*This is a contributed post. I only accept contributed posts when I feel they can be relevant to the readers of Sunshine and Holly.*
There’s nothing better than eating good food with good friends, am I right? Before kids, Josh and I were always entertaining! We loved throwing dinner parties, cocktail hours, and seasonal parties. One year, my best friend Lauren and I threw an epic scary movie night for Halloween. These days, I mostly just host play dates and small groups from church. But I still love planning out snacks for my guests. If you’re looking for a few good recipes that will show your friends you care, here are a few ideas for tasty treats to whip up when a friend comes over.
A Good Old Standard Cake
Everyone loves cake! And they’re actually pretty easy to throw together. There are so many great boxed mixes you can keep on hand. You can even add ingredients too to make a semi-homemade version. Things like vanilla extract, butter, sour cream, and lemon juice all can bring a boxed cake up a notch. You can also substitute coffee for the required water in a chocolate cake for more depth of flavor.
Microwaving a cake in a mug means you’ll only need about 15 minutes preparation, and it’s a great alternative to making another trip to the grocery store for a store-bought cake. And having a single serving in the mug will keep you from eating too much.
Some Interesting Tea to Drink
We all know moms love coffee. But tea is a nice alternative, especially if you’re entertaining in the evening when friends may not want to drink any caffeine. Fruit and herbal teas are becoming more and more popular these days, and you can find so many different flavors in the grocery store. Summer fruits, mint, and ginger are just some of the wide variety. You can serve hot cups of tea to your guests, or make a big batch ahead of time and cool it in the fridge for iced tea. This is a great idea for summer soirees, when the weather is hot.
If you’re looking to get really fancy, you can invest in some tea infuser pots, which makes it a lot easier to whip up a large batch of tea at once. Guests can get through a lot drink with you when you’re chatting away, after all. It could be a tea revolution!
Indulge with a Bit of Cheesecake
This is an easy and often no bake cake to create! It can be thrown together quickly, but you do need time to let it set properly. Or you could make a couple ahead of time and store them in the freezer. Pull one out and let it defrost an hour or two before your guests arrive.
A chocolate cheesecake is a great option that people are guaranteed to dig into. It looks just as delicious as it tastes, and can be paired with anything. A good cup of coffee or tea and a small slice of cheesecake is a perfect snack!
True friends, of course, won’t care if we don’t have anything to serve them when they’re visiting. Yet it always feels better to have a snack and a drink to offer!
