I love being the hostess, even if my guests just pop over at the last minute. A house full of happy people having fun makes my day, so the more the merrier!
The problem is that when guests come over last minute, welcome as they are, I might find myself in the position of not having much to offer them. As a result, I plan ahead to always be ready for last minute impromptu entertaining, with some tips and tricks that may help you out as well.
4 Ways To Always Be Ready For Unexpected Guests
- Create a “stash” of snacks and ready to offer treats in your pantry just for surprise guests, as well as some pretty serving plates on hand…you’ll appear to be the perfect, has-it-altogether, always ready hostess. Chocolate covered pretzels and pita chips with hummus are favorites of mine and visitors love them.
- Keep a bottle of wine or beverages for “just in case”. If you own the new LG refrigerator equipped with a Blast Chiller compartment, it can quickly chill a bottle of wine or cans of soda so your guests can have a “blast” while they “chill” out, waiting for appetizers or dinner. You can also keep a specialty coffee maker on hand to offer your guests a hot flavored drink quickly. My husband wants me to add to keep some cigars ready in case he wants to bring over the guys at the last minute to smoke, have some beers, and watch a game.
- Now that freezer meals are so popular, having one ready for guests that requires nothing more than defrosting/heating up in the microwave is a good idea, and if no guests come that week, your family can enjoy it themselves on the weekend. Many chicken dishes freeze very well and taste fabulous even when reheated.
- If you have a bit of notice, do a Five Minute Clean Up (hide everything from site in a hall closet) and take out some ready decor to spruce the place up a bit. Scented candles do double duty by adding atmosphere and great fragrance at the same time, and take practically no time to place around the room.
There is no reason to have to resort to keeping a local pizzeria on speed dial (unless you happen to want to) or usher your guests to the nearest restaurant because you have no food and your place is a mess. You can certainly be guest-ready quickly whenever friends and family want to crash, and make your house the “place to be”!
Like LG USA on Facebook or visit their website to find entertaining blast or chill info and share your own!
The LG Blast Chiller, available in the 3-Door Super Capacity French-Door refrigerator (LFX31935), can chill a room temperature, 12oz beverage in five minutes or a bottle of wine in just eight minutes. By comparison, a typical refrigerator takes about 40 minutes to accomplish this task – even in the freezer. This refrigerator is also among the largest capacity 36-inch refrigerators currently on the market, offering almost 20 percent more space and the ability to store over 50 gallons of milk.
Compensation was provided by LG via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of LG.
lucky we dont ever have anyone pop over unannounced. if they do we just hide lol
You’re right that over the holidays it’s smart to have just in case items around!
More often than not, I am either cooking or have something on hand when a guest or two pop by, but I do try to keep pop-in-the-oven appetizers and a can or two of nuts on hand, just in case. When I go on a renovation project craze, guests would easily starve otherwise…lol
Any tips on keeping Hubbby and kiddos out of the snack stash? Haha.
great ideas! But no way I could keep up with it all. Having a child with serious special diet makes it so hard to do freezer meals and I would need more like a 2 hour clean up – the kids are too much!
Great tips for being prepared for guests that show up at the last minute.
Hide it from them! (I actually had mine hidden, lol..a bottle of wine and chocolates just in case guests pop over, not for family consumption!)
We don’t have many people over we are not much of entertainers but these are some great ideas.
Great tips Penelope!
Great tips! Except the cigars… don’t want cigar smoke in my home. 🙂 And thankfully, I never have unexpected guests. Everyone gives me at least a little heads up before dropping by.
These are all great ideas! I always have wine anyway….LOL
We ALWAYS have people who pop up unannounced. The funny thing is though, I would never show up to someones house without letting them know first.
Any stash of snacks I might try almost always gets raided by us lol.
These are fun and great tips!
Thankfully, I don’t get unexpected guests often. I hate surprises like that, lol. 🙂
Last minute guests stress me out!
I want that ‘blast chiller’ frig!
Great ideas! Love candles!!
I never get unexpected guests at our home, but if I did I would probably just order a pizza.
Great suggestions! Thankfully that doesn’t happen often here, because I would need more than 5 minutes to tidy up, lol.
I love having guest over too! We had a spa party today and I can’t wait until Thanksgiving.
WE dont have many people just coming by out of the blue so thankfully we always have time to spruce up the place before hand
Great tips! I happen to be one of those people that have friends that just stop by.
These are some really great tips! Thanks!
I used to fret when last minute guests arrived, so always make sure to have cheese and crackers on hand as well as fruit or veggies I can cut up!
Ha!!! I have secret chocolate too but my hidden chocolate is for mama!
Great tips. I stress so much with unexpected company.
Excellent tips – I love entertaining 🙂
I need a snack stash…and a way to keep my family out of it!
We are LG lovers in our home yet don’t own their kitchen appliances yet. You can bet when it’s time for an upgrade, they will be our go to brand.
Having at least a bottle of wine is so smart. I don’t always have a freezer meal on hand (although I probably should) but I do have an adequate supply of nuts, cheese, and crackers to accommodate a large group.