| Throw a great holiday party without
tossing the budget |
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On the day of the party, dress up a holiday buffet
table with this catering trick: Use paint cans, phone books or empty,
overturned planting pots to create risers for food trays. "Simply
cover them with your tablecloth, a pretty sheet or even a clean
painter's dropcloth and your table will look like it was set by
a professional," says Starr.
Comparison shop for food: You wouldn't dream of
buying that book or CD for your brother-in-law without checking
prices at a couple of stores, right? Take the same approach when
buying your party food. A week or two before your event, spend a
little time comparing prices at your local grocery stores, specialty
shops and warehouse clubs. A difference of a dollar a pound on deli
meat or cheese could make quite a difference when you're buying
for a crowd, says Sharon Maasdam, an Oregon-based home economist.
Stay in season: Don't use recipes that call for
red peppers or cherry tomatoes in November and December, even if
you think they might look festive, says Maasdam. "In addition
to being much more expensive at this time of year, since they're
seasonal items, they're being flown in from far away so the quality
is not going to be as good," she says. On the flip side, it's
wise to include ingredients in your party food that are typically
on sale around the holidays, from spices and special seasonings
to yams and baking potatoes.
Watch out for the free turkeys: Nancy Twigg of Knoxville,
Tenn., author of "Celebrate Simply," loves to take advantage
of holiday "loss leaders." These are the items grocers
sell at sharp reductions or even give away to lure more shoppers
into their stores. Her caveat: "Remember that stores are not
giving away things like free turkeys just to be nice. They might
require that you buy a certain amount of groceries (like $100 or
more) or buy a ham at full price before they give you the turkey
for free," she says. "Just be sure you're not buying things
you wouldn't normally buy in order to get that free bird!"
Serve expensive hors d'oeuvres "butler style": Even
if you're laying out the rest of your party food as a self-serve
buffet, your pricey crab puffs or handcrafted mini-quiches will
go farther if you serve them on hand-held trays. Twigg suggests
enlisting family members or friends to mingle among your guests
and offer the special appetizers "butler style." Guests
are more likely to eat just a few of these delicacies -- rather
than mound them on their plates -- if you offer them elegantly.
Organize buffet food by cost:
Maasdam likes this money-saving catering trick: Put less-expensive,
filling foods such as rolls and veggies at the head of the buffet
table, where guests will start filling their plates. Put the pricier
shrimp and fancy chicken skewers toward the end of the line. Partygoers
will naturally fill up on the less expensive items before hitting
the costlier goodies.
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