Last-minute ideas for ordering a holiday meal and food gifts

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·4 min read

We are in the holiday home stretch and things are getting real this weekend.

Are you ready?

Whether you’re scrambling for a holiday meal option, need a dessert or other dish to pick up, or a hostess gift, there's still time.

And if you're looking for dining out options, many area restaurants are open on Christmas Day.

From meals-to-go to holiday specials, many businesses have the goods to fit your needs and help make the holiday table merry and bright. Some places, like Holiday Market in Royal Oak, have Michigan-themed gift baskets that feature locally made products. Here are a few ideas:

Achatz new holiday pie

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Cake from Achatz Homemade Pie Company
Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Cake from Achatz Homemade Pie Company

Local pie maker Achatz Handmade Pie Co. and its Pie Collective have released a new holiday pie flavor. The chocolate cherry cheesecake cake is available now and joins other holiday offerings of special pie bundles and corporate gifting. Also available is the return of its traditional pumpkin, pecan, caramel nut apple, cannoli cream and French silk. Achatz pie bundles feed at least 28 people and start at $82.Order by phone or online at achatzpies.com by Dec. 21 and pickup by Dec. 24.

Achatz Homemade Pies has several pie varieties for the holidays.
Achatz Homemade Pies has several pie varieties for the holidays.

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Gift boxes at Coriander Kitchen and Farm

Coriander Kitchen and Farm holiday gift sets features items made from its own farm.
Coriander Kitchen and Farm holiday gift sets features items made from its own farm.

Coriander Kitchen and Farm has put together gift box sets featuring its house-made items. The Jefferson-Chalmers and canal neighborhood restaurant is known for its farm-to-table menu. The gift box features curated items the restaurant makes using many of Coriander’s farm-grown products.

The gift box includes a 16-ounce bottle of its chive blossom vinegar, a 6-ounce fermented farm-garlic honey, farm garlic chili crisp, green tomato chutney, bacon jam and a choice of two rum cakes, moist and rich in every bite, or four cornflake-marshmallow chocolate chip cookies. Tips, recipes and ideas on how to use the products from Coriander chef Alison Heeres are included. The gift boxes are $68. You can buy them online or at the restaurant, 14601 Riverside Blvd. for next-day pickup. Farm-to-table Coriander Kitchen and Farm is in Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers and canal neighborhood.For information or to schedule an order or pickup email hello@corianderkitchenandfarm.com.

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Hazel’s

This downtown Birmingham restaurant is noted for its seasonal seafood menu. For the holidays, the restaurant is featuring its Hazel's Holiday Take-A-Way menu with a variety of a la carte offerings. You can order hors d'oeuvres, including peel-and-eat shrimp and those retro cocktail weenies. Also on the menu is lobster bisque, cheesy potatoes, Christmas ham, chicken or lobster pot pie. There are also sweets of Christmas morning cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, and EM's chocolate chip cookies. Prices vary. A whole lobster pot pie that feeds four is $75. For info: 248-671-1714 or eatathazels.com.

Peel-and-eat shrimp is an item on Hazel's Holiday Takeaway.
Peel-and-eat shrimp is an item on Hazel's Holiday Takeaway.

Wigilia dinner series

Pietrzyk Pierogi, known for its homemade and authentic Polish pierogi and other Polish street food, is hosting two Wigilia pop-up dinners. The Wigilia is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Poland. Pietrzyk Pierogi Wigilia is 5-9 p.m. at Urbanrest Brewing Co. in Ferndale and 6-10 p.m. Friday at Two Birds Detroit, 8130 Kercheval Ave. Prices vary and you can order off a menu. There are also several seats available for the Pietrzyk Pierogi kielbasa-making class. The class is 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at 1429 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit. Cost is $55 per person.

Pietrzyk's Pierogi Happy Holiday pierogi is still available and features turkey, potato, dried cranberries, white cheddar, parmesan, onions and seasoning. In addition, its vegan pierogi is back in stock and the pierogi of the month option is also available.

For info: pietrzykpierogi.com

Leave the cooking to someone else

No time to pull off a holiday meal? Or you didn't make reservations at local restaurants that will be open on Christmas Day? Relax. Many area grocery stores have you covered. You can still order complete meals or a la carte options from Busch's Fresh Food Market, Kroger stores and others. Options include fully cooked meals that include turkey or ham complete with a variety of sides. You can also order individual sides of items like green bean casserole or mashed potatoes to complement your holiday dinner.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Last-minute ideas for ordering a holiday meal and food gifts