Feeding guests
Back when you're a couple, the cook can excuse themselves to head off to the kitchen while their other half keeps drinks coming and chat going. Being chief cook, drinks dispenser, host, and bottle washer is different.How do you do it? invite the guests into the kitchen to watch you? Give them tasks to do? Hope they'll take over?
Comments (93)
We had to throw out the chicken.
The wors - sourced from a local Saffer, and very good - was okay, just a bit charred, but none of the Scottish guests would try it. Cheek of it, I eat haggis to be polite!!
We gonna swap recipes here?
I don't like to entertain in my house.
The tradition in my family has always been eating out during special occasion. Fancy Chinese restaurant
No washing up to be done afterwards. Most Chinese restaurants here let you bring your own liquor along with no extra charges or corkages.
Back in the day I used to get in a tray of caterer's lasagne - feeds 12 - and that left me with just salads and breadsticks to produce, easy peasy. But I had a dining room then and could seat 12.
I've never done anything efficient in this little house and I feel guilty about it. Shamelessly looking for ideas. I can squeeze up to 5 in the house, or move the food outside for a party of 8. Tops. Very little house!
One way and another I've been fed and watered by about a dozen local people and really need to do a little by return. No ideas whatsoever.
I try the SA way of guests bring Salads or dessert or they dont get in the door.
I serve the first drink and then they help themselves and pour mine.
Does it impress you if a female guest takes charge in your kitchen and turns out a meal, or does it genuinely leave you cold, you prefer the McDonalds / pizza?
Cooking outside is the answer, the braai / BBQ, BUT Scottish weather doesn't play ball. You sure as hell can't plan in advance.
So what do you bustle about preparing? Ideas, please, my mentor
being in the kitchen can get very exciting depanding on who the guest is.
normally a chat on family matters or political issue can do the work.
Biff
Too bad at the moment the weather over at your place is not cold enough for hotpot/steamboat.
Also, not too sure if any of your guests have even heard of that! Lol
Anyway, if you're even the slightest interested, maybe you can Google it?
What's the easiest food to make? Pre-cook most of it and just throw together a salad?
#notaclue
Since I don't drink alcohol I would ask the guests to bring their own.Usually I'd furnish the ice tea,hot tea,coffee and milk or juice for the kids.
Almost similar to a potlock.
After the quests leave I do the clean up, and wash dishes, I figure quests are there to relax, and visit, occasionally one of the quests make the salad.
If I cook up a meal the quests have never had before, its a great conversation starter, good way to get new ideas for future meals.
When I was younger, it was standard to have lots of booze around, just incase the meal was not that great, everyone would be to drunk to notice,
I do have my one famous chicken dish but I had to dial back on that one a little bit - one friend, when I invited them over, said 'um - will it be Surprise Chicken again?'
Oops. Er, no.
Had to find a quick alternative
Also half-cooking up front is a problem when people are actually STAYING with you but I guess then the best is to go back to pre-cooking and freezing.
I precook and leave simmering in my outdoor kitchen but you can do that in your kitchen.
Another idea I do is basically a huge salad bar but with cooked chicken and other meats, all on cheap disposable trays, they help themselves too.
No i do not have visitors but i visit.
Dearie, the word is MULTITASKING
I don't have many local friends, and I don't mean that to sound lonely either. We'll chat when we meet at the shops, if I go to church there's coffee and cake afterwards and catching up with people (because I don't go very often) and I have friends at work, but I don't invite people back here, and as often as not I turn down invitations to go out because now that I am working again, weekends and evenings are precious writing time. One thing to stop and chat on CS for 20 minutes, quite another to be committed to being sociable for a couple of hours.
So mostly when I have to cook, its because people have made the trek up to Scotland to come stay with me. Bit of a nightmare when you aren't an effortless cook!
Costs, though
That's one of the few things I can make pretty well, btw.