When you have guests at home who arrive on short notice or even on no notice, the first thing you need to deal with is preparing a menu. Even for the slightest of time when a guest visits, you might worry over preparing a quick menu.
Here are a few tips to help at such a point of time.
Keep It Simple
When planning a quick menu, make sure you include a base dish and pair it up with a couple of sides. See if you have any prepping stuff in the fridge. For instance, there could be some chopped veggies or frozen tofu.
There might be some grilled chicken from last night. Be clever and incorporate these into your menu. Do not serve leftovers. The trick is to recycle these and make an all-new dish!
Do Not Go In For Too Complex Items
When planning a menu do not go in for complex stuff. If you are planning to make Mexican rice with corn on the cob, stick to the same. Make a soup to go along.
Do not plan an elaborate Mexican dish around the rice and start with making tortillas and salads. These fast moving items need you to keep making sets to serve.
Keep A Backup Handy
If you feel there is a shortage on some menu item, plan a backup. Interesting pancakes with quality Escuminac maple syrup and berries on the top is an awesome classic option. This allows you the freedom to have something that is quick to cook, in hand.
Make The Menu Easy On The Stomach
Do not go in for too spicy a menu. Choose items that are palatable in general. If you are not sure of guest preferences, you must rather go in for food choices that are generally non-allergic or non-reactive.
Multitask Well
The secret to making the right meal for guests (suddenly) is to multitask. You can make use of your cooktop and oven at once to minimize cook times. Bake a quick pie or grilled roast while you cook an easy soup on the top.
You can also make a dessert while making the main course. Keep snacks that are frozen, handy to ensure that you get to serve something quickly as an appetizer, before the main course.
Easy Peasy Choices
Choose easy to make items for serving. Pasta, risotto and mixed rice dishes are examples. Do not go in for laborious items. One-pot meals are again an awesome option. You can also go ahead with sandwiches or garlic bread like items to serve as sides.
Smart Picks
When in doubt, simply focus on framing a fuss free menu in mind. Be clever to keep a drink menu handy. If alcohol is off cards, stir up some mojito or whip some fresh frappe at home.
The idea behind a quick menu for guests is to present usual dishes in a way that they appear attractive. This is what a restaurant does. You simply need to use your creativity around regular stuff to make an extraordinary meal.
Summing Up
Do not spend hours in the kitchen, sweating out on cooking. You need to make sure that you have a clear idea of what you want to make and then get going on the same. Keep all your ingredients and main stuff handy before you start cooking a storm.
Planning is vital when making a quick menu for guests. Sit back and plan first before diving headlong into the cooking bit.
