Guess Who's Coming to Dinner!
When guests drop in unexpectedly shortly
before dinnertime, there's no time to buy groceries. You have to be
creative and whip up a meal using what you have on hand. With
well-stocked cupboards and a little imagination, you can turn an
everyday meal into a company meal!
If you're well organized, having an unexpected company dinner can be as easy and enjoyable as a long-scheduled one. There's no need to make fancy, complicated dishes to impress your guests. Good everyday cooking can be dressed up with a personal touch for a delicious, elegant meal!
Drop-in guests are not a cause for panic when your cupboards are stocked with all the cooking essentials. These products can be used to quickly create a whole meal or to stretch out whatever you already have underway requiring a lot of tedious preparations.
Keep the following staples on hand and you'll always be ready for unexpected guests.
Freezer
| Desserts | Ice cream, sherbet |
| Fruits | Raspberries, strawberries |
| Vegetables | Green beans, green peas, mixed vegetables |
| Fish and seafood | Peeled shrimp, smoke salmon |
| Cooking Shortcuts |
Pie crust, puff pastry, grated parmesan, grated mozzarella |
Pantry
| Condiments | Olives, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, ketchup, salad dressings, vinegar (plain, wine, balsamic), soya sauce, bottled lemon juice, Tabasco sauce |
| Canned goods | Fish (tuna, salmon), whole mushrooms, legumes (kidney beans, lentils, chick peas), corn, tomato sauce, tomato or vegetable juice, plain or seasoned diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, cream soups (mushroom, chicken, celery and tomato), fruits (pears, peaches, fruit cocktail) |
| Dried Fruits | Walnuts, almonds, raisins |
| Herbs and spices | Salt, pepper, curry powder, nutmeg, paprika, basil, bay leaves, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, cloves, thyme, parsley, ginger |
| Oils | Olive, vegetable, peanut |
| Pasta and starches | Spaghetti, fettucine, long grain rice, basmati rice, quick-cooking couscous, bread, crackers |
| Dessert ingredients | Baking chocolate, liquid honey, unsweetened shredded coconut, Graham crumbs, vanilla, cookies |
| Cooking Shortcuts | Sauces, fish stock, bouillon cubes or canned bouillon, plain or seasoned croutons, breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour, gelatin, sugar (powdered, granulated) |
Refrigerator
| Fruits and vegetables | Carrots, lemons, celery, oranges, apples, potatoes, packaged washed greens, tomatoes, seasonal fruits and vegetables |
| Eggs and dairy products | Eggs, unsalted butter, milk, whipping cream, plain yogurt |
Liquor and Beverages
| White wine, beer, rum, cognac, club soda |
With a little organization and a few tricks, you can enjoy fine dining, even when entertaining unexpected guests.
- Keep your cupboard and pantry well stocked.
- Stock a few luxury products to give your dishes an elegant touch (fine cookies, mixed nuts, frozen smoked salmon, etc.).
- Have tasty tidbits on hand (olives, walnuts, peanuts, and crackers) so that guests can stave off hunger while you prepare or expand the meal.
- Combine prepared products-artichoke hearts, legumes, packaged washed greens-with a fresh product like a tomato for a delicious first course in no time at all.
- Stretch the soup with some flavourful bouillon concentrate or a glass of white wine and frozen vegetables. Add fresh cream to cream soup just before serving. Garnish with seasoned croutons.
- Always have frozen and canned vegetables, rice, pasta and canned fish on hand for quick-to-make main dishes and side dishes.
- Offer guests a Mexican salad (canned kidney beans and corn, onions, black olives) served on bed of packaged washed lettuce or shrimp salad (packaged washed mixed greens, peeled shrimp, quartered tomatoes) garnished with walnuts. Add dressing and you have a meal.
- Serve fettucine with cream sauce and smoked salmon or spaghetti and tomato sauce with tinned asparagus on the side drizzled with balsamic vinegar and topped with grated Parmesan.
- Stretch a rice-based dish with canned legumes (chick peas or kidney beans) and season well.
- Add a can of diced tomatoes to spaghetti sauce to make it go further.
- Dessert is a cinch with fresh, canned or frozen fruit, prepared desserts, ice cream or sherbet.
- Bread goes well with any meal.
Use quick garnishes to dress up everyday cooking.
- Toasted, slivered almonds add a fancy touch to a cold first course or dessert.
- Garnish a salad with walnuts and grated lemon or orange zest.
- Add plain or seasoned croutons to soups or salads.
- Enhance bread with herbed butter.
- Top perfectly round mounds of ice cream or sherbet, made with an ice cream scoop, with fruit and nuts for a smashing dessert. Or alternate layers of fruit compote and whipped cream and dust with cookie crumbs.