Holiday Entertaining That Won't Break Your Bank Account
Nearly everyone is counting pennies during the holidays, but if you love to entertain you don't need to "break the bank." Here are some tips to help keep the cost down, without losing your festive flair.
The Holiday Brunch. Brunch is always a welcome treat during the holidays. Invite your guests to bring their favorite breakfast dish. Or assign a dish for each guest to bring. Include appetizers like cheese balls and crackers. Another guest might bring a quick bread, such as zucchini, pumpkin, or nut bread. Make luscious scrambled eggs for a crowd. Beat together a dozen eggs and 1/3 cup heavy cream. Pour into a well seasoned, buttered skillet. Scramble on low heat until just set. Serve immediately with brown-and-serve sausages, biscuits or rolls, and whipped butter and jam.
The Sausage and Mustard-Tasting party. Choose sweet and hot Italian sausage; Polish kielbasa, German bratwurst or knackwurst, and good old American frankfurters. Serve with complementary mustards, from sweet to hot. Serve with a side dish of baked beans and sauerkraut. You may also include several different kinds of beer.
The Cookie Exchange Party. Nothing delights around the holidays quite like a cookie exchange. Each guest is invited to bring a plate of cookies, along with the recipe printed on 3x5 cards, enough for each guest to take home.
The Pasta Party. Nothing hits the spot quite like pasta. It can be made into salads, and it is wonderful covered in your favorite sauces. Serve several kinds of pasta, along with traditional tomato meat sauce, and also cream or cheese sauces.
The Ice-Cream Party. Who doesn't love an ice-cream sundae? Include exotic flavors, along with good old-fashioned vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. Provide ice-cream scoops, chopped nuts, fudge, marshmallow and butterscotch sauces, and shredded coconut. Topped with a dab of whipped cream, this party will bring out the child in everyone.
If you think about it, you probably can think of several different ways to not only entertain, but save money in the process. Never forget that the holidays are the perfect time to tell friends and family just how special they are. And you can do this affordably, as well as, joyfully. So, have a merry and inexpensive Christmas.
