apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You MUST keep a package of Trader Joe's frozen mini croissants (chocolate, if you are indulgent) on hand. They are the ultimate no-effort weekend treat. Bring out some special jam (preferably homemade) and your guests will love you. Mine do. :)

Make an artichoke dip ahead of time, and have it in the fridge for an afternoon snack.
Also... you could just have cookie dough in the freezer ready to be baked... and for breakfast or after dinner, have fresh home baked cookies...

Two items I love to have. 1) a good savory quiche, a perfect breakfast food that can reheated for a light lunch or dinner. 2) home-made snack bars, something full of oats and nuts. They're transportable and filling.

Any suggestions for vegans? The bf and I are full blown omnivores, but I'd like our vegan guest next month to have some options already stocked.

I just had guests this weekend and had made the Lemon Caramel Icebox cake featured on this site several weeks ago....so easy just to pull dessert out of the freezer.

Other than munchies, I try to keep extra things like toothbrushes, hair-ties, and ahem, feminine products around when I know I'm going to have guests. I've always loved the idea of having a basket of goodies like hotels do although I've never managed to pull it off. I don't have overnight guests often courtesy of having a one bedroom apartment.

Decks of cards and magazines also feature in case they find themselves at loose ends.

Another echo for cookie dough in the freezer.

I usually stock up on wine (several varietals), a hunk of good cheese, and crackers.

Mostly, though, I've found that cleaning out the fridge and tossing old food allows for guests to find things easily and allows them the freedom to store a food item they would like.

For vegans and others, having a big bowl of fruit salad/ cut fruit is nice. I usually bake muffins, because they're good for snacks and breakfasts, plus being an easy way to add a homemade touch.

Trader Joe's Spinach and Artichoke Dip.

To die for.

if guests are from out of town/out of state, have some hometown goodies on hand: local apples, a pie from the neighborhood bakery, secret recipe meatballs from your favorite butcher, can't-get-anywhere-else packaged goods (friends from Philly always bring Tastycakes as hostess gifts when they travel).

I usually try to have a balance of fancy show-offy stuff and random snacky stuff. We plan a lot of meals but also keep fruit (whatever's in season at the time), nuts, marinated goat cheese with really good bread, olives, and some nice homemade lemonade or mint sweet tea. Also, think about how your guests take their coffee/tea! My bf and I take our coffee black, so we have to remember to buy half-and-half when we have guests.

Crostata and a picnic? Sounds delicious - can I come visit?

I like to keep a Russian apple cake on hand. Very, very simple to make and I've yet to meet someone who didn't love it.

3 small apples (I generally do granny smith), peeled, cored and sliced

3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8" cake pan. Layer apple slices into it. Whisk together eggs, then add in soda and sugar. Whisk in flour. This should have a consistency similar to room temperature sour cream. Pour on top of apples. Bake 350 for 1 hour.

Additionally, cheeses, olives, sun dried tomatoes, canned sardines, salamis, assorted dried fruits, hummus, tsaziki, flatbreads and similar are fantastic to have on hand, as you can throw together a quick tapas assortment for snacking.

Fresh and dried fruit, nuts, cheese and some yummy crackers so you can put together a quick cheese plate to snack on; some rolled freezer cookies for a sweet treat; various bottles of wine chilled to their proper temperature and as another poster mentioned, a quiche or frittata. Delicious.

Homemade granola can be made in advance and is much nicer than a half-empty cereal box for a quick breakfast. If you're really on top of things, make a double batch and package some up in a pretty container as a parting gift.

for vegans- it's not hard to make vegan muffins and other baked goods.

also- get some oy milk, and earth balance margarine. It's vegan, and trans-fat-free (and tastes good!)

for a great, vegan treat, go to theppk.com and make their banana bread (doesn't contain any weird ingredients):

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?RecipeID=121

(soy milk, that is)