<p>So you get short notice news that you are having guests for dinner. What’s your go-to quick put it together meal??? There is the potential for this type of meal to be in my future - like maybe tonight - but I have a full day of work planned and little to no time to run to the store!</p>
<p>For my purposes, we’re talking casual dining is fine and preferred. But feel free to post whatever is your “go to” meal for last minute dinners that is NOT just the family who lives in your house.</p>
<p>I’d go out. Seriously! I am an assembly cook at best, hate to do it, would be fine eating a bowl of cereal or leftovers and frankly I don’t get what is so great about anyone’s homemade food. If I get together w my sister or mother, we go out and grab a bite. I realize that doesn’t help you!!</p>
<p>Emergency…last minute…no time to really prepare, a work night? This screams “order out”. We would get a couple of pizzas, and salads…and call it a day.</p>
<p>This one is dependent on having produce in the house that’s in decent shape. But grilled chicken salad is quick and easy. Grilled chicken cutlets (which can be grilled earlier in the day) sliced crosswise, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, peppers, etc. Open jars of olives, roasted peppers, artichokes, chickpeas, etc. It’s nice to have crumbled feta and croutons for the top. If it’s casual enough, your guests can help assemble the ingredients. </p>
<p>If I didn’t have decent produce, I’d go with a good jarred tomato sauce, frozen meatballs, and pasta. The next time everyone will want to go out for dinner instead. :D</p>
<p>We always have frozen chicken breasts on hand so we’d have grilled chicken, grilled veggies (zuch,onion, squash) and packaged caeser salad.</p>
<p>Chinese takeout.</p>
<p>Pizza! And make a tossed salad at home.</p>
<p>Wine or beer “tasting” on the deck, led by H. Hummus and crackers nearby.
Grilled hamburgers with blue cheese and fresh tomatoes, oven roasted parmesan potatoes - easy, bagged spinach salad.</p>
<p>I make mini pot pies. I keep the puff pastry shells in the freezer, so I make up the filling while they are in the oven and it’s all out in a half hour.</p>
<p>What I do is make a couple of bags of microwave new potatoes, cut them into quarters and cut up a rotisserie chicken into small pieces. Then I caramelize pre-cut mirepoix in a large stock pot. Add flour to thicken, along with two chicken bullion cubes and spices. Cook the flour through and add boxed stock. Cook until veggies are tender and sauce is thickened, then add potatoes and chicken to warm. Spoon into puff pastry puffs and voila! This is much easier than it sounds since I always keep pre-cut mirepoix in the house for soups and stews and the chicken comes precooked and the potatoes go into the microwave. This is also great for leftovers. I make a bunch and then the hordes eat for a couple of days.</p>
<p>The grilled chicken salad sounds good. There’s a farmers market here at work today so I could pick up fresh veggies and bread. I have some homemade pesto at home for the bread.</p>
<p>I freeze pesto every summer so I usually thaw some of that and grill shrimp on skewers. (I keep shrimp in the freezer as it’s so quick to thaw.) I always have something in the fridge that can turn into a salad.</p>
<p>Not nearly as fancy, but pasta (maybe two shapes) with two kinds of sauce - marina-ish and alfredo-ish. Add bread and salad.</p>
<p>Probably should have said I put the pesto on pasta. I do the two sauce thing around Christmas with pesto and vodka (tomato based) sauces. It’s quick and looks festive.</p>
<p>If you serve pesto, do make sure that you have an alternate sauce, as quite a few folks have nut allergies.</p>
<p>That is something I never considered. Thanks for mentioning it; at the very least, I will ask when inviting.</p>
<p>Roast chicken from the grocery store. If it’s summer, I do a chicken salad with all kinds of lovely vegetables and some fruit (strawberries or raspberries or nectarines). If it’s winter, I make a light shallot cream sauce (simmer shallots in cream, strain, add a splash of wine, some salt, some pepper), rice or potatoes, roast green beans.</p>
<p>Quiche and a salad has always been a hit at my house. Store-bought or homemade, depending on how much notice I have. It’s very easy to make this a vegetarian meal if desired, and omnivores don’t seem to miss meat if there isn’t any in the quiche. </p>
<p>If you have time to stop at the farmer’s market, this time of year is great for gazpacho, especially if you already have tomato juice or V8 in your house. I’ve even made it with a can of crushed tomatoes if that’s all I have on hand. It’s a nice appetizer, or in larger bowls as a main course with good bread and cheese.</p>
<p>Especially in winter, the crock pot is fantastic if you find out the night before your guests are coming, but you’ll be too busy to cook the “day of”. I always seem to have ingredients for white chicken chili on hand.</p>
<p>If it’s truly a last-minute thing, we go out or order in.</p>
<p>Looks like I dodged having dinner guests tonight - they made some alternative plans. But still interested in your “emergency” meals! The take out part is easy and of course I use that - but sometimes just warrant NOT a take out meal - so great to hear your ideas!</p>
<p>One of those Stouffer’s lasagnes, with salad and garlic French bread.</p>
<p>Either a taco or a pasta bar. </p>
<p>Taco bar: put out seasoned ground meat and cooked lentils (for vegetarians/vegans), tacos, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, tomatoes, sour cream, and sliced avocado. </p>
<p>Pasta bar: cooked pasta, meat sauce, veggie sauce, some veggies, maybe some grilled chicken. </p>
<p>Let your guests assemble their own meals.</p>
<p>There is always baked ziti, tuna casserole, or other things that do most of their cooking in the oven while you entertain.</p>