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3 Tips For Hosting A Killer Dinner With 30 Minutes Notice

3 Tips For Hosting A Killer Dinner With 30 Minutes Notice
Carly Jacobs
This post is sponsored by Woolworths 
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ovember. That time of year when you start throwing spontaneous get togethers because you suddenly realise you’re away every weekend until Christmas and you won’t get to see your closest mates until January unless you do something about it quick smart. I blame daylight savings. It will be a lovely clear and sunny Wednesday evening and before you know it you’ve invited six of your nearest and dearest over for an ‘easy’ dinner… and they’re arriving in half an hour.

I do this all the time. I’ll be on the phone to one of my mates and the next minute I’m sheepishly informing Mr Smaggle that he has to vacuum the house and clean the toilet while I run to Woolies. I’m the master at pulling together decent meals in a very short amount of time (it’s actually one of my skills on my zombie apocalypse usefulness resume) and to celebrate my penchance for last minute entertaining I’ve teamed up with Created with Jamie (and his fan-freaking-tastic peri-peri chicken thigh skewers) to bring you a few tips for hosting a dinner with 30 minutes notice.

1. Get over yourself 

People get so weird about food preparation. I once made a cake for an afternoon tea and it was made from a packet mix and I happily told everyone it was a packet mix cake because people were losing the plot over how good it was. One of the older ladies at the afternoon tea said (dead seriously as if it was a major social faux pas) that if I choose to use packet mixes, it would be best keep it a secret. I say stuff it! If there’s a shortcut you can take to save yourself from premature wrinkles, I say take it! If you made a cold thing be hot, technically you cooked. You’re practically Nigella Lawson. For real. I mean there’s a time and place for fancy dinners but 7pm on a Wednesday night when your guests are about to ring the doorbell isn’t it.

2. Concentrate on the main course 

I don’t know too many people who wouldn’t be thrilled with a packet of potato chips for entree and an ice cream on a stick for dessert, neither of which require any preparation. If you only have half an hour to spare, spend it on the main course. A faux fancy salad with a dressing you made yourself will get you more awesome points than homemade crackers. No one needs to make their own crackers.

3. Let your supermarket make your decisions for you 

Just wander around the fresh produce section until something catches your eye. If they have beautiful ice berg lettuce, do san chow bow. If they have a delicious looking piece of salmon do brown rice, steamed greens and fish with garlic sauce. I most recently did Created With Jamie Peri-Peri Chicken Thigh Skewers with avocado salad. I just pan fried the chicken skewers and made a salad with baby spinach, rocket, avocado, lime juice and finely chopped chilli. It was actually ridiculously awesome.

I’ve been obsessed with Jamie’s smashin’ chicken fillets for a good portion of this year and because I’m a creature of habit, I wasn’t too stoked at the concept of trying something different but Mr Smaggle (and Woolies) insisted. The Peri-peri chicken fillets are actually to die for – I love them. They also re-heat well (a huge plus in my book because re-heated chicken freaks me out) and they’re perfect the next day on a mexican style salad with corn, salsa and guacamole. I’m also dead keen to try them in a burrito style wrap. We bought these on the weekend for the shoot and we’ve had them twice since then. Sorry smashin’ chicken fillets. There’s a new dude in town.

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What’s your fail safe quick and dirty last minute dinner? Any staples you always grab for last minute entertaining?

 

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15 Comments

  1. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid 8 years ago

    You’re so right about entrees and dessert and to focus on the main. Knowing me, I’d be focussing on the flapping, and spend about 20 minutes freaking out, with only 10 minutes to throw something together! I’d probably whip up a home made pizza because I always have all the ingredients for the base, and I can cobble together what’s left in the fridge to make some tasty toppings! I make my own 2 ingredient pizza base with just flour and yoghurt and I can make it in minutes. Your peri peri chicken sounds delicious. When can I come over?

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      I love homemade pizza – I think I’ve done that the last two times I had people over for dinner.

  2. chrisatpb 8 years ago

    Those skewers sound yum! My go to is salmon fillets, spinach salad, herb Mayo and if there’s time, smashed sweet potato. Dinner in 15 minutes. Always have good vanilla bean icecream in the freezer. A quick caramel sauce on the stove – seriously only takes minutes. Who doesn’t like vanilla icecream with warm caramel sauce? Affogato is also quick and yummy dessert. Well done Smags, now I want dessert and it’s 7.30am! xx

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      Yes! There’s Jamie salmon fillets that are utterly divine – we have them all the time they’re so good!

  3. Dee 8 years ago

    I’m all about pasta and I’m obsessed with tomatoes (so always have them around) and I have a blooming basil plant, so I can make a simple pasta sauce in no time at all. Everyone loves pasta.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      Oh yes! Mr Smaggle does a brilliant tomato chilli pasta that Io adore with heaps and heaps of fresh pasta… I might actually get him to make me that for dinner tonight!

  4. My go to is a Lilydale split chicken with chili and coriander from Coles, literally flop it onto an oven tray with quartered potatoes, carrots and whatever other roastable vegie is chilling in the fridge (no peeling, ain’t nobody got time etc), crank up the fan forced and perfect roast dinner in 40 minutes. If I’m feeling particularly generous, I’ll steam up some greens to go with it.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      Roast dinners freak me out for some reason – I didn’t come from a roast type family so cooking a whole chicken is very scary to me. I should get over it. 🙂

  5. vanessajrowse 8 years ago

    Yum, they look great. I’m loving the Jamie Oliver chicken range too and thankfully, so do the kids. x

  6. YES to all of these tips! And we recently tried those skewers – YUM!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      My only issue with these is that I can’t stop eating them and there’s four serves in a packet… and we always eat a whole packet. Total chicken coma.

  7. nessbow 8 years ago

    Wait….people make their own crackers? Is that a thing? Crazy.

    If I have to whip up something quickly, it will usually be a simple pasta with a napoli or pesto sauce or burritos. I make the burrito sauce on the stove, and pop chopped vegetables, shredded cheese and other toppings in little bowls and people can build their own dinners. It saves a lot of time worrying about catering to different tastes or fretting about whether everyone will eat a certain thing.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 8 years ago

      Yeah it’s totally a thing! I certainly couldn’t be bothered. Another favourite of mine is definitely baked potatoes. I do all the same toppings as burritos but serve them hot baked potoatos. So good!

  8. cjwunsch 8 years ago

    ungh, I don’t entertain… ever. That involves letting people in my house, which my children have destroyed.

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