Easy (& Guest Worthy!) Spaghetti Dinner

Have you ever invited someone over for dinner and then realized you had no plans for what to serve?  I'm sure this isn't a new trick for many of you, but just in case it is, I thought I'd share what works for me.  

With knowledge gleaned from both of our moms, both wonderful home cooks who also love to share their bounty, here are a few tricks for a quick and easy dinner worthy of company.  If you don't have what you need for this meal, just use it as a template--pick a theme and go with it.  Italian, Mexican, American--keep it simple, yet plentiful.  Most guests just appreciate being fed simple grub they didn't have to fix themselves and getting a little too stuffed on it.  

And don't forget to serve dessert.  That's always a crowd-pleaser.

For this meal, start off with the toasted garlic bread.  Take a loaf of french bread and slice it down one side...

Then spread a generous helping of softened butter and minced garlic.  You can mix the garlic and butter if you want, but then you're committed to using (or wasting) it all.  You can also use margarine or olive oil in place of the butter.  You could add herbs or spices.  Make it however you want.  This can go with lots of different meals, (soups, dinner salad, chicken, steak/roast, pork chops) so there's no one way to do it.

After spreading with the goodies, I like to fold it back together and slice it before baking.  I find it easier to slice while the bread is still nice and soft rather than making a big, crumby mess later.

Then wrap it up in foil and bake.  This version gets you a little toasty on the outside and plenty soft in the middle.  My favorite way to eat it, though, is done by spreading it all out on a baking sheet, buttered side up, and baking until it's nice and toasty.  My third son loves toasty bread, so he and I get a good helping of bread when I make it that way.  But this is Cast-Iron Man's (mr. pots. get it?! hubby needs a better nickname. another time. ) favorite way to eat it, so that's how we roll.



If you're feeling like preparing for another crazy day, make a bunch and throw them in the freezer wrapped in foil. 

Okay.  Simple side salad.  Cut the bottoms off of your heads of romaine/green leaf/red leaf lettuce.

I sometimes cut off the tops, too, if they look a little rough.

Here's a little secret:  if you slice up the rest of the lettuce with a serrated knife, it has a nice "fancy" look to it.

Then throw it in a colander (or bowl of a salad spinner) and rinse well.   

When considering the salad, stick with your theme.  Make a taco salad and serve it with burritos.  Or a fresh garden salad with hamburgers.  One last thought:  if you pick a good dressing, it makes a simple salad something worth talking about.  For our spaghetti dinner, I picked our favorite Caesar dressing.

Toss with the dressing, then add your toppings.  If you do all the work for the salad yourself, it's a little friendlier for feeding a crowd.

Toss it all together and chill until dinner.

Now for the pasta.  If you add a good dash of salt to the water, it'll boost your flavor a bit.  Bring the water to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

And don't cringe here...keep it simple and add your favorite sauce (from a can, a jar, your freezer, whatever) and heat it through.  

A good sprinkle of cheese (various kinds work here; I used parmesan) adds a little flavor and keeps things simpler at serving time.

And just before serving dinner, mix up some brownies, toss a few chocolate chips into the batter, and put them in the oven.  Enjoy dinner and the aroma of chocolate wafting through the house.  Then serve up some warm brownies with ice cream.  

Easy Spaghetti Dinner
(serves 6-8)

1 loaf french bread
4 T softened butter
1 T (6 cloves) minced garlic
1 head lettuce
salad fixin's
1/4 to 1/2 cup dressing
1 lb spaghetti
salt, to taste
1 jar/can sauce
1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese (parmesan, romano, mozzarella)
1 brownie mix
oil and eggs for preparing brownies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 gallon ice cream

Slice french bread in half lengthwise.  Spread with butter and garlic.  Fold and slice.  Wrap in foil and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed and slightly toasted.  Cut and rinse lettuce.  Toss with dressing and toppings in large serving bowl.  Chill until dinner.  Bring 2 quarts water to boil.  Salt water, if desired.  Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 9-10 minutes.  Drain.  Mix with sauce and cheese.  Serve dinner while it's hot!  Prepare brownies according to package directions.  Serve warm with ice cream for dessert.