Company takes precedence over food

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November 13, 2009

Anonymous The Laurel Leader-Call Fri Nov 13, 2009, 10:29 AM CST

Company takes precedence over food

A lot of things can happen when you invite guests for dinner. People can show up late, tired, stressed or just plain hungry. Guests may be subdued or the life of the party. Your grandmother’s platter can break and the bread may burn. But there’s one thing your guests should be able to count on: a good meal spent in the company of friends.

Entertaining experts will encourage you to wow guests, to painstakingly prepare elaborate meals they would never cook at home. To this advice, I would like to add my own. I call it the Robin Gaston Greenlee theory of entertaining:

Invite guests over for good, simple food, but most important…just invite them.

Robin is a longtime family friend who’s famous for her impromptu dinners. Many of her invitations come as late at 5 p.m. when she feels the need to catch up on her friends’ lives. At a moment’s notice, she will gather several friends or set a place for two.

The menu may consist of tacos, chili burgers or a casserole. And, there’s my personal favorite – store-bought spaghetti sauce mixed with a can or two of Rotel tomatoes and browned ground beef, served over steaming hot pasta. With a side of garlic bread and a simple salad, life doesn't get any better.

After viewing Robin’s stress-free way of entertaining, it occurred to me people are always honored to be invited to a friend’s house. They will be delighted that you are not stressed out or sequestered in the kitchen. Best of all, they will feel special because they didn’t have to cook.

So why spend hours laboring over a dish that will be overshadowed by the laughter and catch-up talk when friends gather? To quote Robin, “Why lose out on important times with friends because of the food?”

When planning your next stress-free dinner party, you may have a few last-minute preparations for the main course, but overall, it should leave you untethered and your kitchen uncluttered.

A perfect solution lies in my shortcut chicken spaghetti. While some may be hesitant at serve anything made with Velveeta, I have one word of advice: Invite your friends over, enjoy the evening to the fullest and when you’re asked for the recipe, simply say, “It’s just a simple dish I whipped up for friends.”

Shortcut Chicken Spaghetti

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, boiled and cubed

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup bell pepper, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can water

1 small can Rotel tomatoes

1 package Velveeta cheese

1 pound spaghetti or fettuccini noodles

1 cup bread crumbs or sliced olives

Salt and pepper

Boil chicken and spices until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Save water to boil pasta.

While the chicken is boiling, place butter in another pan and saute onions and bell peppers until onions are clear. Stir in cream of mushroom soup and one can of water. Add Rotel tomatoes and heat through. Add Velveeta cheese and cook on low until cheese is melted.

Cook noodles in chicken water. Drain noodles.

In a large baking dish, place the cooked and cut up chicken, cooked spaghetti, salt and pepper, cheese and soup mixture. Stir well to mix all ingredients evenly. Top with bread crumbs or sliced olives. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Kara Kimbrough writes a syndicated food column. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

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