18 Tips to Make You a Fearless, Flawless Host
There are endless lists out there to help us learn how to stock a pantry and how to always be ready to put a meal on the table with a minimal amount of effort and time. These are handy and every one who lives under a roof besides their mother's should have a reasonably stocked pantry. But what happens when people drop in unexpectedly? Often it's a choice between the mustard and the pickles and it doesn't have to be that way. After years of entertaining drop-in company, here are a few simple things that I like to have on hand to make a party at a moment's notice:
- Crackers. A box of water or sesame crackers can sit in your pantry and not be involved in the regular trisket and saltine fray, thereby remaining pristine and ready for duty.
- Cheese. A block of good cheddar or gouda goes a long way and will last a long time and will keep you from carving the mold off of whatever is currently residing in the crisper in front of your guests.
- Nuts. Everyone loves nuts, even those with nut allergies. They just can't eat them. Salty ones make people drink too much so lay off the sodium. Even friends who never eat anything will eat nuts.
- A signature drink. At the Basilica we drink shrub in the summer and cranhattans (lately) in the winter. Pick a good crowd-friendly drink that's easy to replicate and keep the fixings around. It could be your twist on Sangria or an old-school drink like a sidecar. Pick one and stick with it.
- Little cokes in bottles. An easy way to put a smile on someone's face is to produce an ice-cold Coke in a little retro glass bottle. For some reason they taste unbelievably good and it feels like a luxury.
- Lemons and limes. Someone always wants one for something. You need them, too, or you're not cooking enough. Grind the leftovers down the disposal to get the funk cleaned out.
- Cocktail napkins. A plain pack costs next to nothing and are absolutely essential.
- A decent, all purpose set of wine glasses for 8. You can serve wine in virtually any glass but a rounder, fuller bowl makes people feel more at home. We use a heavy set that feel great in the hand and are practically impossible to damage. Break out the spindly ones for really expensive wine if you ever run across any and for dinner, and other than that offer a utilitarian glass that people aren't afraid will break.
- Sparkling water. Someone will want it if you offer and it's a great option with a lime for non-drinkers, which hopefully every group will have at least one. And a good mixer. A bottle of San Pellegrino is like a little Coke. It just makes you feel good. At the Basilica we drink Big K sparkling water and figure it works just fine but keep a bottle of good stuff around for others.
- A pack of lemon wipes for the bathroom. When unexpected guests arrive, nothing works better than a quick swipe of the bathroom with wipes that are already there and can be disposed of easily. Some of you may keep a spotless house and more power to you, but I require this kind of help to not scare off people and I suspect I am not alone.
- A few good beers. Even if you are not a beer drinker, keep a four-pack of something decent in the bottom of the fridge. As I've said before, Miller High Life is the house beer here, so we keep a few Stellas or Newcastles for those with more discerning tastes. Or those who came to our house to get away from their own Miller Lites.
- While on the subject of alcohol, keep a house wine. As I have posted before, we do Wal-Mart wine at our house and do not apologize for it. But, we also keep a red (La Pigeoulet) and a white (Bogle Sauvignon Blanc) around for slightly higher end consumption. These are both around $10 and taste like a much more expensive wine. There are plenty of alternatives at inexpensive prices. Find a wine person in a store, make friends, confess your shortcomings, be honest about what you like and they will steer you in the right direction.
- Hummus. A container of hummus is handy always. People eat it like candy and never moan over how they are going to have to pay for it on the thighs and shouldn't be eating it. You want your guests to be happy and carefree and not thinking about things they shouldn't be doing. Hummus fills the bill.
- Blue corn chips. Not very exciting but they work by themselves, with the hummus and with whatever salsa you can scrounge up. They go a long way and the blue ones just look better than the regular kind. Everyone likes them.
- Olives. Get a jar and throw them in the party pantry. People love an interesting olive. That's one that has something stuck in the center like garlic or an almond. They will wish when they eat them that they had a plain old olive with a pimiento in the center, but if that's what you start with, then they'll wish they had a fancy one. Exceed their expectations.
- Something sweet. Either a box of some sort of chocolate or sweet, or a frozen container of your famous Lemon-White Chocolate cookie dough. Making cookies on the fly pleases everyone. Not even the skinniest person in the party will turn down a warm, gooey homemade cookie. If you have them ready to drop frozen on a sheet, there is no effort and you will look like a culinary queen.
- Decaf. The older the crowd, the less people will accept coffee even if they want it unless it's decaf. If, like us, you normally drink caffeinated, keep a couple of those single pot packets for just this sort of occasion.
- A really good attitude. People want to visit you. That's a good thing. Believe me, not everyone is the kind of person people want to visit. If people feel that you want them to have a good time, they usually will have a good time. There is nothing better than sending people home knowing they felt attended to and pampered for a little while. That's what makes company fun.