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Dinner Party ideas?!
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chicken liver pate is very cheap and easy to make, can be done in advance and served with thinn toast, bread, biscuits, veg sticks, according to how filling you want it to be.
Here's a recipe, but can be varied to suit http://www.myhouseandgarden.com/recipes/Chicken_Liver_Pate1.htm0 -
I am only just getting into thinking about costing things, but just now doing an apple crumble for pud today and that is really cheap and can be done in advance...best served with cream yum
Also, good idea on the chicken liver pate starter, dh makes it (he does bistro nights where he works so people pay for it) and he gets soooo many compliments about it - I also love it and am not a pate person - think his recipe is more or less the same as the one on the link, if you are thinking of doing it, pm me and I will ask him how he does it....
Just thought how about a good old bolognese for main, the ragu sauce can be made the day before (or even longer if frozen) and pretty cheap - does need a slug of wine to make it a bit special though...
Good luck with itJun GC £250.00/£12.40 NSD 3 / 30
January 200/198.91 February 200/239.28 March 200/230
April 250/no idea May 250/265.95
Sealed pot challenge number 6480 -
The last dinner I threw was cheap and very tasty.
I did courgette soup (made with courgettes, chicken stock, 1 clove of garlic and cornflour, I served that with homemade croutons. (Stale bread, diced with sprinkle of olive oil and dried basil then baked in high oven for 20 mins.
I followed that with a cheap beef stroganoff from the slow cooker.
Cubed beef, chicken stock, finely sliced onions that had been fried for 4 minutes before adding to cooker), sliced mushrooms, dash of white wine and tsp of dried parsley (optional).
Cook on medium for 4 to 6 hours, transfer to pan. Stir in small pot of single cream slowly and thicken with cornflour.
For pudding we had black cherry cheese cake. Very quick and easy.
1 packet of cheap digestives (27pence from Asda), 1 medium tub of philidelphia, 4 black cherry yogurts (cheap ones are fine) and 1 black cherry jelly.
Make the biscuit base..crush biccys with rolling pin, add 2tsp of melted marg and mix together. Push firmly into bottom of baking tin. Put in frige to set for 1 hour.
Put philly in a bowl and mash it down, add yogs and stir in.
Melt jelly in microwave with just enough water to cover it. Usually takes 1 minute on high.
Let cool for ten mins, fold into yoghurt mixture then put on top of biscuit base. Put in fridge to set for 2 hours.
Works out about £2 for a tasty home made pudding. Will feed upto six peeps as well.0 -
Can definitely recommend paté as a starter.
What about belly of pork for a main? Dead cheap from the butcher. Stuff with fresh breadcrumbs and parsley mixed with finely chopped onion, carrot and celery stewed in butter and tie the meat around the stuffing. Cook for 5 hours in very low in a caserole half covered in cider (seriously) on a trivet made from the bones out of the pork belly. Take of the crackling with a knife at the end and blast it for 20 mins or so in a red hot oven. My mate made it for me and I now make it too. Might be a Fernley-Whittingstall recipe, not certain.
Home made custard is a real luxury with pudding. Pretty easy and (like homemade paté) is a real wow as most can't be bothered to make it.0 -
Hi, got a couple of easy and tasty items for your menu.
Red peppers - cut lengthways - inc stalk.
Take out the seeds
Stuff with little red tomatoes - or chopped up bigger ones - whatever is cheap.
Then add some bacon bits - any old bacon will do.
Chop up a clove or two and spread amongst the toms.
Drizzle of olive oil and bung into the oven gas 5 (don't know any other measurements - sorry) for around 20mins although I normally just go by eye - should be browning around the edges and on verge of collapse.
Pudding - get cheapest ginger nuts you can lay your hands on (2 packs), dip (microsecond) into cheap sherry, pile onto a plate several layers high and in an oblong shape.
Cover with whipped cream (can mix it with creme fraiche) I normally use 2 tubs of elmlea so it can be made the day before.
Seriously damage a flake and sprinkle on. Can be done with cho chip cookies instead.
WARNING - your guests will stagger as they leave the table despite a tiny amount of sherry. This can be left in the fridge until you're ready.
Main course - sorry this is out of sync - just remembered a cheap and easy one.
Chicken pieces - 2 thighs per person, 2 onions chopped, tin of chicken soup - cheapest is great, two spoonfuls of mayo, teaspoon of curry powder.
Bung all into oven casserole dish and lay either asparagus or broccoli on top. Cover and bung into oven - gas 5 for about 90 mins - again go by eye. I chuck in a bit of cream at the end and serve with rice - again, dead easy to throw on whilst everyone is eating first course.
Am hungry now - off to scarf!!
Take care,
Tilly
xxThanks to this fantastic site and it's amazing people, we have paid over £63, 000 off - just over half way!!!:T THANK YOU:T0 -
My standard cheap and quick dinner party is
Grilled goats cheese with balsamic vinegar and sultana dressing
Pasta with garlic and chilli oil (with seafood added if I'm feeling flush)
Vanilla ice-cream with an espresso poured over and some nuts and choc on the top.
I can do this in half an hour, and it always seems elegant and posh even though it's really quick and cheap. If I have more time I do some home made garlic bread to go with it all.
WOW! sounds a great menu, really impressive but easy to do. :T0 -
I want to invite friends for dinner, a 3 course meal for 6 budget approx £50.
Cannot include seafood, and ideally I need a vege option. I have approx 4 hours to spend on prep. Can anyone offer me some ideas for what to cook.
Thanks:beer:0 -
Hi there
How about :-
Hm Soup to start...you can make this early and freeze it... with some HM bread
Mustard pork on crushed potatoes - takes minutes to make
luxury cauliflower cheese....as an accompaniment and is really nice as the veggie option (has baby onion, broccoli in too) - can be made in advance and stuck in the oven when you need it
With extra veggies
treacle tart.... quick n easy to make..and can be made in advance
tried to think of things that can be made in advance, or that look after them selves - so you can relax and enjoy the party too :beer: and it will come in well under budget :j
I can give you the recipes if you want any of them-6 -8 -3 -1.5 -2.5 -3 -1.5-3.50 -
have you got a recipe for treacle tart please?0
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TREACLE TART -4-6
pastry
225g plain flour, rub in 115g cold butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, sprinkle over 3-4tbs water and gently knead to bind, wrap and chill for 30 mins
Roll out 3/4 of the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line an 8" fluted flan tin, trim off overhang . Chill the pastry case for 20 mins,
Put a baking sheet in the oven and pre-heat to 200/400/gas6
Warm 260g golden syrup in a pan until it melts. Grate and juice 1 lemon.
Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in 75g fresh white breadcrumbs and the lemon rind.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then add more crumbs if the mix is too thin and moist.
Stir in 2tbs of the lemon juice , then spread the mixture in the pastry case
Roll out the reserved pastry and cut into 10-12 strips,
twist the strips into spirals -lay half of them on the filling and arrange the rest to for a lattice -press the ends onto the rim.
Place the tart on the heated baking sheet and bake for 10 mins, lower the oven temperature to 190/375/gas 5 bake for 15 minutes more, until golden-6 -8 -3 -1.5 -2.5 -3 -1.5-3.50
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