On The Fly Entertaining

Written by Shaundra

Have you ever had a friend call and say, “I am five minutes away, can I drop by?” This seems to happen to me once a week. And I don’t mind! I actually love spur of the moment visitors, but for a lot of us, this can be a stressful situation. In the morning and early afternoon my house is usually a mess because we have been homeschooling . So when I get a phone call like this, my kids and I spring into action. It is a pretty funny sight! “Noah, put away everything on the table. Parker, pick up the living room floor. Jackson, go straighten up your room. Miley, please watch your sister while I get dressed.” (Yes, I am often in my pajamas!) This is usually how we get things ready for a visitor, but what if it is close to lunchtime when they call? No, I don’t plan on feeding everyone a meal, but it might be nice to offer our visitor a snack. Well, I have found some things that I can whip up very quickly AND cheaply with very little stress on my part.

My very favorite idea may require a purchase. I went to a Pampered Chef party recently and purchased a Stoneware Fluted Bunt Pan. It has already paid for itself, so it was a smart purchase. The only reason I did this was because of this recipe. I knew it would be perfect for a quick treat! All you need it a boxed cake mix and a can of pie filling! When my grocery store has a sale on these items, I stock up my pantry. You can use any flavor you like, but what I like is this:

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
1 can Cherry Pie Filling

Mix two ingredients. Spray your bunt pan and drop mixture in. Place in microwave and bake for 12 minutes! THAT’S IT! You can sprinkle it with powdered sugar to if you like. This recipe makes entertaining very easy.

You don’t always need food to make a good impression. Sometimes offering a yummy drink in a pretty glass is just as fun! This next recipe is so quick, easy, and inexpensive that it is perfect for on the fly entertaining!

FRUIT TEA

Southern girls love their tea! This is a quick and easy recipe for Fruit Tea. If you have some tea already made and in your fridge, it makes this recipe twice as fast.

1 can Orange-Pineapple juice
1 pitcher of ice tea

Combine juice and tea. Slice lemons and limes for a pretty presentation.

RUSSIAN SPICE TEA

My mom use to make up a batch of this Russian Spice Tea mix for holiday parties. It smells so wonderful and tastes even better. This drink would be a welcomed treat on a cold day!

18 oz jar of Orange Drink mix
2 tbs. ground cloves
¾ cup Instant Tea with Lemon mix
2 tbs. sugar

Mix all ingredients. Keep tightly stored.

Mix 2 tbs. of mix with 1 cup of boiling water. Serve in your favorite mug. You can place a cinnamon stick in the mug for pretty presentation.

QUICK QUESADILLAS

Sometimes you just need a good savory snack! The quickest thing you can whip up for your friend (and their kids) is Quesadillas. All you need it flour tortillas and shredded cheese. You can add anything you want to a quesadilla. I usually have slices of lunch meat on hand and this works perfectly.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Place one tortilla on skillet. Fill with cheese and lunch meat. Place another tortilla on top. Cook on both sides till cheese melts and tortilla is crispy. Use a pizza cutter to slice into 6 triangles. Serve on a pretty plate with a dollop of sour cream. Yum!

These recipes are quick, easy and so helpful for spur of the moment entertaining. Just remember that advanced planning on your part always works to your advantage! Stock your pantry with these ingredients so that you will be ready to entertain your drop-in guests.

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