And that way I could set my gilded Chrismukkah tablescape while everything was warming up.

The food:

Appetizers like fried mac and cheese balls were a huge hit with the kids (and adults). The salad came together perfectly and complemented both the horseradish-crusted salmon and the cajun turkey. They were delicious. Other sides like five spice acorn squash, mashed potatoes and maple sriracha brussels sprouts rounded out our meal nicely.

Sweet spot.

I think it’s fair to say Eatzi’s is known for their baked goods, so it’s no surprise that the dessert situation was a good one. Look at this beautiful mocha buche de noel! It was like a mousse-filled, gilded chocolate cloud. The platter of Christmas cookies were each so different I had to try them all (and I might have enjoyed a few more with my coffee this morning). And finally, a chocolate Nutella babka. Seriously. The Jews do love our babka!

Thank you, Eatzi’s!

Thanks for making our Chrismukkah dinner so special. If you’re thinking of making your next holiday meal a hell of a lot easier to host, give Eatzi’s a try. Take a look at their Christmas menu here, and note that they’ll have Hanukkah items available on the 24th. And remember what I said: take it easy on yourself this holiday season. 2016 was rough. Sit down sooner, relax more, cook less. Just this once. I won’t tell.

Eatzi’s //  several area locations // eatzis.com

DISCLAIMER: Eatzi’s offered me this catered meal so I could share it on foodbitch.me. Approx. value: $225.