I love to have people over but even more so I would say I love to go over to people's houses! It's so fun to see how every other female has a better decorating sense then I and glean wisdom from them. It's also great to see how every person has turned their house into a home that is inviting and welcoming no matter the person's personality. Also it gives me the opportunity to say goodnight when my brain is shutting down and not be rude by kicking everyone out of my house. So it works for everyone ;)
The one challenge I always face, particularly because I'm a Minnesotan, is how to bring great dishes to share that are delicious, add a little spice to our insanely long horrifically awesome winters, that won't break my budget and isn't just another cheese platter. (Although they do have their place in the realm of tasty app essentials at parties.)
A few weeks back we were participating in one of the worst Superbowl games I've seen in my years of being a football enthusiast due to the fact that the Broncos barely showed up to play. (I still feel bad for those guys. They just needed a do over!) We were in the midst of a brutally cold week. Schools being closed and Minnesotan morale at an all time low. I really wanted to bring something delicious and warm to contribute to the party. But my challenge was that I didn't have a crockpot to pre-heat with and I didn't want to monopolize the oven of the hostess for a long period of time. I also need it to feed 10-15 people without spending booku bucks. Oh and I didn't want it to be the traditional Superbowl treats of pigs in blankets, nachos, wings, mini meatballs, etc. I did a little research and voila! Came up with a great dish!
I ended up landing on making Queso Fundido! Doesn't that sound cool? It is essentially just a popular Mexican cheese dip that is served in almost every authentic restaurant. Usually it's served with warm small tortillas but mine was going to be served with chips because that's a heck of a lot cheaper and it serves many more friends. I browned sausage and sweated out some onion then added green and yellow bell peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and then layered it all together with Monterrey Jack and Quesadilla cheese in a glass baking dish. It was perfect because I just kept it cold until we were at the party, it took me a short time to make, I had all the spices and most of the veggies, and even though the dish wasn't huge (only and 8x8 baking dish) I knew that it would go far because it's lots of gooey cheese in a dish. What's not to love? The best part is I only had to throw it in the oven at our friend's house for 10 min and it was bubbly, hot and melted, and ready to eat! It was delicious and a great addition to all the other awesome apps on the table. We had different kinds of chili, delicious dips, beer bread, and our needed cheese platter! Everyone got a portion of the goodness, I didn't have any leftovers (which is an awesome) and I only had to clean up one dish!
So here's the deal. When looking to serve a lot of people there are some easy things we can do. First off, various dips with chips is always an affordable and fun option because there are tons of varieties these days. We also cannot forget our friend the cheese platter because you can go as big or small as you want with it by adding breads with the crackers as options, different spreads, olives, balsamic vinegar, the possibilities are endless! It's a great way to use up the portions of leftover hummus or dips you have in the house. Just put them in cute little bowls and no one will ever know you didn't go to the grocery store just for them! Pay attention to ingredients in the recipes. Try to make sure everything is in season because that can jack up costs or make sure you at least have a good portion of spices and main ingredients already in your fridge/freezer! This will also save you moola. And don't be afraid to put things into bite size portions to make it go farther! One of my favorite appetizers is sticking half a grape tomato, half a folded basil leaf, and small chunk of fresh mozzarella on a toothpick and drizzling balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil over them! They are a great crowd pleaser and again they go super far because they are great one bite treats.
The moral of the story is; You can feed a lot of people for not a lot of money. You just need to think about a few things. Do I have some of the ingredients already, does it have a lot of expensive ingredients like, meat, cheeses, or a lot of ingredients altogether, and can it serve a larger group of people easily?
I will never stop inviting people over (Even though, yes I am half asleep by 10:30 on the weekends. Hey, I'm a baker!) I will never turn down quality time spent with others in their homes and I will never miss a great opportunity to find a fun new recipe, feed all my friends, and create great memories!
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