Alright, summer is over and the holiday season is just around the corner. Trust me, it's going to come up a lot faster than any of us want it to. There will be family and friends, good stories and wonderful times. However, that also means there's going to be lots of dinners, and with so many people that can be hard.
Not everyone is on a special diet, but I'm fairly sure most are to some extent. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. So when it comes to party food, it's always so hard to figure out just what to make. Here are a few tips and ideas I have compiled for you to start the season off right.
Make a small something for everyone. Now by that I don't mean make everyone a small roast chicken for themselves. What I am getting at with this is simply make one dish that suits each group. For example. You generally have normal people who eat just about everything. So a basic ham dinner would do them just fine, or some pork chops or even a small roast. Then you worry about people who don't eat red meat, so have some bird or fish as another option. Vegetarians and vegans can prove to be harder, but just small steps taken will for sure make them feel more welcome.
A basic meal plan and what it costs. I'm going to plan this party for roughly ten people.
Pork Chops: A family pack of 6-8 would do just fine. (remember not everyone's first choice will be a chop!) Roughly $10. More or less depending on your area.
A Whole Chicken or a Turkey breast. Both can vary but you can normally find a whole "frying" chicken for about $5-$7. Here again, shred that all up and it will go quite a long ways.
Lasagna. This normally has meat in it, but it's very easy to replace the meat with spinach and make it the same way. Great for Vegetarians, or people looking for something a little lighter. Pasta and spinach are generally pretty cheep. $1.50 for pasta, another $2 for a large thing of spinach and then just add cheese and sauce. A whole pan could feed upwards of 12-15 people easily.
Side salad with all the toppings on the side. Super simple, you can even buy bagged premade salad.Great for any other picky eaters and a wonderful side to most of the other dishes above.
So to feed those ten people, and have enough for plenty of leftovers, you are looking at roughly a $50 meal. That's not bad at all for the holiday season. Add in a few extra sides like potatoes or stuffing and it will go even farther.
A great thing to do when inviting people is to ask if they have allergies or any other dietary needs. Even if you can't hit every need, you can have a small something for everyone.
~Skadia, the holiday prepping panther.
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