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Food for unexpected guests

July 15th, 2010

Surprise guests are welcomed in our small wine country town.

We can’t really help it, it’s just that we’re always walking past each other’s houses.
And sometimes it’s just more convenient to stop by rather than call first.
Because of this, we’re savvy unexpected guest entertainers.

We have lots of experience.
Take these recipes — you could put these together in 20 minutes or less from things you probably already have.

Here’s my top five treats for unexpected guests.

Artichoke dip!
I always keep a can of artichokes in the pantry and mayonnaise in the in the fridge. In emergencies, I drain and chop the artichokes, mix with a cup of the mayo and 1 cup of grated parmesan. Preheat the oven to 375° and bake the dip for 15 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Buttery, salty popcorn!
Put 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels into a paper bag and cook in your microwave on the popcorn setting.
Melt 1/2 cup of salted butter, pour over popcorn and toss when hot, salt popcorn with fine table salt or popcorn salt.

Crackers and stuff to go on top of the crackers!
Due to my thrifty Midwestern upbringing, I find myself balking at the cost of premium crackers. But guess what? Tightly sealed, they’re perfect for unexpected guests. Toppings can include slivers of sharp cheddar and apple or cream cheese blended with herbs. I also put pretzel rods and really good mustard for pretzel dipping in this category.

Nuts, dark chocolate and dried fruit!
But you’ve already heard me talk about this one.

Premium vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce
Put one pound frozen strawberries into a colander in your sink and rinse in cold water until the fruit thaws.
Place thawed frozen strawberries in a saucepan and cook over medium — stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar until the sugar is dissolved. You can strain the fruit by pushing through a strainer or you could leave the sauce chunky. Serve with premium vanilla ice cream.

All over the internet, folks argue whether you should be gracious to unexpected guests or just give them some warm tap water and look unimpressed.

As you can expect, community customs come into play — ours may be more forgiving than yours.
That said, I’m thrilled to provide a warm welcome, something to eat and a refreshing drink.
(Speaking of drinks, more recipes are coming this week.)

I’m so happy you’re here.

Tags: pantry items, snacks, unexpected guests
Posted in cheese, fun, napa | 7 Comments »

Three Ingredient Appetizers

May 6th, 2010

Our town does this thing in the warm months.
During the first Friday of every month from May to October, there’s a big town party.

Wine is poured. Streets are closed off.
Bands play.
Even the Wine Train rolls into town.

It’s called Cheers St. Helena and although it was just implemented last year, it’s as if it was always going on.

You take a purchased glass into the downtown shops, where sponsoring wineries fill it with your juice. You don’t drink too much, because you run into all your friends on the street and stop to talk.

It’s a great time.

Sadly, James and I have tapped our child care budget (for, like, the YEAR).
This means we will be sitting the first Cheers out.

Since we’re missing the townie fun, we’ve decided to celebrate in our own way.
Since friends who are attending the event will have to walk past our house, we’re hoping to snag them en route.
Since I’m working, taking care of babies and finishing a book (ew gross! not another blogger book!*), I’m strapped for time.

Since we have the equation Friends + No Time = Party, well, I’ll be serving some three ingredient appetizers.
Since there’s White Sangria, we have to think a little more about what food works.
Since it’s life, it has to be deliberate.

Let’s look at three of these three ingredient appetizers. Let’s have a snack.

Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil
You won’t count the sprinkling of sea salt and splash of balsamic vinegar as extra ingredients, will you? Even though it’s not really tomato season, I serve as is. But you could serve these flavors in a bread salad, a panini or tossed with pasta.

Fig, Thyme, Sharp Cheddar
Obviously, the Cheese/Fruit/Herb combination works for me here. This flavor combination could be part fig jam or dried figs. These flavors work best with the addition of bread and a smile.

Salsa, Chips, Cheese
We shall make cheesy nachos. We shall mound shredded Monterey Jack cheese on tortilla chips and bake until the cheese melts at 380 degrees. We shall dip them in salsa. These go well between sips of Sangria.

Now it’s time for a Pinot photo.