I imagine this has happened to most of us. ..
My husband was notorious for bringing company home without letting me know, or more often, he would give me a couple of hours notice.
Of course, when he would call to tell me about our unexpected guests, they would already be in his company and I wouldn’t want to embarrass him or them, by freaking out on the phone. But, sometimes there were a few choice words. However, in the end, all was forgiven and we usually had a wonderful time.
Easy for you, you say. Where to begin? What to do?
Usually, this would be on a day when the children were especially creative at the kitchen table, when it was on the one day when I didn’t make the beds or the children and I had taken a “mental health day”, leaving all chores undone and spending the day in our pj’s watching movies together.
The first thing is not to panic. Immediately, everyone has to take care of their own hygiene and get dressed and make their own beds.
1. All garbages need to be emptied.
2. Remove clutter from all clutter in visible areas.
3. Dust all flat surfaces including counter tops.
4. Wipe all mirrors & obvious picture frames.
5. Take a quick shower yourself and get dressed now – make bed/s.
* Since you will be doing a quick clean up of the house, you won’t be working up a sweat, so you should be able to get dressed now, while you are already in the bedroom.
6. All dirty dishes go into the dishwasher. Clean all sinks and wipe counter tops, quick wipe stove & fridge.
7. Do a quick vacuum of visible carpets or mop hardwood or tile floors.
8. Light decorative candles in bathroom, kitchen & living room.
9. Style your hair and do your makeup.
It only takes a few minutes to prepare some veggies-anything you have on hand (sliced celery, carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli).
If you don’t happen to have any prepared dip on hand, mix together sour cream seasoned with garlic powder, parsley, dill, any other herbs you have available (fresh or dried) & top with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or paprika. Serve with some good quality crackers or biscuits.
If you have enough time you can prepare some little quick snack items. I have a few stand bys that are quick and easy, to rescue me in a pinch. Just use your imagination!
I recommend keeping frozen puff pastry and small sausages, in your freezer, as I do. It is a few minute job to roll out the pastry and place the little sausages into the roll – then slice about 1/2 inch thick, place on a cookie sheet and put into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. These are absolutely delicious!
Alternately, it’s a good idea to keep such items as olives, smoked oysters, artichokes and smoked pimento peppers in your pantry. These items can be served as is, or they can be substituted for the sausages and rolled up in puff pastry, baked as above, and serve hot.
The doorbell rings, you and your children look wonderful, you house is clean and smells great, everyone thinks you are a fabulous hostess, and your husband wonders what all the fuss was about, and… all is forgiven!
*** I just thought of a snack that is probably in your pantry now and my children and grandchildren just love it. It is so simple and takes about 5 minutes to prepare.
Quick & Easy Fried Pitas – You can bookmark it from my daughter’s cooking website by clicking on the link.
I always have a few packages of Greek style pitas on hand. Using a pastry brush, apply a little olive oil to each side of the pitas, sprinkle with garlic salt and dried Italian seasoning.
Fry the prepared pitas till nicely browned on each side.
Lift on to cutting board and slice each pita into 6 wedges.
Serve with large stuffed and Greek olives and generous chunks of feta cheese.
This is so very tasty and I haven’t entertained anyone who didn’t like it. These pitas are delicious with wine, lemonade or beer alike. Try them. You’ll like them!
***
Tomorrow will be a day to discuss something completely different… see you then…
Actually, I became quite accustomed to unexpected company and I learned over time to make sure I had cabbage rolls, meat on a stick, pierogies, and a ham (ready to be cooked) or a chicken (ready to roast) for precisely the occasions where these visits also included dinner.
As you have probably guessed, my ethnicity is European and my German mother and my mother-in-law (who was Ukrainian) always seemed to be able to present the most fabulous dinners with very little effort — they had a secret…
Always prepare ahead. It is so easy to prepare extra food, freeze it and never be at a loss to be able to serve a banquet if necessary.
It is also a great idea when you just don’t feel like cooking, to have these kinds of things available.
Try it!!!
Ingrid Turner 
P.S. If this happens to you on a regular basis, then you might want to check out this book for some really great recipes and “unconventional” wisdom:
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HI Aunt Ingrid
Enjoyed reading your blog. Nice afghans!
Love ya
Heidi xo