Tips, tricks and easy recipes to keep you entertaining

by Patti Hager (pattinky)

Yes, I love to entertain. I enjoy sharing my home and food with friends and family, their laughter and conversation filling the house. If you’re like me, though, you thought with Parkinson’s those days were over.  Well with a little planning and preparation you can still entertain.  I have a few tricks up my sleeve but I bet there are quite of few of you out there that have even more.  If you would like to share any of your tips, tricks or easy recipes please e-mail them to me at patti@eos.net. 

If you don’t feel you can carry off a 4-course sit down dinner why not try a Sunday Afternoon Brunch. 

Pick menu items that can be prepared the day before or purchased from the store

Assemble your breakfast or brunch dish without having to get up at the crack of dawn and  keeping your stress level at bay by gathering recipe ingredients the day before. For instance, you can combine biscuit or muffin ingredients (keeping the dry ingredients separate from the moist ingredients) and even grease the muffin tins so they'll be ready to go. Or chop the vegetables for a special omelet or scramble, and mix and refrigerate the egg mixture for it.

To really keep things simple find decorative paper plates and spend your clean up time with your company.

Menu ...

• Beverage

• Fresh Fruit Salad

• Company Egg Casserole

• Hash Brown Casserole

• Muffins

• Cherry Cheesecake Parfait

---

Incredible Punch

• 2 – 46 fluid oz bottles of cranberry/raspberry juice

• 1 – 32 fluid oz bottle of pina colada mix

• 2 liters of raspberry ginger ale (can substitute cherry seven up, strawberry soda or regular ginger ale with 1 cup mashed raspberries – fresh or frozen)

 A day or two before, combine cranberry/raspberry juice with pina colada mix in a  plastic container and freeze.  The day of brunch remove from freezer 30 – 60 minutes before serving.  To serve place slushy mix in punch bowl and slowly add raspberry ginger ale.

 

---

Fresh Fruit Salad Buy fruit already cut from your grocer.  Add frozen berries.  Put in pretty glass bowl and serve.

---

Company Egg Casserole

• 8 slices white bread torn in pieces

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 pound sausage (browned and drained)

• 6 eggs

• 2 ½  cup dairy milk

• ¾ teaspoons dry mustard

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

• ½  cup milk

Brown and drain sausage; grease a casserole dish with butter. Layer bread, cheese and sausage (double layers). Beat eggs, mustard and milk in a blender. Pour over layers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Mix soup and 1/2 cup milk. Pour over in the morning. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.

---

Cheesy Potatoes

• 9 ½ x 13 inch dish spayed with Pam

• 1 bag Ore Ida O’Brien Hash Browns, thawed

• 1 ½ milk or half and half

• 1 stick of butter

• 1 small box Regular Velveta or Mexican Velveta, cubed

• 2 cups of grated cheese –your favorite

The day before brunch prepare dish.

Melt butter and cheese.   Let cool.  Add to the half and half.

Add bag of Hash Browns to 9 ½ x 11 dish.

 Pour cheese mixture over hash browns.

Cover and store in refrigerator

Day of Brunch bake in a 350^o pre-heated for 45 mins.  Sprinkle top with grated cheese 15 mins before taking out of the oven.

  

---

Cherry Cheesecake Parfait

·         1 3 oz pkg instant vanilla pudding

·         2 c sour cream

• 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
• ¼  c sugar
• 2 tsp almond flavoring
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• coconut

 

Combine pudding mix, sour cream and cream cheese

Whip until smooth

Slowly stir in sugar and flavorings

Spoon ½ of pudding mixture into a parfait bowl

Add ½ of the pie filling to bowl

Spoon remaining pudding over and top with remaining pie filling

Garnish with coconut

Makes 8 servings

I hope you have a wonderful time!