Last Friday's happy hour took place while our county was in a state of emergency, due to the bitch slapping we got from the snow (although I hear M-town got off comparatively easily, with "only" 18 or 20 inches), so we had to make do with ingredients we had on hand. Thankfully Paul had been to the grocery store a few days before!



I typically don't think about our Friday happy hour until, well, Friday, and this week was no exception. We weren't going anywhere on Friday and, if we had, the stores probably would have been closed, anyway. We were reminded, once again, of how important a well-stocked pantry is, particularly in the dead of winter. Eggs, mayo and spices=deviled eggs. Biscuit mix, milk and whatever you have on hand=little dipping puffs (I added shredded cheese, basil, oregano, pepper flakes and salt, since we were dipping in marinara sauce). And the carrots are just soaking in some Asian dressing I'd made days before. It's funny to me that people make millions of dollars every year, making this stuff seem really difficult and involved. You probably have the ingredients in your pantry (and fridge) right now to whip up some tasty appetizers with very little effort.

By the way, does anyone besides me remember the TV show from about eight or ten years ago called "Door Knock Dinners," where Gordon Elliot showed up with a chef and camera crew at some unsuspecting schmoe's house and made them dinner with whatever ingredients they had on hand? I LOVED that show! I'm sure it helped that they picked very upscale neighborhoods, but it was still fabulous!

Click here to see what the Kitsch-en churned out last week.