What do you keep on hand for surprise visitors?

[Anonymous]

My kids eat everything I buy. I can’t keep anything stocked.

[Anonymous]

Good espresso in freezer. Bottle of wine in basement storage. Some shortbread cookies hidden from children. We have a good bakery in the neighborhood and that’s what I do for most impromptu visits if I have an hour’s notice.

[Anonymous]

This is actually really helpful, not because I have last minute guests but if you entertain some of the ideas are good. Im always apprehensive about entertaining because I feel I never have the right items stashed in my pantry. I have a friend who seems to always have everything, she makes entertaining look totally effortless, I envy her.

[Anonymous]

For morning/early afternoon visits: tea and biscuits/cookies. Tea bags don't really expire and we keep a big box of shortbread cookies that is divided up into sub sections so there is typically always an unopened section we can open/share with guests
For evening visits: Cans of seltzer water (non alcoholic) and a 1-2 bottles of average wine and chips and salsa. We typically have a least two jars of unopened salsa in the cupboard and we eat enough tortilla chips that there is almost always a reserve bag I can open for guests.

People may disagree, but I have a firm rule that guests are not offered snacks that were already open. They get a fresh bag of chips, container of hummus, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For morning/early afternoon visits: tea and biscuits/cookies. Tea bags don't really expire and we keep a big box of shortbread cookies that is divided up into sub sections so there is typically always an unopened section we can open/share with guests
For evening visits: Cans of seltzer water (non alcoholic) and a 1-2 bottles of average wine and chips and salsa. We typically have a least two jars of unopened salsa in the cupboard and we eat enough tortilla chips that there is almost always a reserve bag I can open for guests.

People may disagree, but I have a firm rule that guests are not offered snacks that were already open. They get a fresh bag of chips, container of hummus, etc.

Good god I hope no one disagrees with this! I don't know anyone who would do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For morning/early afternoon visits: tea and biscuits/cookies. Tea bags don't really expire and we keep a big box of shortbread cookies that is divided up into sub sections so there is typically always an unopened section we can open/share with guests
For evening visits: Cans of seltzer water (non alcoholic) and a 1-2 bottles of average wine and chips and salsa. We typically have a least two jars of unopened salsa in the cupboard and we eat enough tortilla chips that there is almost always a reserve bag I can open for guests.

People may disagree, but I have a firm rule that guests are not offered snacks that were already open. They get a fresh bag of chips, container of hummus, etc.

Good god I hope no one disagrees with this! I don't know anyone who would do this.

I'm the pp you're responding to. My husband doesn't understand this rule but follows it because he values peace in our home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is actually really helpful, not because I have last minute guests but if you entertain some of the ideas are good. Im always apprehensive about entertaining because I feel I never have the right items stashed in my pantry. I have a friend who seems to always have everything, she makes entertaining look totally effortless, I envy her.

Things I always keep on hand are many of the same items mentioned previously:
- Cheeses - we typically have something like a manchego, asiago, cheddar, pecorino or parmesan always. Sometimes we also have soft cheeses - feta or fresh mozzarella
- Nuts - raw almonds and walnuts
- Dried fruits - dates or apricots
- Breads - bread, pita/naan, or crackers available
- Salty things - olives, pickled vegetables, canned artichokes
- Fruits - in summer, things like peaches/plums/pears, in winter, apples
- Chocolate - we always have some sort of dark chocolate around
- Pantry - there are always some wildcards in there that we can pull out. Trader Joe's is really good for this. We often keep their canned eggplant in tomato sauce, dolmas, gigantes in tomato sause, and herbed chick peas around. You can also make a quick nicoise-type salad with canned tuna, summer tomatoes, quickly boiled/nuked potatoes, olives, artichokes.
We are always stocked for an impromptu happy hour and we sometimes purposefully have an appetizer or meze dinner where we eat this stuff. "Girl dinner" but for the whole family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is actually really helpful, not because I have last minute guests but if you entertain some of the ideas are good. Im always apprehensive about entertaining because I feel I never have the right items stashed in my pantry. I have a friend who seems to always have everything, she makes entertaining look totally effortless, I envy her.

Things I always keep on hand are many of the same items mentioned previously:
- Cheeses - we typically have something like a manchego, asiago, cheddar, pecorino or parmesan always. Sometimes we also have soft cheeses - feta or fresh mozzarella
- Nuts - raw almonds and walnuts
- Dried fruits - dates or apricots
- Breads - bread, pita/naan, or crackers available
- Salty things - olives, pickled vegetables, canned artichokes
- Fruits - in summer, things like peaches/plums/pears, in winter, apples
- Chocolate - we always have some sort of dark chocolate around
- Pantry - there are always some wildcards in there that we can pull out. Trader Joe's is really good for this. We often keep their canned eggplant in tomato sauce, dolmas, gigantes in tomato sause, and herbed chick peas around. You can also make a quick nicoise-type salad with canned tuna, summer tomatoes, quickly boiled/nuked potatoes, olives, artichokes.
We are always stocked for an impromptu happy hour and we sometimes purposefully have an appetizer or meze dinner where we eat this stuff. "Girl dinner" but for the whole family.

This sounds like my pantry and style for last minute meals but I've never tried those three trader Joe's items. Canned eggplant, eh? I'm skeptical, but might try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For morning/early afternoon visits: tea and biscuits/cookies. Tea bags don't really expire and we keep a big box of shortbread cookies that is divided up into sub sections so there is typically always an unopened section we can open/share with guests
For evening visits: Cans of seltzer water (non alcoholic) and a 1-2 bottles of average wine and chips and salsa. We typically have a least two jars of unopened salsa in the cupboard and we eat enough tortilla chips that there is almost always a reserve bag I can open for guests.

People may disagree, but I have a firm rule that guests are not offered snacks that were already open. They get a fresh bag of chips, container of hummus, etc.

Good god I hope no one disagrees with this! I don't know anyone who would do this.

Surprise visitors? Unless there is some emergency, they get what they get and are complete losers if they get upset. I would have zero problem serving open crackers and recently opened hummus to people I didn’t expect to stop by. We do have a stash of unopened things that I’d break out depending on the circumstances.

[Anonymous]

I’m going to get some crackers/cheese and chips to have on hand along with drinks. For some reason I’ve just never really kept much snack food on hand.

Wait, so your kids get NO snacks at all? Ever? It just never occurs to anyone in your house to eat something?

I'm always so fascinated by people who never really think about food. I'm on the lower end of a healthy weight and eat like 5 to 8 snacks per day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For morning/early afternoon visits: tea and biscuits/cookies. Tea bags don't really expire and we keep a big box of shortbread cookies that is divided up into sub sections so there is typically always an unopened section we can open/share with guests
For evening visits: Cans of seltzer water (non alcoholic) and a 1-2 bottles of average wine and chips and salsa. We typically have a least two jars of unopened salsa in the cupboard and we eat enough tortilla chips that there is almost always a reserve bag I can open for guests.

People may disagree, but I have a firm rule that guests are not offered snacks that were already open. They get a fresh bag of chips, container of hummus, etc.

Good god I hope no one disagrees with this! I don't know anyone who would do this.

Surprise visitors? Unless there is some emergency, they get what they get and are complete losers if they get upset. I would have zero problem serving open crackers and recently opened hummus to people I didn’t expect to stop by. We do have a stash of unopened things that I’d break out depending on the circumstances.

Same. Wouldn’t think of it if we were hosting, but surprise guests? No guarantees.

[Anonymous]

The responses in this thread remind me of a routine a comedian did a while back. It's about surprise visitors 20 years ago vs. now.
Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CznoAW2k1I&t=16s

[Anonymous]

Hilarious PP. thanks for making me laugh…I needed that.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much always have coffee, tea, wine and seltzer to drink and cheese, crackers, nuts on hand to eat. But I’m also not embarrassed to say, “sorry I don’t have much to offer” if the cupboard is bare.

[Anonymous]

We have "pop by" visitors anywhere from zero to 4 times a week. We always have bottled water, sparkling water and coffee on hand. Sometimes iced tea. Usually that is all I offer them.
If they end up staying a while, we always have a package of cookies in the freezer. DH likes nachos so we usually have fixings for nachos on hand. Nachos are easy to make -- melt cheese slices on top of a plate full of tortilla chips, then put jalapeno slices on top and microwave for another 15 seconds.
We also keep 2 -4 frozen pizzas in the deep freezer for quick and easy meals.