12 Ways to Feed Your Friends Well... Without Taking a Big Bite Out of Your Holiday Budget
1. Serve bubbly cocktails by mixing bargain champagne with fruit juice. You can make “poinsettias” with cranberry juice or “pomegranate fizz” with pomegranate juice.
2. Serve sliced baguettes with affordable domestic cheeses instead of imported cheeses and fancy crackers.
3. Another easy appetizer: Order pizzas half an hour before your guests arrive, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
4. Go retro when it comes to hors d'oeuvres: Serve the things your mother used to put out like sour-cream-and-onion-soup dip, and cream cheese and chutney on crackers.
5. Host an international cocktail party instead of a full-blown dinner. Ask each of your guests to bring a plate of appetizers from their family’s country of origin.
6. Or, host a brunch and serve egg dishes. Much more affordable than steak, you can feed frittata or an egg souffle or casserole to a crowd for just a few dollars.
7. Have a girls only lunch party. Invite three close friends over for cheese fondue. Toss a simple salad, and serve lemon ice-water to go with.
8. Host a Spanish-themed dinner party. Make the paella yourself and ask each guest to bring one ingredient to make Sangria. (Alcohol-free recipe.)
9. Pasta, rice, and soup are examples of “bulk” dishes that serve as a base for a relatively small amount of pricier meat or veggies.
10. Keep your sweets simple by scattering sliced orange segments and chopped dark chocolate bars on a special platter.
11. Host a banana split bar at your dessert party. Provide ice cream, hot fudge, maraschino cherries, and lots of homemade whipped cream. Ask guests to bring their favorite chopped nuts and sprinkles.
12. Ignore all the holiday-themed merrymaking. Find a friend with a December birthday and offer up something simple and familiar—cake and ice cream!
13. BONUS: Limit your guest list. It seems obvious but the fastest, easiest way to pare down your budget is to invite fewer people.
2. Serve sliced baguettes with affordable domestic cheeses instead of imported cheeses and fancy crackers.
3. Another easy appetizer: Order pizzas half an hour before your guests arrive, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
4. Go retro when it comes to hors d'oeuvres: Serve the things your mother used to put out like sour-cream-and-onion-soup dip, and cream cheese and chutney on crackers.
5. Host an international cocktail party instead of a full-blown dinner. Ask each of your guests to bring a plate of appetizers from their family’s country of origin.
6. Or, host a brunch and serve egg dishes. Much more affordable than steak, you can feed frittata or an egg souffle or casserole to a crowd for just a few dollars.
7. Have a girls only lunch party. Invite three close friends over for cheese fondue. Toss a simple salad, and serve lemon ice-water to go with.
8. Host a Spanish-themed dinner party. Make the paella yourself and ask each guest to bring one ingredient to make Sangria. (Alcohol-free recipe.)9. Pasta, rice, and soup are examples of “bulk” dishes that serve as a base for a relatively small amount of pricier meat or veggies.
10. Keep your sweets simple by scattering sliced orange segments and chopped dark chocolate bars on a special platter.
11. Host a banana split bar at your dessert party. Provide ice cream, hot fudge, maraschino cherries, and lots of homemade whipped cream. Ask guests to bring their favorite chopped nuts and sprinkles.
12. Ignore all the holiday-themed merrymaking. Find a friend with a December birthday and offer up something simple and familiar—cake and ice cream!
13. BONUS: Limit your guest list. It seems obvious but the fastest, easiest way to pare down your budget is to invite fewer people.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
Photos: ra64 & pshab (Flickr)
Works for Me! Visit We Are THAT Family for the Works-For-Me-Wednesday weekly carnival. Also, stop by Seeds of Faith for their Wednesday iFellowship and Kristen's Gold Star Wednesday party at From My Tiny Kitchen.
What’s missing? Can you add to this list?
1 COMMENTS:
You have some great ideas on your list!
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