You want to invite your friends and family over for a holiday meal but Jane is allergic to fish, Alex is intolerant to gluten and Lisa can’t eat dairy, and oh yes, Lisa’s daughter has a nut allergy. Does this scenario sound familiar to you?

Don’t give up on them baby. Any entertaining you do is an invitation to be treated like family so invite Jane and Alex and Lisa and Lisa’s daughter over to eat and prepare food for them. You can do it! Even though there are so many people with different food issues you can still enjoy entertaining them in such a way that everyone leaves the table safe from harm and happily satisfied by having been at your table to eat.

It used to be hostesses planned menus that were sure to please the palates of all her guests but that’s nearly impossible to do these days. What’s a caring hostess who wants to please everyone to do? How can we safely care for guests who can’t eat certain foods while still entertaining in the way we like to?

All are hungry and looking forward to a special holiday meal. What can you feed them this Christmas when it seems like there is a veritable minefield of foods to avoid these days?

Click here for some steps to planning a menu for the holiday that includes everyone.