topic Re: Let's imagine that.... in Kitchen

Let's imagine that....

house_cat — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:07:39 GMT

...your doorbell rang at 4 pm - guests from out of town, passing through.

What would you make for dinner and dessert, based on what you have right now in your pantry and fridge?

I have to think about my own response, because I've been out of commission with an injured leg - yesterday would have been my grocery shopping day, so it's slim-pickin's around here today.

How 'bout you?

Re: Let's imagine that....

Mary Bailey — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:14:41 GMT

I would order pizza & dessert from the best pizza place in town and enjoy the drop-in guests.

Re: Let's imagine that....

millieshops — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:22:51 GMT

I'd have to make reservations. Or tea and cookies. Not much here to appease hungry guests.

Re: Let's imagine that....

GCR18 — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:29:33 GMT

I have a couple choices I could whip up. Salmon/rice/string beans; home made pizza; lasagna or spaghetti. I don't normally do dessert, but have ice cream and cookies. Nobody would starve.

Re: Let's imagine that....

denisemb — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:32:44 GMT

I have all sorts of foods in the freezer, but if it were out-of-town guests, I'd opt for pizza delivery or going out. Would rather spend my time visiting than cooking.

Re: Let's imagine that....

house_cat — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:40:16 GMT

I understand that most of us would probably order out in this situation, but I posed a hypothetical question, just for fun.

After some thought, I'd have to say that I would quickly start a batch of pizza dough, for garlic sticks, then a quick and easy marinara sauce with canned tomatoes. I always have canned tomatoes on hand and I always have spaghetti.

I'd serve the spaghetti marinara with garlic twists.

Dessert would be a lot harder. We have nothing in the house right now, no fresh fruit, but I do have canned fruit so I could make simple fruit cocktails.

Re: Let's imagine that....

denisemb — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:46:11 GMT

OK, for quick and dirty (but luscious), I'd thaw some italian sausage and do DiAnne's Spicy Bow Ties with sausage (posted recently in Recipes) as I have all the ingredients. (I've made something similar, but her added herbs intrigue me). Veggies would be whatever is in the freezer.

Dessert is easy because I whipped up a key lime pie earlier that I got off this site that is easy and killer!

Re: Let's imagine that....

RedTop — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:53:52 GMT

I have frozen and canned chicken available to make a tasty pot pie , with homemade crust, cole slaw, and dessert would be an apple pie, or pecan bars.

Re: Let's imagine that....

italia8140 — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 01:30:42 GMT

Ceasar salad to start, chicken sausage sauteed with red, yellow, and green peppers with a side of pasta with either my homemade marinara sauce or with Rao's marinara, homemade ciabatta garlic bread. Dessert would be strawberry compote on top of vanilla ice cream. Red or white wine.

Re: Let's imagine that....

Meowingkitty — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 01:32:08 GMT

First of all I probably would not even answer the door. If I'm not expecting you don't bother to come over because we don't answer the door. But if by mistake I did, it would be reservations.

Re: Let's imagine that....

Mominohio — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 01:34:22 GMT

I could throw together a nice green salad, and prepare a pasta dish pretty easily. I usually always have those things on hand, and they make up pretty quick.

I can usually throw together a pot of chili pretty quickly too.

Re: Let's imagine that....

Libbylady — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 01:38:29 GMT

Depending on the ages of the guests, I would be able to make a nice salad, spagetti with meatballs or meat sauce, and Italian rolls.

If all were adults I'd probably make breaded veal patties (from Omaha Steaks), noodles or rice, and a veg.

I purchase day old long Italian sub rolls from a local deli for around $.40 each. Cut them in half in both directions and spread each roll with melted butter & garlic powder. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze. They last several months in the freezer. I usually do about 15-20 roll servings each time so I'm prepared for the grands who like them for meatball sandwiches and individual pizzas.

I always have a dessert at the ready. My grocery store often has Entennmans Pound Cake on BOGO. I get them every time, even when I have one already. I slice them into 3 layers and frost each layer with lemon curd, or frosting, or fruit preserves. Put the layers back together, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze. I can cut the cake in slices while still frozen and refreeze what I don't need. Serve the defrosted slices with a topping of fresh fruit or a dollop of whipped cream if I have it.

Re: Let's imagine that....

missy1 — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 01:44:03 GMT

order pizza

Re: Let's imagine that....

house_cat — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 02:08:40 GMT

@Libbylady wrote:

I always have a dessert at the ready. My grocery store often has Entennmans Pound Cake on BOGO. I get them every time, even when I have one already. I slice them into 3 layers and frost each layer with lemon curd, or frosting, or fruit preserves. Put the layers back together, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze. I can cut the cake in slices while still frozen and refreeze what I don't need. Serve the defrosted slices with a topping of fresh fruit or a dollop of whipped cream if I have it.

You have some really good ideas! Thank you! I miss Entenman's cake so very much. My mom didn't bake and I was raised on Entenman's but they don't sell it here in the LA area. They carry the donuts, for some reason, but nothing else.

Re: Let's imagine that....

Snowpuppy — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 02:41:38 GMT

housecat, I feel for you! I slipped on ice & fell just after the holidays last yr. I was laid up and off work.....and right after the holidays my pantry and freezer were mighty thin!

Living rural you learn to keep a deep pantry and stocked freezer but boy, was I ever caught short!!

I live too rural for pizza delivery but usually keep some in the freezer.

Re: Let's imagine that....

gmkb — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 02:43:02 GMT

If they showed up at 4 pm with no prior warning, I would offer a cold drink or coffee and wait for them to invite us out to dinner.

Re: Let's imagine that....

circles — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 03:12:58 GMT

If it had to come from my pantry....I have a box of noodles and a jar of Ragu for spaghetti....

For dessert I have some cookies or ice cream...or both if they wish...

Re: Let's imagine that....

sfnative — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 04:01:01 GMT

My entre is what I plan to make for dinner tomorow: Lidia Bastianich's fennel and Italian sausage with pasta. For dessert, I'd create a Paris Brest, fill it with chilled pastry cream and blueberries (the baby ones we always have on hand from TJs - washed, drained and patted dry, before placing on top of the pastry cream). The entire choux is dusted with confectioner's sugar and sprigs of mint and thyme placed in the center opening, reaching out to the diners. This is cut into serving pieces that are about 3-4" wide.

Re: Let's imagine that....

Pook — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 08:58:40 GMT

@meowing kitty wrote:
First of all I probably would not even answer the door. If I'm not expecting you don't bother to come over because we don't answer the door. But if by mistake I did, it would be reservations.

I.m with you on this one. No one I know would be that rude to just show up and if they did and I did answer the door I would not offer to make food for them even though I always have a stocked pantry to make many things. If it was our vacation cottage I might get out the fixings hot dogs or mountain pies made over a campfire with smores.

....

debic — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:09:52 GMT

It would depend on who they were. Casual aquaintences we'd order pizza or go out. Someone close, I'd ask them what they'd like and run to the grocery store if I hadn't planned anything for dinner. As a rule I always cook too much food and I could toss in a salad to spread it out more. And we don't do desserts so I wouldn't feel the need to serve it to anyone else.