Last Minute Guests

Lifestyle.

I love entertaining guests. Expected or unexpected it really doesn’t matter to me. With the holiday season fast approaching we get more traffic than usual. I like to think that this has to do with people having the holiday spirit and remembering how important family and friends really are. But the cynic in me thinks that they just want to be anywhere but home where there are presents to wrap, shopping to be finished and holiday baking to be completed.

Even though you will hire Hip Hostess to take away your stress and host your large dinner parties, I want to make sure you are prepared for the drop-in guest. I have a list of items that I keep on hand to make sure that I don’t have anxiety over these situations or leave my guests feeling hungry.

If possible, make a trip to a specialty store that you usually wouldn’t frequent, to find interesting packaging or exotic variations.


Parmigiano-Reggiano and a few other hard cheeses
Tapenade
Top-of-the-line olive oil and vinegar
Olives
Quality Dried Pasta and Pasta Sauce
Bottle of wine
Crusty French Bread (you can freeze)
Proscuitto
Good Chocolate Bars or Tea Biscuits
Piquillo Peppers
Salami

The above selection doesn’t take up much space, the ingredients compliment each other and can be used separately or together to achieve quality appetizers or a hearty pasta if needed. You can even add a touch of honey and some nuts to the Parmigiano Reggiano and have an easy dessert.