Entertaining on the Fly
Spur-of-the-moment entertaining is a part and parcel of the festive season. Relatives or friends drop by, many unexpectedly. So how do you entertain at the drop of a hat?
- Keep all your entertaining items in a convenient location or cupboard. Make sure it is stocked with clean napkins, plates, serving dishes, cutlery, a couple of extra tablecloths etc.
- Make sure the house is always neat and clean and ready for visitors.
- Ensure that the bathrooms are clean and well stocked with hand-wash, soaps, hand towels and face towels.
- Stock up on snacks and sweets so that there is always something handy to serve when guests drop in unexpectedly.
- Keeping a variety of chips, crackers and nachos are a must. And a variety of dips too. You can buy readymade dips or make your own.
- Buy extra milk to serve coffee or tea. Also invest in 1.5 litre bottles of aerated drinks or juice tetra packs.
- Make sure that your bar is well stocked so that you are not scurrying around to buy liquor when your guests drop by at night.
- Cook in advance and freeze some stuff like quiches, casseroles etc.
- Stock up on food items that will be handy for quick meals. These include:
- Packaged pasta
- Basmati rice
- Pasta sauce
- Some ready-to-make masalas like biryani masala or chicken tikka masala
- Frozen foods like sausages, burger patties, fish fingers, cutlets etc
- Cheese
- Bread
- Butter
- Salad dressings
- Chopped frozen veggies
- Couple of cartons of ice cream
- A few varieties of cookies and biscuits
- Indian sweets that have a long shelf-life, like kaju katli.
- Chocolates
- Chocolate sauce
Once you are prepared, even if guests do drop by unexpectedly, whipping up a quick meal or snack will be fairly simple. You can relax and spend time with your friends even while playing the perfect host!
