Ok this was a fun thread I saw on the budget living forum of taste of home. What would you serve 10 people (for a get together) with just $25?? You need to serve an appitizer a main meal that includes meat and a dessert. You don't have to include drinks. And assume you have things like herbs already in your pantry. Try to break down your dollar amounts if possible, and give any recipes if you wish.:lol:
we are simple people for an appitizer I would buy a pack of little cocktail wieners--- there are aprox. 40 in each package so it breaks down good. I would wrap them in refrigerated biscuit dough and bake, I assume this portion would break down to about $5. For dinner I would make Italian beef sandwiches served with chips and a pickle spear. I need about 3-5 lb beef roast and it doesn't need to be the best cut of meat because I cook it in the crock pot, with one pkg. dry Italian dressing mix plus one teaspoon each of: garlic powder, onion powder or onion salt, basil, oregano, a dash of red pepper flakes, the seasonings and dry dressing mix gets mixed in 3 cups of water, bring to a boil and pour over meat in crock pot, cook and shred meat (use a little bit of juices from cooking when preparing sandwiches)........ for beef, hoagie rolls, and chips I figure $15-17. Often we see Pillsbury or other cake mix on sale for $1, and frostings are about $1.50 (bake in a 13x9 cake pan to get 12 servings) ($2.50) 15.00 (main dish) 5. 00 (appitizer) 2.50 (dessert) _____________ 22.50 ( use the extra for the jar of pickles if you don't have them)
I would serve tortilla chips and baby carrots with salsa on a pretty platter as an appetizer. Then we would have chili, cornbread and salad for dinner, and brownie sundaes for dessert. Tortilla chips: 1.00 Carrots: 1.00 Salsa: 1.00 2 lbs. ground turkey: 2.00 1 lb. bag dried pinto beans: 1.50 2 cans tomatoes: 2.00 1 can tomato soup: .50 2 onions: .50 Cornbread: should be less than $1 a pan for all ingredients Bag of salad: 2.00 Diced tomato: 1.00 Diced cucumber: .50 Salad dressing: 2.00 Generic brownie mix: 1.00 Store brand vanilla ice cream: 2.50 Chocolate syrup: 1.00 That comes to right around $20. I find chubs of ground turkey at Aldi for a dollar apiece, and their produce is usually cheap, too. Most stores have house brands for the tortilla chips and salsa...if they're not a dollar, they're close. I don't have a formal recipe for my chili. I soak the beans overnight, then drain the water off in the morning. I put them in my crock pot with however many cups of water the package says to cook them in, and add garlic powder, black pepper and oregano to the cooking water (never salt at this point because it makes beans tough). After about three hours on high, they're tender and the water has cooked down significantly. At that point, I fry my ground turkey and onions (and a bell pepper if I have it) on the stove, then dump it into the cooked beans along with the canned tomatoes and undiluted tomato soup. If I have carrots and celery I need to use, I mince these and saute them with the meat, too. I season it to taste with chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne, salt, black pepper and a little scoop of brown sugar. Then I let it cook on low all day. The cornbread is made following the package directions. The salad is just a torn head of lettuce or bagged salad combined with the diced tomato and cucumber. If I had a few $ left, I'd buy some shredded cheddar and croutons to sprinkle on top. Bake the brownie mix and cut into squares. Top with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
No real ideas but very happy to get some! Thanks...this may help out for the next time we have a church get together.
Hmmmmm....I've actually done this. There are a couple routes to go...hmmmmm.... I am going off my Aldi prices for this. Appetizer - Mimi Dip (1/3 jar salsa, 1 pkg cream cheese - abt 1.50) Tortilla Chips (.99) Dinner: Mexican Lasagna 1 lb ground turkey (1.19/1 lb tube) 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (1.00) Rest of jar of Salsa (1.00) 4 Cups Frozen Corn (2/.89 - 1 extra cup set aside for salad) Chili Powder & Oregano (assuming in pantry, yes?) 2 8 oz pkgs colby Jack Cheese (4.00 total), shredded 1 32 pack fresh corn tortillas (.89) Salad - 1 3 pack romaine hearts (1.99) 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernals 1 medium tomatoe, diced small (.50) Olive Oil, balsamic vinegar dressing (assuming in pantry) Dessert: Apple Cobbler 4 large apples (from 5 lb bag so about 1.00?) 1 Stick Butter (.50 - $2/pack of 4 sticks) 1 Cup Flour (is this a pantry item?) 1 Cup Milk (this varies, I'm sure but here it would be about .50) 1 Cup Sugar (pantry) 1 Tbs Baking Powder (pantry) 2 Tbs Cinnamon 1 tsp salt Whipped Topping or Whipped Cream (.89-1.89) Okay, now I need to add it all up and see how I did! ETA: Okay, my total comes to 18.73 if you go by what's in your pantry! You'd have enough to splurge on ice cream to go with the cobbler if you wanted! LOL
Okay.... There's also Spaghetti Casserole, Salad and Bread (I CAN HAVE REAL SPAGHETTI AGAIN! Well, for a while at least anyway!). And brownies for dessert. (again, using Aldi Prices. Spaghetti Casserole for 1o-12 would be: 1 lb ground turkey or beef (turkey 1.19) 1 jar spaghetti sauce (.99) 1 lb spaghetti (.79) 1 cup Sour Cream (.89 for 2 cups...so .445 for 1!) 2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (1.99) (easy recipe. cook up spaghetti and drain. Mix with sour cream and press into 13 X 9 pan. Brown Ground meat add sauce. Spread over spaghetti. bake about 25 minutes. Add shredded cheese. Bake until melted. This one freezes great too). Salad: Romaine (1.99) 2 Carrots (out of a .79 bag) 1 Cucumber (.59) Grape Tomatoes (1.19 - last weeks price on them) Salad Dressing (1.69/btl - I'd probably use Italian or Ranch) 2 Loaves prepared Garlic Bread - frozen (1.89 each) Brownies - 1.49 ingredients to make them - about $1.00 OOOOHHHH....beat myself! $17.92 WHOOO HOOO!!!! You'd still have money left over to jazz up the brownies if youw anted!
I would have a "jar bar" as appetizers; 2 jars of marinated olives 2 jars of pickles ( 2 different kinds) 1 jar of pickles veggies ( usually carrots, califlower,etc) 1 jar of marinated mushrooms Total- $5.94 ( all bought at the 99 cent store) Main dish is Chicken Creole: 2 1/2 - 3lbs chicken breast , diced small 2 cans of diced tomatoes 1 bag of white rice 1 large yellow onion, diced 2-3 ribs of celery, diced fine 1 can of V8 juice ( large 12 oz can) minced garlic ( fresh, I like lots of garlic so many 2-3 tablespoons) 2-3 tablespoons of Creole or Cajun seasoning ( the bottle/jar will say that and you may want to adjust seasoning at first to see how spicey you like it) 1/2 bush of minced cilantro ( for the top when finished) Recipe: Cook rice as directed on package ( for a big crowd you will probably need the whole bag) .Saute chicken in some vegetable oil with 1/2 of the Creole seasoning added for flavor, until almost done, add all of diced onion and celery at this point. Then add both cans of diced tomatoes, juice included. Bring to a simmer. Then add rest of cerole seasoning and minced garlic. Keep on low heat for about 5-7 mins. Then turn off heat, add cooked rice and mix together, then add most of the V8 juice, you want just enough in there that the rice isn't dry and it gives it a wonderful red/orange color. let sit for a few minutes , then top each plate with minced cilantro. Total: chicken -$4.00-4.77 at $1.59 a lb canned tomatoes: $1.18 at .59 a can onion - .50 ( or staple Free) rice - .99 a bag V8- .99 celery- whole stalk -.89 cilantro- .59 a bush Total: $9.91 Dessert: Triffle 1 whole Angel food cake: 2 boxes instant pudding ( any flavor you want , I like chocolate and vanilla) 1 tub Cool Whip 1 package strawberries ( either frozen, then thawed or fresh , sliced) Break up the Angel Food cake into about 1/2 inch pieces. Layer the bottom of either a sheet pan or high bowl, with the angel food cake ( just enough to cover the bottom for now) ,then some strawberries on top of cake, on top of strawberries spread some of the pudding, then spread some of the cool whip on top of the pudding. Repeat layers , cake, strawberries, pudding , cool whip. Your last layer should be Cool whip on the top, sprinkle any leftover strawberries on the top. Place in fridge for at least 30 mins, then serve. Total: Angel food cake ( premade) $1.59 Pudding- Large boxes .89 each- $1.78 Cool Whip- .99 Strawberries-$1.59 for 1 lb box total- $5.95 Total all: $21.80
Apps. I would make deviled eggs, and put some celery, carrots, bell pepper, olives tomatoes and other items out on a small tray with some ranch dressing. I would also put out some feta cheese slices and perhaps some squates of cheese that I cut from small slices that I had bought in the deli. ( I have been known to buy 3-4 slices of a couple of cheeses on sale to add to a tray for color or to fill it out:roll Dinner. I would make Albanian meatballs. These have feta cheese as an ingredient, but not alot hence above. These are seasoned, floured then deep fried as small patties. They can be quite rich if you wish and you don't need huge servings. I would also make either mashed potatoes or rice. A fresh vegetable medly think carrots, celery, a few pieces of red pepper left from above, and maybe summer squash or zucchinni or both. I would of course cut veggies in a totally different way than above. I would serve small side salads garnished with olives, shreads of the parm, or other cheese from above and some little bits of veggies. ( I have been known to buy just a couple of leaves of purple cabbage for salads or to help garnish a veggie tray) Dessert, sugar cookies with strawberry or peach smoothy with a squirt of whip cream. (I am counting this as a spice as we always have it on hand) Most of the items I have used, would only be a portion of a package or they would be items I buy by pounds or in larger bags at the local produce stands. I will esimate for the portions used. Eggs 1.50 Crackers 1.00 Cheeses needed 4.00 Carrots 1.00 Celery 1.00 squashes 2.00 meat 6.00 for 3 pounds lean on sale rice .50 ( we buy in 50 pound bags) Black olives 1.00 Lettuce 1.00 RBPepper 1.00 (in season local) Frozen strawberries or canned peaches 2.50 lime .25 cookies 2.00
I would do a Mexican theme! Appetizer: nachos tortilla chips--$1.25 1 cup shredded cheese--$1 melted with salsa--$1.25 Dinner: Beef fideo (in the yellow boxes in the pasta section) Ground beef $2 fideo $.20 tomato sauce $.20 hot tomato sauce $.20 couple tablespoons of salsa from nachos comino spices, garlic powder (in pantry) can pinto beans $.75 shredded cheese, 1 cup $1 Brown fideo in oil, fry up meat separately. Add beans to meat and comino and garlic spices. Add tomato sauces and salsa to fideo and 1 tomato can of water. Add meat to all and simmer for about 15 min until cooked. Top with shredded cheese. Dessert Mexican Ice Cream Sundaes Churros (found in Mexican section of stores)$1 Vanilla Ice Cream (couple of small pints) $2 Cinnamon and sugar (in pantry) Break up churros into a few chunks and top with ice cream. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar liberally over top. Total= $10.85--woo hoo!
This is a cool thread! Appetizer Celery - 1.00 Carrots - 2.00 Ranch Dressing - 1.00 Meal Rigatoni Spirals -2.00 Spaghetti Sauce - 2.00 Hamburger - 3.00 Romano Cheese - 1.00 Rolls Premade, finish in oven - 2.00 Dessert Jello - 2.00 with Fruit cocktail 2.00 Prices are approximate .. Total $18.00
