What do you have stashed away for unexpected guests?

[Tracy L.]

For the second time in a 6 month period I was caught ill prepared for friends doing the drop in. Though I usually have something on hand to make a meal, I don't have any appetizer or tea time related goodies to offer for impromptu get togethers. What goodies do you have stashed away, just in case someone pops by? What are your favorite recipes that you can put together at a moments notice? Thanks in advance.

[sonja]

This made me laugh because my mother stashes all kinds of things that she deams "fancy" (ie, pickled asparagus and carrots, anchovy paste (where this came from I've got no clue), olive spreads, pepper jelly, smoked mussels, etc) and they never get used! EVER. Funny quirk.

[N Tocus]

At the beginning of the summer when I anticipate a lot of company off and on I make a HUGE pot of Cuban-style black beans and freeze them in pints. And I always keep rice in the freezer by cooking Golden Rice (which freezes nicely, grains stay separate) to the max in my big electric rice-cooker, then freezing it in plastic sandwich bags for individual portions. With black beans and rice at the ready I can produce a meal almost instantly by adding any meat or fish and a salad. Could probably do it with KFC but haven't actually tried.

[baruch]

well beyond a well stocked bar, i always keep a bottle of champagne and some white wine in the fridge.

I also always have good crackers on hand, smoked salmon, and good cheese.

Bags of frozen soybeans that I'll boil and salt. Quick and satisfying. Goes good with wheat beers which I usually have as well.

Not too exotic, but simple usually works best in these cases.

[Erika]

Chickpeas in a can for hummus and pita bread in the freezer. I take it out and put it straight in the toaster to make pita chips for the hummus.

Also, canned tuna in olive oil, capers, and cherry tomatoes-- stuff the cherry tomatoes, or make a "salad" for putting on crackers, or thick cucumber slices.

I also keep King Arthur cookie and scone mixes on the shelf-- they cook up quickly and taste "from scratch."

Sometimes I make parmesan crisps on my silpat, since I always have a hunk of parmesan in the fridge. The tuna-gloop above tastes good on a parmesan crisp.

I keep Bully Hill wines in my wine rack, since they're cheap and quaffable-- especially Love my Goat Red, and the Fishmarket(?) white. I put the wine glasses in the freezer, as well as the white, uncorked, to chill for 10-15 minutes, while they have some sparkling water with cranberry juice.

[Pat Darnell]

I always keep nice crackers and cheeses, as well as mixed olives (not the kind in cans or jars). Cream cheese is always there for a quick spread or dip (with smoked salmon or canned crabmeat). Frozen shrimp are handy. Wasabi peas are my new favorite thing. Of course, wine and vodka, as well as iced tea. Frozen puff pastry to make cheese straws, etc. After thinking about this, I hope someone drops by tonight!

[Jodi Roche]

Golly gee. I guess any canned treat is ok. Frozen stuff works well. If you are the cooking type, then you can make some stuff and freeze it. or you can search the link below.

[Mrs. Smith]

For unexpected guests:

I bake baguettes and freeze some pre-sliced and some unsliced. I usually cut the baguette in half, and then wrap, either sliced or not, in freezer paper, then in foil, then put in a double-ply freezer bag. This way I have pre-sliced bread for relatively quick garlic bread, or I have an unsliced loaf that I can make into crostini, croutons, etc. It only takes about 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven to completely defrost and crisp them.

This is a hit with almost everyone, and baguettes lend themselves to almost any dip or spread or other food you might have around. A friend of mine brought us some fine pate from France, and we broke out the frozen bread and some wine for an improptu, simple, most delicious repast.

In the canned department: smoked oysters (you can aways make quick "rumaki" by wrapping them in bacon and broiling), sardines (for a casual beer and cracker snack), tuna in olive oil (for a host of pantry pasta recipes, or a tuna spread for crackers, jarred marinated artichoke hearts, canned beans of every description (for quick meals, soups, and even refried beans), ALWAYS ALWAYS have good quality canned chicken and beef stock on hand (or, even better, make your own and freeze in pint jars so you can always make an emergency soup).

My grandmother used to say "chicken stock, bread, and lemons" as a mantra for what must always be on hand. Oranges and lemons (and grapefruit at the times of the year that they are good) keep well in a crisper drawer for weeks if necessary, and you can dress up almost anything with a lemon wedge or slice or squirt of juice. Once I fashioned a dessert out of nothing more than oranges and Hershey's chocolate syrup (yes, the old favortine in the can) that was much appreciated by guests. Always have some good bread in the freezer, chicken stock (and also beef if possible,) in cans or also in the freezer, and some slow-to-perish citrus fruit.

I don't keep a lot of food around -- we shop nearly daily because of the luxury of having an excellent market within walking distance of our house. However, I always keep those three, they are my mainstays.

Others have mentioned cheese -- if you have a good cheese storange method (a dedicated drawer in the fridge, the right paper) do this. Countless main dish, salad, appetizer, and even dessert applications.

I always have good butter in the house, but keep a pound of unsalted butter frozen. It's easy to run out, and you may need it for an emergency sauce for shrimp, artichokes, etc.

Parsley should always be in your refrigerator -- I prefer the Italian flat-leaf, but the two varieties taste and look much the same when chopped up. You can dress up a lot of dishes with a sprinkling of fresh herbs. One of my easiest, best-tasting, and most-used recipes is for garlic bread -- minced garlic stirred into unsalted butter, a little sea salt added, plus a shower of minced parsley, spread on my (usually from the freezer) homemade baguette, wrapped back up and put in the 350 oven for 20 or so minutes. It looks fancy, almost everyone likes it, and you should have the ingredients in the house almost always.

An interesting topic -- I'll be interested to hear what else people have to say.

[christina z]

I'm Greek so my freezer always has a tray of homemade spanakopita or tiropitas in it. People go crazy for them and it's so easy to just thaw and serve. (The hard part is finding the time to make them in the first plast.) I also keep some candied grapefruit peel on hand in case the occasion calls for a sweet treat. I just brew up a pot of "Turkish" coffee and serve serve it with the grapefruit and some plain cookies. When the coffee cups are drained I look into the grounds and tell my guests their fortunes.

[Lee]

I make a huge batch of caponata and freeze it in smallish amounts. When someone shows up, I just defrost a portion in my microwave on the defrost cycle and serve with interesting crackers. I also have cans of hummus and tahini, and mix together with fresh lemon juice, cayenne, and a float of good olive oil and paprika. Pita is usually in the freezer.