Hospitality(ish): Tried and True

Hospitality.

It's something I've always felt drawn toward.  It's also my job, my ministry - and an area I have been begging God to grow me in.

I'd like to start sharing some of the things I'm learning or have learned in this area.  It's a very broad topic (thus the "ish" in the post title), so we shouldn't run out of things to talk about any time soon.

Have you ever felt intimidated by having people over?  I do, even though I absolutely love having people in my home.

One friend I have nearly always signs up to bring the same meal when someone has had a baby or been sick.  It wasn't until recently that I realized how brilliant this was.  If you have a few signature dishes you can pull out whenever the need arises, you don't have the stress of finding and making a recipe that may or may not turn out.  You're more likely to have the ingredients on hand, or at least you'll know what you need so grabbing them at the store will be quicker than shopping for an unfamiliar recipe.

The point of hospitality, I am learning, is not to impress people.  I don't need a fancy new recipe every time I have someone over for dinner.  It doesn't matter if I serve brownies at nearly every small group or if scones show up whenever there's a movie night.  Having some tried-and-true recipes frees me up to focus on the heart of hospitality: loving people and welcoming them into my life.

Below are a few of my go-to treats.  I haven't quite figured out my go-to main dishes yet...

Ghirardelli brownies - they aren't as good as homemade, but they're still really good.  I like to have a box or two on hand for those times when I need to come up with a dessert in a pinch.  The triple chocolate and the dark chocolate are the mixes I like best.
Cranberry Orange Scones - I've made this recipe enough to be pretty comfortable with it.  It's not hard, and the flavors are so fresh and delicious.  It's perfect for bringing to a ladies' event, but easy enough to make for an impromptu coffee or tea date with a friend.
California Coffee Cake - I got this recipe years ago from, ironically, a pen-pal in Wyoming, and it's pretty much the easiest baked treat I have in my repertoire.  (See below for the recipe.)  Actually my mom's oatmeal-jelly bars are probably the easiest, but this is a close second.


California Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 375℉.

In a medium bowl, combine the following -

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder

Pour into a 9"x13" glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix together -

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2/3 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Sprinkle over batter.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

For icing, mix -

3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cream or half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla and/or almond extract

Melt in microwave until thickened and smooth.  Drizzle over cake while still hot.

Note: What I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is.  You can throw some fruit in the batter (fresh or frozen berries, peaches, pears, pineapple...there are so many possibilities).  You can add chopped nuts or coconut to the brown sugar topping.  You can change the flavor of the icing.  You could even keep it extra simple and skip the icing altogether (which is my default, although I do like the icing).  You can vary the spices used...ginger with peaches is marvelous, as is cardamon with pears.  One time I used pineapple, added toasted coconut and pecans to the brown sugar topping (skipping the cinnamon), and then made a lime juice icing.  Soooo good.  Make it your own!

What are YOUR tried-and-trues?