Essential Staples For Last Minute Entertaining

It never fails that at least once in the holiday season someone pops by unexpectedly.  You know the type, “Hey, we were in the area and wanted to surprise you.” Here are a couple things you can do to be prepared for drop in guests.

One is to be ready at any moment to do a quick straightening of your home.  I mean within 30 minutes.  I wrote a great post on that topic and you can check that out here.  The second thing is having essentials in your home that you can use to entertain guests at the drop of a hat.

I always keep my bar stocked with “anchor” liquor.  We always have Vodka, Tequila, and Bourbon.  Think of how many drinks you can make by just having these 3 available.  When those run out, I immediately put it on my list to get more.  I keep those stocked at all times.   I try to keep some mixers on hand as well.  We usually have orange juice, coke, and Ginger Ale etc….  We keep quite a bit of wine in the wine cooler as well.

Another tip is to keep some desserts in your freezer.  A great one that goes over well is cheesecake.   You can get this at any grocery store.  As soon as your guests get there, take it out.  Also offer your guests non-alcoholic drinks like coffee and sodas.  You can always keep those pre-made cookie packages around.  They only take about 12 minutes to make. I think they only require a little water, an egg and some oil to whip up some amazing cookies that taste like you slaved in the kitchen all day.

This one may be a little harder, but it would be so impressive.  A charcuterie tray would make a big splash with your guests. Putting out fruits such as grapes, pears, and apples would look amazing.  Crackers, cheese and assorted meats would make a gorgeous presentation to finish off your tray.

I hope you were able to get some tips that would help you if guests pop in on an unexpected visit.  I hope your upcoming Holiday season is filled with great memories and no stress.  Well as little stress as possible.