We have all had it happen, you see old friends and immediately invite them over that day. You do not think about all the work that you have to do prior to having people over, or the fact that you have not vacuumed your carpets and rugs in about a week. So, of course we already made the invite, and the work must be done, but there are easy and fast ways that you can get your house in good order and have some food and drink ready to go for the spur of the moment entertaining. You just have to keep a few things always on hand to make this go quickly and easily. Now if you do have a few minutes prior to guests arriving it is recommended that you go ahead an run a vacuum over the most used areas of your house or apartment and swipe a duster over tables and mantles to make sure you haven’t collected too much dust. Other than that, if you have certain things always in your house, then you will surely be prepared and ready.
Air Fresheners. There is nothing worse than when a guest walks into your home and it smells dingy and stale, which can often be the case. My husband and I just recently purchased an older home that seemed to have come with an older smell too. We always have air fresheners and fabric fresheners on hand to take care of it, but the thing we found that works best is aromatic incense. We will burn incense in the kitchen and it seems to waft right into the living areas quite nicely giving a fresh and light scent. We get ours in bulk from legalherbsdirect.com so that we have enough always on hand for just in case moments. Another entertaining tip is to burn incense if you plan on entertaining in the outdoors as it is a natural bug repellent.
Wine and other beverages. You do not want you guests to be thirsty at your house. In fact, the first thing that you should do upon them entering is to offer them a drink. We always buy one bottle of wine each time we do our big grocery visit so we can collect wines to always have on hand. Make sure to get varying types so your guests will have a selection. Also, keep water and other beverages on hand for those who cannot or do not drink wine.
Frozen Appetizers. Offering something to nibble on is very important when having people over. Frozen appetizers can be a serious life saver. You can either buy frozen appetizers to keep, or if you are like me, you can make appetizers that will keep in the freezer. I like to make batches of meatballs, sausage balls, pigs in a blanket, and things like that to keep. Also, cheesecake can be frozen and thawed if you are looking to have something a bit sweeter on the menu.
Fast entertaining will seem less of a chore and hassle when you keep on hand the things that you will need. Your preparation will certainly pay off, and you will look like the ultimate hostess or host. Happy Entertaining!
