Party Food From Your Freezer and Pantry
Quick & Inexpensive Entertaining at a Moment's Notice
Aug 19, 2008
Imagine creating a Passport to Italy event and sticking to a budget that only permits for purchasing several loaves of bread! Believe it or not, this is possible if you maintain a standard supply of some basic non-perishable food items plus a couple of freezer items. Use your freezer and pantry as an extension of your Party Closet, to keep the stress level of entertaining as low as possible.
A well-stocked freezer and pantry should be able to generate the following entertaining menu at a moment’s notice.
Italian Pasta Dinner
Antipasto and Pasta Salad
- Prepare a package of rotini, elbow macaroni or any pasta of a similar size according to the directions.
- Coat the pasta with Italian Dressing and toss in a large bowl with diced peppers (use different colored peppers for an attractive salad), grape tomatoes, sliced pepperoni or hard salami, small chunks of mozzarella cheese, black olives, marinated mushrooms, and marinated artichokes.
Other than the peppers, tomatoes, meat and cheese, your pantry should supply all of these ingredients.
Cooked Pasta (any type) from the pantry: boil the pasta before the party, and drain. Just prior to the meal, submerge the cooked pasta into boiling water for thirty seconds, to reheat.
Tomato Sauce with Meatballs
Two hours prior to the party, microwave a package of frozen meatballs. Drain the meatballs and add them to several jars of your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce in a slow cooker set on Low.
Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
Packages of Mild Italian Sausage links freeze beautifully, and you can frequently find them discounted at the grocery store. Store enough links in your freezer to accommodate a dinner for ten guests at a moment’s notice. For the Italian Pasta Dinner Menu, bake the links (thawed or frozen) at 375 degrees until cooked.
Conversely, you can quick grill thawed sausages on your barbecue grill for a heartier, more authentic look. Add the cooked links to a second slow cooker filled with a different variety of spaghetti sauce, and toss in strips of red and green peppers and wedges of yellow or white onions. Cook the sauce, sausages, peppers and onions on Low for three or more hours, so that the sauce is heated through and the vegetables are soft.
Tiramisu in Ten Minutes
- Arrange a 3-ounce package of ladyfingers (split) in a 13"x9" baking dish.
- Brush the ladyfingers with ½ of a mixture of 1 cup boiling water, 2 Tbsp. instant coffee and 1 Tbsp. sugar.
- Beat 2 packages of cream cheese until soft and mix in ½ cup sugar. Fold in 2 cups thawed Kool Whip.
- Pour half of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers.
- Repeat layers with another 3 ounce package of ladyfingers, and the remaining coffee mix and cheese blend.
- Dust with unsweetened cocoa powder and refrigerate four hours or more.
