Dinner with guests: the menu

I’ve learned it’s easiest (and least stressful) to plan meals that I can prepare in advance, and leave just one dish to do right before the guests arrive, usually the main course.

Tonight, we’re having:

Guacamole and Hummus, for starters
Salad
Mixed Nut Sauce Chicken Breasts
Fruit Salad, for dessert

The chicken is based on the Almond Sauce Chicken Breasts recipe at AllRecipes.com. I’ll post my substitutions and alterations tomorrow, after I know what I’ll be doing with the recipe. I tend not to plan things, just choose a recipe and change it as I’m preparing the dish. I always print out the recipe, and make notes on it as I change things, so I can remember them in the future.

The fruit salad is pretty basic, because it’s still spring and there’s not too much variety in fruit yet. This one has: strawberries, blueberries, peach, and banana. It’s marinating in freshly squeezed orange juice now. No sugar or honey added.

Here’s the deal with this menu: It’s not even 5 p.m. and I’ve already finished the guacamole and fruit salad. The hummus I had already prepared. So all that’s left to do is the salad, which I can do a couple of hours before the guests arrive (with dressing also prepared and set aside), and the main course, which I will start about a half hour before the guests are supposed to be here.

Enjoy!

Update: Oops! I forgot…I’m also making a loaf of bread, but I still haven’t decided what kind yet.