While you might be thrilled to see your guests, it is still a chore to feed and entertain houseguests for an extended period of time. My suggestion? Make use of as many shortcuts as you can find: pre-made, frozen pastas you just boil and slap some sauce on; frozen, marinated chicken breasts or pork loins; instant rice and instant noodle mixes; spiral cut, glazed hams and the like. They will help you prepare some impressive meals. Also, glance back through the archives of this Suite101.com topic and see if any of the “event” plans can be modified for simple and tasty dinners with your houseguests.
If you cannot afford a pre-baked, glazed spiral ham, but still want an impressive main dish for a dinner, try this easy but yummy recipe. To bake a very moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into a lined baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil and bake according to it‘s size. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
One tough meal is always breakfast. While you can, and probably should, have a selection of cereals (those little kiddie variety packs work great!), bagels and pastries for the duration of your guest’s stay -- you might also want to have one nice, sit-down breakfast or brunch with them. It doesn’t have to be fancy (omelets, skillet breakfasts) or greasy (fried eggs and bacon) to be a good morning meal. Keep it simple and serve one item with plenty of milk, juice and coffee available -- and you will have a hit on your hands.
Here are two good recipes to get you going! Enjoy and try to relax and have fun with your houseguests!
Mom‘s French Pancakes:
This is so easy and so impressive. My mother whipped these up frequently when I was a child -- I would smother them in lots of butter and strawberry syrup. You can prepare the batter the night before and refrigerate it for use the next morning -- that will really make you look organized and proficient! These pancakes are close to crepe texture and thickness and can be used for regular breakfast pancakes or as crepes for filling.
Go To Page: 1 2
