Easy Last-Minute Catering Ideas
Grocery Store Foods That Can Save Your Event with Quick Party Food
Use your grocery store to supply the food at your next party or last-minute gathering. It's easy, economical and very convenient. Your guests will love the menu!
At one point or another, everyone has had to pull together a last-minute event. Perhaps it was a business dinner that your spouse forgot to mention to you. Or maybe the host of your monthly Bunco Night got the flu and you had to step in to maintain your monthly event. Whatever the circumstances under which you’ve lived through an impromptu event, you know the kind of stress that you feel when you commit to such a shindig.
Well, did you know that you can relieve that stress immediately with a quick trip to your local grocery store? Unbelievably, today’s supermarkets have reinvented themselves to supply their patrons with a multitude of elegant party foods, quick hors d’oeuvres, home-cooked goodies and everything in between. More than once, this writer has been saved by Dominick’s or Meijer’s and their fabulous food supply and specialty counters.
Here are suggestions for utilizing your grocery store in the most effective manner.
Dinner Party or Business Meal
- Shish Ke Bob from the meat counter (may be grilled at home or reheated if already grilled)
- Rice Pilaf, Wild Rice Blend, or Risotto (from the deli section to be reheated at home)
- Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Cold Roasted Vegetables or Artichoke Heart Salad (from the deli section)
- Baguettes or Sour Dough Bread (from bakery section)
- Softened Butter
- Warm Applesauce (use canned applesauce, heated in the microwave and mixed with a cinnamon sugar blend to fool your guests into thinking it’s homemade!)
- Cheesecake (try Eli’s in the frozen foods section – it’s delicious) that’s been thawed. Serve with two small tureens of cherry pie filling (baking aisle) and thawed strawberries in heavy syrup (frozen foods) to give your guests an option of toppings
Impromptu Casual Group Event
- Chili for a Crowd (Use canned chili such as Hormel brand. Add browned ground beef, a couple of cans of chopped tomatoes, and an additional can of red kidney beans. Your guests will never know it’s not homemade!)
- Shredded Cheddar or Colby Cheese (from the deli section)
- Chopped Onions (pre-chopped in the produce section)
- Tortilla Chips (try Tostitos Scoops in the chip aisle)
- Corn Chips (Scoops or regular in the chip aisle)
- Crusty French Bread (from the bakery section)
- Tossed Green Salad (use bagged salad mixes, premium boxed croutons, cherry tomatoes, and for a heartier touch, sprinkle with real bacon bits found in the salad dressing aisle)
- Selection of Salad Dressings (offer fat-free versions of Italian, French and Ranch)
- Fresh Fruit Selection (pre-cut fruit served in trays found in the produce section)
- Cheese Cubes and Crackers (find pre-cubed cheese in the dairy section, and select your favorite brand of cracker)
- Warm Brownies à la Mode (brownies from your bakery section cut into squares. To simplify the ice cream part of the dessert, cut a full brick of vanilla ice cream into cubes before your guests arrive. To finish the dessert, just pop the brownies into the microwave for 30 seconds and top each with a cube of ice cream before serving)
