LAST MINUTE GUESTS
Growing up in a shore resort, unexpected, last minute holiday guests were a given in season. Later, living inland in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., I found they were usually the result of bad weather. I’ve had them descend Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day and it’s always a bit of a panic time.
Either way, unexpected dinner guests can present a problem, especially over holidays and it’s smart to have a contingency plan. As a child I learned the ‘throw another potato in the stew’ method doesn’t work. Don’t attempt to cover the added demand by stretching the planned dishes, instead add more dishes to the menu. That way guests eat less of each item and there’s sufficient food, without compromising any recipes.
These are a few recipes you can have handy which will increase the feast size unnoticed. The ingredients for these easy, quick dishes require little storage space, in fact most are pantry staples and the dishes are easily incorporated into meals after the holidays, so they don’t clutter cupboards. Actually, they’re welcome meal additions all year so there’s no loss to being prepared. You can find even more suggestions in my post on 3-4 Ingredient Recipes Oct. 22,2020 All recipes serve 4 except the desserts, they serve 6-8.
RECIPES
Cheese Tree: Serves 6-8
(1) 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/3 cup olive tapenade—or sliced stuffed green olives to cover
3 inch piece of cinnamon stick
Cut cream cheese block in half on the diagonal. Turn one half over to form a tree shape and plate. Stick cinnamon in base to form a tree trunk and spread tapenade over or pave surface with slices of stuffed olives. The tree can serve several holidays depending on the ‘decorations.’
Cheese with Mustard
Plate a block of any hard curd cheese, cheddar, sharp, Swiss, Muenster, Provolone, etc. To one side place a small jar or dish of spicy brown, Dijon or other gourmet mustard-never yellow-and a spreader. Surround with crackers.
Wrapped Dill Pickles
(1) jar Dill pickles
4oz. (about) Thin slices of a cured deli meat, ham, corned beef, pastrami, smoked turkey or turkey ham or small pieces of leftover roast cured meat.
Toothpicks
Slice the pickle I half or quarters, depending on size. Wrap each with I slice of meat, secure at 1 inch intervals with toothpicks and cut in segments and plate. Alternately, cut pickle segments and top with a piece of leftover meat. An option is to substitute melon wedges for the pickle.
Church Salad: Serves 6
1) 1 lb. Romaine cut in bite sized pieces-can also use green leaf lettuce, baby spinach and trimmed, braised, chilled kale leaves
(1) 8oz.can mandarin oranges,
1/2 small white onion thinly sliced
1/3 cup orange juice,
2Tbs.oil,
1 heaping Tbs. poppy seeds
Simmer juice, oil and seeds over low heat for 10 min. or until seeds soften. Cool completely. Gently toss with lettuce, onion and oranges just before serving.
Salad Margherita; Serves 4
1)3 cups baby spinach, or torn green leaf lettuce,
3 plum tomatoes quartered lengthwise then halved into eight pieces each,
½ small onion diced,
1/3 cup mozzarella, slivered,
¼ cup fresh basil leaves chopped or 1 tsp. dried
Dressing: A ¼ cup good bottled Caesar dressing- or to taste
Combine ingredients in a bowl and drizzle dressing over, then toss gently. Garnish with Basil leaves if using fresh. If not, reserve ½ of mozzarella, toss basil with salad, garnish with reserved cheese.
Corn Pudding: Serves 6
2 (14oz.) cans creamed corn – yellow or white
1 (14 oz.) can whole corn kernels –yellow or white
2 eggs – beaten
Cinnamon for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in a 350 deg. oven for 30 min.or until top is set. Can also be cooked in a microwave for 8 min. turning once. To transport, put the mixed ingredients in a plastic container and pour into casserole to bake. Serve hot
Spinach Pie: Serves 4
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach-thawed, partially drained
1 envelope beef or chicken bouillon granules
1 egg slightly beaten
Pinch nutmeg
Mix first 3 ingredients, pour into a lightly greased casserole, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake in a 350 deg. oven for 30 min until set or microwave for about 8 min. turning once. Serve hot. To transport, put the mixed ingredients in a plastic container, then pour into a casserole to bake. Serve warm.
Potatoes Seaview: Serves 4
Cover a baking sheet with foil. Wash 2 large potatoes—baking are good for this. Slice them about ¼ inch thick and lay them in lines on the foil, overlapping about 1/3 of their surface. Dot liberally with butter, and broil until nicely brown-@ 10min. Use a spatula to place them in segments on the plates. Can be done ahead and kept warm.
Sweet Potato Option-Substitute sweet potatoes for white and follow directions. The last 4-5 min of cooking, lightly drizzle with maple syrup.
Quick Candied Sweets: Serves 4-5
(1) lb. can sweet potatoes
1 ½ Tbs. butter
½ tsp. lemon juice
Brown sugar-light or dark
Drain potatoes-reserve juice. In a 2 quart casserole, layer potatoes, drizzle with half the lemon juice and dot with half the butter, lightly sprinkle with sugar-repeat layer. Add 1-2 Tbs. reserved juice. Cook at 350 deg. 30-35 min. until bubbling. Serve hot. Tip: freezes well but may need moistening with reserved juice to do so.
No Peek Popovers: Yields 8- from Cooking With 3 Ingredients by Ruthie Wornall
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
Combine ingredients and stir into a smooth batter, Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full (popover tins are better) Place in a COLD oven, turn to 450 deg. And bake 30 min. Don’t peek. Serve hot.
Easy Berry Cake: Servings depend on size of cake
1 purchased pound cake –size optional
Enough frozen fruit, well drained and slightly sweetened, if needed, sliced, canned fruit, again well drained, or a really dense fruit preserve-to cover layers-see directions
8 oz. or more if needed, dessert topping like Cool Whip
Cut cake in 3 layers, and spread the first with fruit, then with topping. Cover with the second layer and repeat. Reverse the order on the top layer, ending with a bit of the fruit arranged decoratively. For parties, I prefer dessert topping to whipped cream. It’s less fattening, keeps better and doesn’t liquefy if standing out awhile. It’s also more reasonable. One pound cake will serve about 6-8. If you need more add additional cakes with different fillings. If making the cake ahead, beat the dessert topping ½ and ½ with cream cheese until smooth.
Crazy Cake: Serves 6-8
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbs. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Make 3 indentations in the top. Pour 3 Tbs. oil in the first, 1 Tbs. vinegar in the second and 1 tsp. vanilla in the third. Pour 1 cup cool water over all and stir until batter is smooth. Pour into an ungreased 8-9 inch pan with 2 inch sides. Bake at 350 deg. for 35-40 min. Cool in pan. Frost or top with powdered sugar. Double recipe for a sheet cake.
Option for a Holiday Cake
Replace white sugar with brown
Replace water with wine
Replace vanilla with maple or nut extract (optional)
Replace cocoa with:1/2 tsp. EACH cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and ¼ tsp. cloves
Add ½ cup chopped candied fruit and raisins + optional 2 Tbs. chopped nuts
Whisky, rum or brandy
Follow directions for Crazy Cake, mixing the fruits and nuts in with the sifted dry ingredients, and using the wine in place of water to mix the batter. Decorate the top with colored sugar or extra fruits and/or nuts. Cook, pierce cake with a toothpick and drizzle liberally with your choice of liquor. Allow to stand a couple of hours for tastes to meld
