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[quote=Anonymous]Are these events on consecutive days or spread out? Any dietary restrictions?

You can get away with cheaper cuts of meat if you have the time to braise them for several hours, after which they should be tender. Also, those kinds of dishes can be made ahead of time. Rice is cheaper than baguettes, so do rice or some other grain. Or, you could do a one-pot stew-type dish, and potatoes are filling. Cheese plate for first group; homemade pigs in blanket and similar for younger family. These can all be assembled beforehand. Crudite aren’t that expensive and can also be cut up beforehand. If you aren’t serving beef as your main dish, you could pick up some frozen meatballs and put them in a crockpot with some pasta sauce; people can eat those with toothpicks or in little bowls with forks.

I wouldn’t ask them to bring dessert, personally. They will likely bring you a bottle of wine, which you can either serve or stash away for future use. No shame in a Trader Joe’s frozen apple tart, according to Ina Garten. I’d do that with some vanilla ice cream.

When you are trying to save money, make everything look nice and fancy. If it’s festive, if your hosting is gracious and people are comfortable, if there is enough alcohol for anyone who wants a beverage, and if the food is tasty, you can get away with spending less on the actual ingredients for the meal. [/quote]

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