Preparing for House guests part 2

Writing down a plan helps me to think through my grocery lists, plan for special events, or prepare for a week of meals with guests. So, I always sit and think through the problem. Sometimes the thinking through gets to be more fun than the actual work! I like playing with all the pieces of the puzzle and figuring out how to make it fit.

In preparation for our guests next week, I already put together the menu plan. Now it's time to work out anything I can prepare ahead of time, and spread it out over a few days so that it doesn't seem like so much work. I'm sure I'll modify it a little as I work through the agenda -- I always run out of ingredients and need to change the plan.

Here's a good start:

Tuesday(Eight days to go)
Pot Roast
Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Wednesday (Seven days to go)
French Dip Meat -- prepared and frozen
French Dip Rolls -- prepare the dough through the first rise. Shape and freeze.

Thursday (Six days to go)
Clam chowder -- prepared and frozen
Sour Dough bread -- fully prepared and frozen

Friday(Five days to go)
Prepare three batches of cheese bread and freeze after first rise.
Raspberry Turnovers -- prep to just before you bake them, then freeze.

Saturday(Four days to go)
Brown the hamburger for spaghetti night --freeze
Calzones -- prep to just before baking, then freeze

Sunday(Three days to go)
Chocolate Cherry Scones -- prep to just before baking and freeze

Monday(Two days to go)
Gorditas -- fully prepared and frozen
Cubed cooked chicken --fully prepared and frozen

Tuesday(day of arrival)
Final grocery trip -- purchase lots of fresh fruit, salad fixins, eggs, butter and milk

Now, during the actual visit, there are little things that you have to do to make the frozen food easier to use -- particularly where the bread dough is concerned.

The best way to handle it is to take the frozen dough out of the freezer the night before and put it in a bowl and rub it with oil. Put the dough in the fridge side and it will defrost overnight. At lunch time, pull it out of the fridge and roll it out. Let it rise for about two hours -- that's longer than normal because the dough will still be cold. Bake as usual.

For most of the frozen items it is best to follow that same plan -- put it in the fridge the night before so that it can defrost slowly. Then it should be defrosted by the time you want to use it the next day.

Planning for Houseguests

I LOVE having people come and stay with us. It gets us out the door and doing fun things. I enjoy the running around, trying to see everything in one week and enjoying the wonderful area where we live.

One of my favorite things about house guests is preparing good food for them to eat. Tasty meals and good friends are two of the best things in life.

However, the two favorite things often conflict. Making good food takes time. Time is short when you're trying to cram in all the adventures possible. So, to help things along I prepare as much a possible before the guests arrive.

Here's the menu plan for one week's visit:

Wednesday Breakfast
scrambled eggs
oatmeal cookie pancakes
fruit

Wednesday Lunch
clam chowder
sour dough baguettes
nectarines
cookies

Wednesday Dinner
BBQ bacon chicken
cheese bread
salad
rice
watermelon
peach pie

Thursday Breakfast
scrambled eggs
Peaches & Cream Scones
fruit

Thursday Lunch
sandwiches
pickles
chips
fruit
cookies

Thursday Dinner
French Dip Sandwiches
salad
small baguettes
cantaloupe
strawberry shortcake

Friday Breakfast
scrambled eggs
chocolate chip cherry scones
fruit

Friday Lunch
hot dogs
chips
fruit

Friday Dinner
Eat Out

Saturday Breakfast
leftover scones
scrambled eggs
fruit

Saturday Lunch
eat out

Saturday Dinner
spaghetti with meat sauce
salad
cheese bread
fruit
Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Sunday Breakfast
leftover scones, pancakes

Sunday Lunch
snacks while driving

Sunday Dinner
Chicken Gordita Picnic:
cooked cubed chicken
Gordita flat bread
tzatziki sauce
lettuce/tomato
fruit
chips
cookies

Monday Breakfast
Raspberry Turnovers


Monday Lunch
Mystic Pizza

Monday Dinner
pot roast
mashed potatoes
gravy
peas
cheese bread
salad
fruit
warm chocolate melting cake

Tuesday Breakfast
Blueberry Muffins

Then sadly, a trip to the airport to send our guests back home. You can bet after all this food, we'll be eating leftovers for the rest of that week!

Sunday Dinner Menu

I'm preparing a big Sunday dinner this week for a friend and her familiy that are coming to town to visit. This is a great menu for guests, mostly because some of the preparation can be done the night before.

Here's what we'll be eating:

• Pot Roast
• Mashed Potatoes
• Gravy
• Garden Salad
• Green Beans from the garden
• Cheese Bread
• Fresh Peach Pie for dessert

Saturday:

Cheese Bread -- once the dough is put together, and kneaded, place it in the fridge overnight. You'll only have to warm it to room temprature, roll it out, put on the cheese and let it rise again. Then bake just before the meal on Sunday

Pot Roast

Place all the items in an oven bag and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Pop it in the oven three hours before dinner and you're set!