A Party in your Pantry

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By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Over the years I’ve learned a lesson: you don’t always have to make everything from scratch. Yes, that would be nice in a perfect world where we are all kings and queens of our domain and life is a bit less hectic. Let’s face it …it’s a rare moment these days.

Hassling over what to make and serve should never be an excuse to forgo the gift of opening our homes and selves to our friends and family for a good chat, food, and some great stories. We all need a bigger dose of that. And as for the “domain,” housekeeping is overrated at this time of year so just dim the lights or better yet, light some candles.

Back to the food….in the world of convenience there are a lot of prepared foods and condiments, as well as carriers to hold them that should not be overlooked. So let’s once again embrace a well-stocked pantry!

Take a look at your local grocery and see what they have in terms of little tart, phyllo or croustade shells. These can be found in the cookie, freezer, bread, cracker or seasonal aisle of your grocery store.

Then there are the condiments that can stand alone or be paired with cheese, shredded or sliced roasted meats, smoked fish or as a tasty garnish to store bought quiche, flatbreads, and crackers. The possibilities are endless – just remember to keep it simple and not to overdo too many combinations.

Oh, and when I speak of face time, I mean the real deal that does not involve one bit of technology. At year’s end… haven’t we all had enough…put away your magical techie devices (you can DO it) and let’s just embrace some personal time with each other!

Here are some of the specialty foods that you can mix and match to serve at your holiday party or for unexpected guests. I’ve suggested some brands I like (in parenthesis).

Toppers:
Some of the condiments that I keep on hand with suggested pairings:

• Hot Pepper Jelly, Old Farmhouse Chutney, Fig and Ginger Jam (Stonewall Kitchen) and Fig or Sour Cherry Spreads (Dalmatia), Wild Lingonberry Sauce (D’arbo) or Tomato Jalapeno Marmalade (Eat This! brand of a local vendor at the Hellertown Farmer’s Market) – goes with everything creamy from goat cheese, brie, to cream cheese, as well as sharp Cheddar, Manchego and roasted meats
• Bruschetta Toppings (Gia Russa) or Ballymaloe Country Relish (basically a tomato jam) – great paired with mozzarella and goat cheeses or stand alone on grilled or toasted bread
• Michigan Tart Cherry Preserves (Clearbrook Farms) – delicious with mascarpone or cream cheese
• Smoky Barbecue Aioli (Stonewall Kitchen) – serve a dollop on top of a slice of rare deli roast beef
• Green or Kalamata Tapenade (Dalmatia) – stand alone on crusty toasted or grilled bread with a sprig of parsley
• Basil or Sun Dried Tomato Pesto or Artichoke Lemon Pesto (Bella Cucina) – stand on their own since they are sooo delicious on toasted or grilled bread with a little additional drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and maybe a Parmesan shaving.

Bottoms:

• Mini-bite size sweet tart shells (Clearbrook Farms)
• Mini phyllo shells (Athens)
• Croustades -- crispy shells (Siljans)
• Authentic French Blinis -- frozen (White Toque)
• Dark Belgian Chocolate Cordial and Toasting Cups (Dobla) – I use these as little dessert shells for fresh berries, sour cherry jam and mascarpone or sweetened cream cheese

Endings:

• Fazermint Chocolate Creams – dark chocolates with mint cream (Fazer) – simply the best chocolate mints my taste buds have ever experienced. It’s a recent discovery at my Fresh Market grocery store in Pennsylvania that never ceases to surprise me with good finds. I could not keep them in the house over Thanksgiving...total and complete crowd pleaser.

By making some dishes from scratch and assembling pantry items in fresh and interesting ways, you’re ready to host your holiday party.

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5. Rice Cooker Stars in Pantry Meals