Only two weeks to go!

The outdoor lights are up, the house and tree are decorated, the shopping is underway and the wrapping paper has made the first of many appearances. It's crunch time!

Christmas has been called the "most wonderful time of the year" (thanks to Andy Williams and his brothers!), but it can also be one of the most stressful. While I love everything about Christmas and the whole holiday season, there are times when I just want to stop the clock for a day or two and get caught up on everything!

While I can't help you with your shopping, wrapping, or holiday decor, I can give you some tips on your food prep and planning to make the most of those precious minutes in the kitchen. Here are my tried and true holiday food timesavers:

• Make lists - Lots and lots of lists. Write down the names of the recipes you need and make sure you have them handy. Make lists of ingredients you need to buy, and any special bakeware or serving dishes you'll need to have cleaned and on hand.
• Use Your Freezer - Many recipes can be made ahead and frozen until the day before you want to serve them, and then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before baking. Seek out these recipes and cherish them.
• Call for backup - Ask for help when you need it. Your spouse and/or kids may not be chefs, but they'll do a bang-up job on cookie decorating, measuring ingredients, or even just reading the recipe out loud to you while you work.
• Make big batches - Need Christmas cookies for a variety of different functions? Make large batches of two or three different recipes, and you'll have enough to go around.
• Keep it simple - You don't have to make every single recipe you come across from scratch. Whip up a few family favorites and stick to the basics for everything else.
• Stick to the tried and true - New recipes are great fun to try out, but when you're under pressure it's best to choose only a few concoctions that you've never made before and stick to what you know for the rest.

Got your own holiday cooking timesavers? I'd love to hear them! Post your ideas in the Discussions section and let me know!