Low Cost Dinner Party
The very first thing to do is to decide on a budget. Before you make the guest list or make the menu, you need to figure out how much you can spend on the dinner. You will probably spend between $5 and $10 on each guest (you can keep it closer to $5 with your food and drink choices). After you know how much you can spend, then you create your guest list. If you are worried about whom to invite, you can host a party a month, or every two months. This way you can avoid taking a big hit to your bank account all at once, but still rotate through all of your friends.
Meal planning can be a bit of a challenge, but if you keep comfort foods in mind, you can usually save a great deal. If you know that you will be entertaining regularly, you can purchase some items (like canned or frozen vegetables) in bulk when they are on sale. Buy meat on sale as well and freeze it. Then, when it is time to throw your party, you are already mostly stocked, even weeks or months down the road. If your budget does not allow you to buy in bulk, you can still provide a great meal at a low cost to yourself.
Dishes considered “comfortable” and that are “bulky” are good to serve. Additionally, you can serve your meal in courses if you like. Starting out with a soup and salad (red leaf lettuce and romaine are usually inexpensive and make a classier salad than iceberg lettuce) course, with some sort of bread, will fill your guests enough so that they won’t mind smaller portions of meat and vegetables in the entrÃ?©e. Soups thickened with potatoes (faux creamy) are great starters that are both elegant and filling. Additionally, creating a chicken soup with less expensive wing and drumstick cuts provide excellent flavor while being filling at the same time. Make it a spicy soup for a more unique and elegant flavor.
For entrees, use generous portions of pasta and rice as beds. Pasta primavera is always elegant and tasty, and requires very little (if any) chicken chunks. Asian dishes (curries and such) heavy in interesting flavors, rice, noodles, and vegetables are very easy and inexpensive to prepare. Plus, if you have the time, you can make your own pasta with eggs, flour, and salt, saving you even more. Concentrate on good taste and food presentation, and none of your friends will care. The food will taste expensive, and your friends won’t care that they are not dining on shrimp and crab.
Dessert can be just as elegant (and cheap!). Serve custard, pudding, sorbet, or vanilla ice cream in fancy glasses. Garnish simply with mint sprigs or chocolate shavings. Even delicate cookies make good garnish. Or you can make a lemon mousse and bring it to the table in hollowed out lemons. There are plenty of tasteful ideas that look and taste high class without the high price.
