frugal entertaining?

[crabbypatty]

We had a small pizza and cupcakes event yesterday and I was surprised at how much it cost.

We've also got an annual party coming up that will be much lager and I was wondering if people wanted to share their frugal entertaining tips.

We usually keep it to a beer/soda and burger/dogs on the grill kind of thing. Stuff that we can get from Sam's club. No expensive wines or fancy shrimp platters.

Any suggestions for ways to reduce cost but still provide a good spread?

[tinapbeana]

make an appetizer spread... if you make your own, it's easy to come out ahead. also, don't provide every beverage under the sun, because you'll always miss something anyways... when i have a gathering i include this statement

"I have no idea what everyone will want to drink since my crystal ball is broken. There will be sweet/unsweet tea, water, and regular/diet Coke available. If you prefer something else, please feel free to bring the beverage of your choice (and maybe a new crystal ball if you find one!)"

deviled eggs
stuffed jalepenos
olive and pickle assortment
pinwheels (sandwhich wrap tortilla spread with cream cheese, a few layers of thin sliced deli meat, cheese, and cucumbers. roll up, chill, cut into 1/2 inch slices)
'wedding weinies'
crockpot meatballs
fruit and veggie tray
stuffed celery (1 pack cream cheese mixed with shredded chedder, bacon bits, and garlic/onion/pepper to taste, stuff mix into celery pieces).

another option is a tex-mex spread: this is especially cost effective if you can get veggies at low prices and a bulk pack of chicken.

pico de gallo (diced tomatoes, onions, jalepenos, cilantro, lime juice, garlic/salt/pepper to taste)
guacamole (smushed avocados with a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo mixed in)
sour cream
shredded cheese
grilled chicken (we like thighs) you can leave whole or shred after cooked
rice
black beans
tortillas to make wraps

if someone else is helping out, they can bring sangria or margarita fixin's

yet another option: have a theme gathering, kinda like a wine tasting but for any food.

have a cheese tasting: and everyone brings 1 type of cheese and cracker with them.
weird food party (had these in college): everyone brings one food with them that they've never had before (word to the wise, don't eat a durian!)
recipe swap party: everyone cook a dish and bring the recipe with them on sheets of paper for others to take home if they liked it.

[LuxLiving]

Potluck - everyone brings one meat and one dessert dish (enough to feed their family & one other person), you provide drinks and veggie platter and festive party atmosphere.

[nanamom]

I concur with the bring your own beverage unless you like whatever you choose to provide. Soda can get expensive, ice tea or lemonade is cheap as is punch (and punch makes it so festive!) We never provide soda anymore. We also don't do alcohol but if we did I'd keep it simple also. Potato salad is cheap to make and goes well with dogs and burgers (keep it cool by putting the bowl in a bigger one filled with ice. You can do the same with macaroni salad or a rice dish. Deviled eggs are also pretty cheap to make although more time consuming. Dessert can be a cake, doesn't have to be fancy, mixes on sale are cool.

[fairy74]

I agree with LuxLiving...also spaghetti with garlic bread is not expensive if you buy the ingredients on sale (and very filling) then ask anyone who offers to bring a salad or fruit dish. I also agree with serving homemade iced tea or lemonade, much cheaper than soda. We also put out bottled water with ice in a bucket, and I make a pot of coffee or tea for those who want it.

[scfr]

Well, this may be too frugal for what you have in mind, but you could have the event at a time other than meal time and serve just snacks or dessert.

When I do full meal entertaining, I like doing a weekend brunch because there's no question that there will be no alcohol (coffee and juice only) and there are so many easy, healthy, yet relatively inexpensive food options. Also, people seem to be super relaxed and have a great time.

[JustinH]

We usually put out tortilla chips and salsa, and people bring their own fancy beers.

Then I make some jumbo chicken breast sandwiches on the george foreman grill, with cheese or bbq sauce. I get the chicken frozen in the bag at walmart for very cheap.

Get some jumbo sandwich rolls from the bakery, again very cheap.

Then i make a nice salad and some home made mac and cheese.

A great meal for having some folks over for a hockey game or whatever.

[Ima saver]

I always say byob. Then we serve chips, dips and other appetizers, no full dinner!

[Duchesse]

Try to get all the fixins on sale.

Since I don't entertain often when I do, I go all out.

Not chuck steak, rib steak.

[richinspirits]

weird food party (had these in college): everyone brings one food with them that they've never had before (word to the wise, don't eat a durian!)

LOL someone brought one of these to one of our parties once! the poor tupperware we hid it in will never be the same.

[threebeansalad]

We do a lot of entertaining and when we entertain I do a lot of cooking. I plan the menu around what's on sale and what I have in the pantry. I also keep it largely vegetarian. I usually just load our table up with a buffett spread. Recently we had ~12 people over for brunch. That was a lot of fun are less expensive than a dinner meal. We served egg burritos, homemade waffles, homemade granola, homemade coffee cake, fruit, coffee, tea and juice.

[kealina]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tinapbeana
weird food party (had these in college): everyone brings one food with them that they've never had before (word to the wise, don't eat a durian!)

LOL someone brought one of these to one of our parties once! the poor tupperware we hid it in will never be the same.

lol... i laughed when i read that too and so did my DH when i told him... i refuse to eat the stuff but he will actually eat it (of course, he'll eat almost anything) as long as it's chilled...

as for food, i think it all depends... i actually prefer simple food when i visit others.... some appetizers, chips, dip/salsa, etc.... some salad and whatever, and we're pretty happy...

of course we don't entertain so i can't really say for sure, i can just say what i enjoy as a guest....

[tinapbeana]

has anyone seen the 'bizzare foods' show hosted by andrew zimmern (it's on either discovery or travel channel). anyways, this man is a chef who will literally eat almost anything (think grubs, scorpions, etc) and even HE couldn't choke down a bite of durian... definitely an acquired taste.

kealina, you're DH is a brave man for eating the stuff. did you know that folks tradionally make cakes with it?!?? i couldn't imagine the smell of that baking!

[kealina]

has anyone seen the 'bizzare foods' show hosted by andrew zimmern (it's on either discovery or travel channel). anyways, this man is a chef who will literally eat almost anything (think grubs, scorpions, etc) and even HE couldn't choke down a bite of durian... definitely an acquired taste.

kealina, you're DH is a brave man for eating the stuff. did you know that folks tradionally make cakes with it?!?? i couldn't imagine the smell of that baking!

yeah, we watched that episode and we've watched a few others too...
DH will try almost anything at least once...when we went to vietnam we did find out he will only eat it cold though... didn't know about the cakes although we may have tried some accidentally with all the stuff they fed us when we visited vietnam...which reminds me, if you guys are ever going thru southeast asia you should try the durian soft serve... i don't eat durian but was surprised that it was pretty good this way... lol... i dare ya...

[nanamom]

OK, did anyone besides me have to look up Durian?