6.4.08

Sunday Single Girl's Guide to Entertaining 4

RUSH HOUR MENUS
One of the hazards a single girl faces in the kitchen at night is the necessity of working during the day. Unlike the home-bound housewife, who can start cooking at noon for a dinner party that evening at seven, the working girl has got to do it all in a matter of minutes (probably with guests in tow) or else the day before.

Yet, it can be done - one way or the other.

For real spur of the moment elegance, keep on hand the ingredients for one or two favorite dishes that can be prepared in a jiffy. Most of them come in cans, s you don't have to worry about spoilage. Then if you decide to invite friends from the office, say, at the last minute, you'll be prepared.

Another alternative is to pick up everything on the way home at the local delicatessen. Expensive, yes, but fast and better than dragging through the lines at the supermarket. Or you can do all the shopping and preparation the day before and simply put everything together quickly at the last minute.

Last, but not least you can prepare some dishes the night before that only need reheating when your guests arrive. To save you the trouble of leafing through all the previous pages trying to envision menus, ingredients and preparation time, specific menu suggestions and make-ahead directions like ahead.

CAN OPENER COOKING
These recipes assume that your cupboard and refridgerator are no entirely bare. any perishables that you might not have on hand (and therefore would have to buy) are in italics.

BEEF AND ARTICHOKES SUPREME
1/2 lb. chipped beef (2 small jars)
2 tb butter
1 pt. sour cream
1 jar or can artichoke hearts
cayenne pepper or paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine (or vermouth)
1 large tb grated parmesan cheese

Pull the chipped beef into shreds, cover with water and parboil for a minute or two, the drain. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low flame. When it is melted, add teh sour cream and stir untill all the lumps disappear. Slice the artichoke hearts thin, and stir into the sour cream with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or paprika. Add the wine, the Parmesan cheese and then beef. Stir constantly and heat slowly but thoroughly. Don't let it boil or it will curdle. If the sauce is too thin, ad a little bit of flour. If it's too thick, add a little water. Serve over hot buttered toast and sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese on the top. This is a very rich dish. Serves 6.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have got to send you this cookbook I have. "101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix". You'd love it. And there are these lemon cookies I make from it that are to die for an take literally like 5 min's and 3 ingredients.