In my hostess dreams the invited dinner guests won’t arrive for another hour. With nothing left to do, I – all showered and dolled up for the evening – sit down, prop up my feet and enjoy a glass of wine. I admire my handiwork. Of course, my table is beautifully set. Candlelight reflects off the sparkling glasses and polished silverware. Napkins are ironed. The dishwasher and sinks are empty and waiting for the evening’s cleanup. The counter holds all my serving dishes and their respective utensils. Pots on my gleaming cooktop contain dishes that are ready, or nearly ready, with just a few stirs and a little heat. The oven holds whatever it is I’ve prepared for an entree. Dessert – perhaps a pumpkin brulee – is ready. The coffee pot is set to start after dinner with the push of a button. The CD player is loaded with just the right music mix. My husband marvels at how, once again, I’ve managed to pull it off so effortlessly. We kiss.
Then I wake up.
My guests are due to arrive in about 20 minutes. The dishwasher and sink are both full of dirty dishes, and I’m pretty sure the coffee pot’s in there, too. Bruce, my husband who’s sitting in the living room enjoying a glass of wine after his shower, set the table for me. I shouldn’t look a gift helper in the mouth, but he made, as he’d put it, some “interesting choices.” Wrinkled napkins. Drinking glasses streaked with cloudy drips from our Igo water’s mineral deposits. The votives are down to bare metal with blackened, stone-cold wicks. Knives, blades out, are on the left. Forks and spoons are on the right. The CD player still has my Czech language CDs and that Paul Simon CD that skips.
The doorbell announces the arrival of our first guests, here 15 minutes early. My sweaty bangs are stuck to my forehead. I sprint to our bedroom and bathroom to change my blouse, brush my hair, slap on some lipstick and wonder about the condition of the guest bathroom toilet.
You’d think that enough experiences like that and I’d either swear off entertaining for good or change my behavior.
I’ll never swear off entertaining, because I really love it. But I’m trying to change my behavior so I’m not so frantic by the time guests arrive.
Learn from my mistakes, grasshopper. Plan ahead. Whether you’re having the whole fam damley over to your house for a holiday meal, or whether you’re going over the river and through the woods with your Thanksgiving potluck contribution, you can start cooking now.
Cranberry Orange Relish is one of those dishes that improves with time (within reason). It’s a favorite adaptation of a recipe I’ve prepared for many years. And did I mention that because it’s a relish, you can make it days ahead?
Baked Yukon Gold Potatoes is another make-ahead recipe that I’ve developed to avoid working over a steaming pot of hot potatoes as your guests arrive. If you make this a day or two ahead you’ll feel pretty smug about not having a messy potato pot waiting to wash. (Pssst. Today I paid only $3.99 for a 15-pound sack of gorgeous Yukon Gold potatoes at the Grocery Outlet in Redding. And I paid only $2.29 for a 3-pound sack of the cutest little Anjou pears. I do love that store.)
But back to our time-saving recipes. Make them now, and you’ll have more time to do other things, like unload the dishwasher and clean the bathroom. You might even get lucky enough to join your sweetie with a glass of wine before guests arrive.
It could happen. If nowhere else, in your dreams.
[print]
Cranberry Orange Relish
1 (12-oz.) bag fresh cranberries 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1 cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick Pinch of salt 1/3 cup orange liqueur 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. ground ginger 2 T. grated orange rind (no white pith, please) 1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)Combine in a medium, non-reactive saucepan everything except the orange rind and nuts.
Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir frequently, until the cranberries pop and the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Stir in the orange rind and nuts. (If your relish will be refrigerated for more than a couple of days, add the nuts the day of your dinner, or they’ll turn soggy and soft.)
Cover and refrigerate until serving time, or up to several days. (Remove cinnamon stick so someone doesn’t choke on it.)
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Recipe by Doni Greenberg
Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
7 pounds (approximately) Yukon Gold potatoes 1 (8-oz.) package low-fat cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup low-fat sour cream, room tempertaure 2/3 cup milk, heated 4 T. softened butter 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper (white is nice) 4 T. minced, fresh chives (optional)Boil peeled, cubed potoates in a large pot of salted water until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Drain and mash. (Avoid a mixer or you’ll have something akin to wallpaper paste.)
Dump the rest of the ingredients on top of the mashed potatoes. Mix to blend.
Put the potato mixture into a greased casserole dish. Refrigerate until a few hours before dinner. Put the room-temperature, covered casserole dish in a preheated 325-degree oven. Bake for about 1 hour, or until heated through.
Serves 12 to 16.
Recipe by Doni Greenberg
[/print]
