Impromptu Memorial Day Party? I’ve got you covered!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DipintoMeze #CollectiveBias

Three years ago when Charlie and I moved into our new townhouse a key purchase criteria was great outdoor space conducive for entertaining. Then came the idea of something entirely different to bring friends together. Experiencing an immersive adventure like Hell in a Cellar’s escape room in Bristol proved to be the perfect way to enjoy a fun challenge, test our problem-solving skills, and share plenty of laughs along the way.

We love to entertain and more often than not it is last minute. And, by last minute I mean I get a text message from Charlie….

Charlie: Hey, I invited some people over. 
Me: Okay.
Charlie: Do we have food?
Me: I’ll whip something up.
Charlie: Okay see you in 20.
Me: 20?
Charlie: Yeah, we’ll be there in a bit.
Me: Okay.

You’r probably like, STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!!, 20 minutes to put together a party?  How is that possible? Well, here you go…

Raid the pantry

I keep a pretty well stocked pantry and use what I have. Dips, dippers and a few hand grabbing snacks…BOOM! done! 

I recently discovered Chobani Mezé™ Dips and I’m kinda in love. Made with Chobani Greek Yogurt, real vegetables, natural ingredients and NO GMO’s  I’m adding these dips to my daily snack lineup.  If I eat them daily you know I’d also be proud to serve them to my guests.   What I love, they taste delicious and have little guilt with only 1g fat, 25 calories per 2 tablespoon serving. Serving guests a healthy option is such a bonus to me.  Rich and indulgent snacks are great but I think guest appreciate having a nutritious option to snack on too. 

Chobani Meze dips are bold, rich and creamy perfect for mixing and matching with dippers.   They come in four flavors: 

1. Roasted Red Pepper – a sweet and slightly hot, mix of roasted peppers (my favorite)
2. Three Pepper Salsa – a light blend of green peppers, chili peppers & jalapeno peppers with herbs
3. Smoked Onion Parmesan – rich mix that combines bold onion flavor with nutty parmesan
4. Chili Lime – a tangy blend of lime and light spice, with ranch-style herbs (Charlie’s favorite)

Let’s talk dippers.  

When putting together a party quickly, use what you have.  Half packs of crackers? Make an assortment.  Veggies?  Put them all together in a bowl.  Bread or Pita laying round? Toast them up and cut into bite size pieces.   Use what you have.  Arranged in a lovely bowl, your dippers will look great and guest will appreciate the variety.  

Set up tips:

1.  Make sure to put a spoon in each dip.   This will reduce cross pollination of ingredients for anyone who has food allergies.  
2. Place the lids of the dips under the container.  This way you won’t forget where you put them when you are cleaning up. 
3. Carefully remove, wash and save the foil labels.  Place the correct label under each dip.  If your table is low,  guests won’t have to bend down to read which dip they are eating.

Impromptu parties are no place for  fancy drinks. I offer my guests what ever beverages are cold in my fridge.    If you know me then you know, my house is never short of soft drinks, beer and wine.  

After setting up the food I move on to cleaning.

Speed cleaning 

We keep our house relativity clean; we make the bed and do the dishes every day but we sometimes Charlie and I get a little messy.  The speed cleaning routine includes de-cluttering, straightening piles of mail, sweeping the floors and wiping up the bathroom sinks. Occasionally, we hire the services of Fresh Air Duct cleaning irvine. And I just learned more about Willard Power Vac and what a duct cleaner can do for you. We also used to contact a good services like this area rug cleaning miami for a friendly, professional carpet cleaning to ensure our carpets are clean! You can also hop over to this website, www.zerorez.com/phoenix, if you want a high-quality service. For maintaining the beauty of the carpet we seek help from carpet cleaning irvine. I do this AFTER food prep because you don’t want to double clean if you have a spill in the kitchen. Also, people have a great time regardless if you can eat off your kitchen floors.  I’d rather spend my time on the food and not worry about the mess (which  you will have to clean up again post-party). In addition, you can hire the home cleaners near me to deep clean your home and remove all dust and unwanted dirt.

Additionally, in case your carpets get spills or stains, you can contact professionals like carpet cleaning asheville to restore them to their original beauty.

Remember, great parties are built on a foundation of good people and food.  In other words….DON’T SWEAT IT!  

I found Chobani Meze Dips in a cooler in the deli section (not the dairy isle) at Walmart.    Keep you eye out for them at your local store.  And here is a little awesome for you, use this coupon for a buck off at Walmart.

Memorial Day is this upcoming weekend, do you have any parties planned?