Sometimes life throws a curve ball and we’re required to host a last minute gluten-free dinner party. For the unfamiliar, this sounds really difficult. It doesn’t have to be. With a combination of home cooked and home enhanced items, you can deliver a simple, but tasty feast easy peasy!
My son’s birthday recently coincided with an unplanned visit from my sister & brother-in-law, unexpected work deadlines, and recovery from a cold. A reasonable person could advise us to celebrate at a restaurant, but my best birthday memories are the meals my grandmother prepared for each member of the family. We’d gather at her house for a home cooked meal and dessert of our choice. I appreciate the time and energy she invested, the delicious food she prepared, and the grace with which she made the difficult look easy.
I want to give my kids the feeling of specialness that my grandmother gave us. I also recognize that there are times when I need to keep things simple. A make-your-own burrito bowl party followed by homemade gluten-free cinnamon rolls and locally made artisan ice cream filled the bill this year. My family loved it. Yours can too.
Here’s how I made it easy.
I purchased a pound of pulled pork and a half pound of beef brisket from a local barbecue restaurant. The meat is smoked, neutrally seasoned, and gluten-free. Then I bought a savory rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. This meant I didn’t have to cook any meat for our burrito bowls.
I also purchased pico de gallo, Wholly Guacamole®, white cheese dip, salsa verde, deli fresh salsa, corn tortillas, and tortilla chips already prepared from the grocery store. In addition, I picked up a head of iceberg lettuce, fresh jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, green onions, limes, cilantro, sour cream, Ro*Tel® Original diced tomatoes and peppers, and chopped green chiles in a can plus a peeled and cored fresh pineapple.
At home, I prepared white rice and black beans from the pantry using a Cooking2Thrive recipe for the beans. Once the rice was cooked, I added chopped cilantro, green onions, and lime juice. I placed the pulled pork in a pan to warm and added green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, and a spoonful or two of Ro*Tel® with some liquid, then let is simmer. In similar fashion, I chopped the brisket into thin strips, sprinkled it with chipotle pepper and garlic powder, placed it in a skillet and added the remaining Ro*Tel Original diced tomatoes and peppers. I removed the white meat from the rotisserie chicken, chopped it into small cubes, and simmered it in sour cream and salsa verde with a little chopped cilantro.
While the meat was warming, I mixed a little salsa verde into the jarred cheese dip and placed it in a dish by the microwave. From that point, I chopped the fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, pineapple, and green onion and placed each in a separate bowl. I chopped the lettuce into thin strips and put it in a bowl. I also placed my store prepared pico, salsas, guacamole, and sour cream in individual bowls.
Just before serving time, I lightly coated the corn tortillas with some melted butter, wrapped them in foil, and warmed them in the oven. While I placed all the burrito bowl toppings on the table, I microwaved the cheese dip. All that was left to do was put the tortilla chips in a bowl and dish up the hot items.
Of course all of this took time, but we ended up with a feast — cilantro lime rice, black beans, green chili pork, chipotle beef, salsa verde chicken, cheese dip, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeños, green onion, pico de gallo, red salsa, salsa verde, guacamole, sour cream, pineapple, tortillas, and tortilla chips that could be mixed and matched in any proportion to create a burrito bowl. Everyone went back for seconds. Some even fixed a third bowl.
And what’s better after a burrito bowl than ice cream? I bought several pints of ice cream in a variety of flavors like buttermilk, egg nog, salted caramel, chocolate, and strawberry sorbet. This ice cream is made in small batches about 7 blocks from my house. I really didn’t need to bake anything. I just happened to have a batch of cinnamon rolls from a recipe I was testing, so I warmed them up and served them as well.
The time I spent preparing this meal was small in proportion to the amount and variety of food I served. Sometimes combining homemade with carefully selected prepared food is a great way to make your family feel special without making yourself too tired. In fact, it can be the recipe for delivering a delicious last minute gluten-free dinner party…easy peasy!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
