Celebrate the Hidden Treasures Within

This post is actually inspired by an article I read in one of my favorite magazines. 

Learn More about Living on Less with Mother Earth News.

The article’s title is Reclaiming the Kitchen and can be read in the June/July 2008 Issue of Mother Earth News.  Cooking real meals is the predominant subject of the article.  However, one person, Ricki Carroll, is featured as having taught thousands of people to make their very own cheese.  Yes, you can MAKE cheese!  While I am interested in the subject of making cheese, and most definitely in Reclaiming the Kitchen by feeding our families the very best foods (instead of whatever cardboard container is in the sale bin)  I am also interested in how a hobby can convert to a party, and if you’re savvy, a little marketing adventure.

What is your hobby?  What is that thing you love to do.  Or that skill that you possess that could prove quite beneficial to others?  Dig deep, you have one.  Maybe it’s your ability to put together graphics and make the cutest CSS anyone has ever seen.  Or maybe, the way you always have the best hair and makeup.  I know, you have a knack for trends and people always fall over at how you style yourself.  Whatever that quiet little skill you’ve been hiding or thinking isn’t of value, I’m here to tell you it is.  Need a little more inspiration?  Check out 48days.net.  You’ll be glad you did.

So back to the Mother Earth News article and how this fleshed out for Ricki Carrol.  Her hobby was making cheese.  She is good at it, has a passion for it and began teaching others how to do it.  That blossomed into a full time cheese making teach o rama for her.  Now take that thing you do so well, and do the same.  Yes you are good enough, so don’t start fighting with me already.  Start by having some friends over.  Do you make an awesome pizza?  Show them how and share the fruit of your labor.  Do you grow the best dang tomatoes?  Have you friends over for BLT’s and share that you grew your own and show them how. 

 Don’t miss this point.  Everyone likes to showcase their talent.  So take the time to know your guests and ask THEM about their hobbies.  Ask them how they got started, let them do a bit of soul searching.  While the whole event can be totally casual, you never know what hidden treasures you’ll find in your friends.  And they will leave feeling encouraged and invigorated.  BLT’s?  C’mon.  That’s easy and cheap.  A lifetime of friendship…well you know the rest.

Cake Balls and the Party Ideas Keep Rolling

When I first came across this recipe and saw variations on the design, I knew this was a winner party idea (and did I mention cheap?).  The cake ball.  Now I know you can probably come up with a better idea for a name,  but for now, cake ball it is.  The inspiration came from Bakerella.  A blog about, you guessed it, baking.  The recipe is there on the blog so, when you’re ready, click on the link to find it.

Here are a few photos and information I learned on my first attempt at this cheap party food idea. 

Step one.  Bake a boxed cake…we can all do that, right?

Cooled cake and a jar of frosting. Simple right?

 

Crumble the cake into a bowl. I can crumble.

 

Combine the crumbled cake and a jar of frosting. Sticky alert!

 

Roll into balls, about the size of a quarter.Let these suckers sit in the fridge for awhile so you can reshape a bit with the back of a spoon.Melt White Chocolate chips according to directions on package.

Make your Man the Master of the Meat

Steaks for all!

Everyone has been to parties where tacos, sloppy joes, and all that rot has been served.  After all, isn’t that the cheapest way to go?  You might be suprised.

At my son’s birthday party we served New York Strip.  Yeah, I’m the cheap party chick.  Here’s the deal.  We went to a local market.  Ours in the Niles, MI area is called Sheltons.  We purchased a whole New York Strip and were able to cut at least 20 steaks from it.  The cost…$50.

 

 

 

 

Now, I am sorry, I’ve done everything from Little Ceasars, to sloppy joes and tacos,  and for the money, this ranks right up there.

So before your get yourself all set to do things on the cheap,  and serve up some pot full of hamburger, consider this option. 

 Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning and grill to perfection.  Now you look like a big ol’ hero, and didn’t spend any more than you would have on hamburgers. 

So where does the master of meat fit in?  You know what it’s like to go to the grocery and haul stuff in, and then put it away.  Well, when you have one of these fancy little vacuum sealer gadgets…

Vacuum Sealer

The boys like to get their knives out and go to town on the steak.  Then they can pack it all up with the help of their new kitchen toy, and you’ve got steaks for a month or so!  Heck, if they’re a grill master, let them be the hero of the party and cook it too.  Sneaky!  Win win!

Seriously, we do this all the time.  You can purchase whole ribeye, new york strip, a big ol’ thing of ribs, a family pack of hamburger, and this little vacuum sealer can package them in singles, or three to a pack.  However your want to divide them.

I think reynolds sells a cheapie one that will work, but I prefer the heavier duty ones you can find at Target.

Cheap Party Chick says go big!

One More Week for a Strawberry Stretch

Strawberry Shortcake. Oh my goodness!

This past week my mom, my kids and me packed the van and headed to the strawberry patch.  For $9 I picked a giant bucket of strawberries.  Talk about a cheap party food!  Here’s what I was able to squeeze out of God’s little rubies of summer.

STARberry shortcake.  Homemade and scrumptious.  The kicker about this recipe is, while it’s rich, it isn’t loaded with a bunch of foreign chemicals that our bodies weren’t made to digest.  And the strawberries were carted down the road for days in some truck,  just 20 minutes in a mini van!

But shhhh, only special people get this recipe.  And I do mean special.  I took some over to my neighbor and she returned the bowl to me and never even sat down.  That tells you something.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 quarts of strawberries to feed 26 people
• some sugar (about 3/4)  if you like your straberries sugared! They’re already sweet.
• 4 cups of flour
• 4t baking powder
• 1t salt
• 1 1/2sticks butter (cold not softened)
• 1 c heavy cream you can find this near the milk at the store (it’s expensive but worth it)
• 1 container of yoplait light yogurt (I used strawberry sunrise or something like that)
• 1 large egg yolk

Put your strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar, put ‘em in the fridge.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the shortcake:

1. Combine your dry ingredients in a big ol’ bowl. About 1/4 c of sugar or whatever is left.
2. Chop the cold butter in little pieces into the dry ingredients and then use two forks (I use my hands) to kind of make a crumbly mixture.
3. Add 1 c of cream and the yogurt.  Here’s where things get sticky.
4. You want to kind of mush the dough together but lightly, because your shortcakes will be kind of tough if you’re too tough on the dough.  That seems fair.
5. Now, on a floured surface, roll out your dough to about a 1/2 inch thick.  I used 2″ star shaped cookie cutters to cut my shortcakes, but you could use a glass or whatever you have handy in your kitchen.  Heck, use a knife and cut it into strips or squares.
6. Don’t skip this part! Take the egg yolk & about 1T of cream and brush the tops of your cakes.  I dusted them with some decorating sugar I had left over from another recipe.
7. Bake about 12-15 minutes on a prepared cookie sheet. They should be a golden brown color.

For the cream part, I pour about 1/2 c cream and a few tablespoons of sugar and a drop of vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy.  This takes a long time, that’s why I only do it 1/4-1/2 c at a time. 

Top your baked shortcakes with strawberries and cream and you have an awesome, filling dessert for your next party.  Beats the heck out of a pack of chips ahoy.  And feeds a lot more people too.  26 in this case.

Sunshine and Wedding Cakes…Who knew?

Wedding Cake.  Yummy!  I LOVE IT.  And this is something I would ALWAYS let a pro handle.  I am one of those gals who likes her guest to have the best.  How can you do that, AND be a Cheap Party Chick?  Well, I asked Sunshine Stewart of…

Sunshine Stewart’s Website

to let us in on a few of the tricks of her trade, and boy did she deliver.  Check it out in the interview below.

 

 

 

Jen:

  OK, Sunshine, I’m a bride, I’m coming in and have 150 guests coming to my wedding what should I expect to spend to feed them all?

Sunshine:
Our wedding cakes start at $2 a serving so you should expect $300 – $500 for a cake to feed 150 people, THOUGH – we will work to fit your budget.  There are many ways to save money and many options to add if you are interested in spending more. 

 

Jen: I’ve seen people do “cupcake cakes” is that any cheaper, or about the
same?

 

Sunshine:
Yes – cupcakes can be less expensive. Our cupcakes start at $18 a dozen.  Again, we can add edible glitter to make them sparkle, filling, or fancy laser cut cups if you have money burning a hole in your pocket. 

 

Jen: What options are available to me as far as mini cakes, tiered cakes,
cupcakes, sheet cakes?  What’s the most expensive way to go?

Sunshine:
We have done many cupcake weddings.  That seems to be the big trend right now.  I have also seen smaller cakes on each table to use as center pieces or to make different flavors available.  We have done a smaller tiered cake for pictures and cutting with sheet cakes for feeding the masses (this is probably the cheapest way to go). We even have an order for “wedding pies”.  This is something that was highlighted on Food Network a while ago.  This particular couple is ordering 8 different pies that we will decorate with hearts and their initials and such for their big day.  I think the most expensive option is to get a great big, multi tiered cake covered in fondant. 

Jen: In general, when I walk in to a bakery and want cake for my wedding,
what should I be fairly clear on before I even hit the door?

Sunshine:
You should have an idea of what you are looking for and your budget!  It is easy to get caught up in all the extras and the scent of icing and cake will numb your brain into believing that you Have to have it and you can afford anything!  There are lots of websites out there, if you find a cake online that you fall in love with print it off and take it into the bakery with you.  They will tell you if they can do that or not.

Anything else you would like to add……..

SUNSHINE: I would also like to add that this is still cake and you (and your family and friends) are going to eat it – I sure hope it tastes good and you don’t have to take out a loan to pay for it.  Our bakery can fit any budget – let us know what you can afford and we will work with you to accomplish your dream wedding cake at a reasonable wedding cost and it will taste AWESOME!!  I put my name on it!!!

 

One last note from Jen.  It is always important to me, when choosing vendors, that the people I work with are genuine, fun and enjoy what they do.  I was blown away by Sunshine.  She is the real deal.  And as my sign said at the show, “You can have your cake AND pay the bills.”  Sunshine is here to help you do just that!

 

 

Easiest Wedding Favor Ever!

Easiest Wedding Favor Ever

What I like most about this idea is that it’s easy.  Oh, and its quick, and oh, yeah…it’s cheap.  You can literally make these in seconds.  Just take some of those stick candies (Cracker Barrel 10 cents).  Lay them out on some wire ribbon.  Cut it and bend it up to from a little pocket.  Make a tag out of some scrap paper in your colors.  You could use rub ons or stickers for the text, or stamps, or just print something from the computer, and punch a hole in the whole thing.  Then thread some coordinating robbon through, and tie acounf the middle to keep the thing secure.  You could even hot glue  a little shell, or bumble bee, or fakey rings on there, how cute?

 

You CAN do this.

Totally custom,

Totally cute.

Totally CHEAP!

Wedding Idea using Candy

Hmm, I am finding that I use candy a lot.  Well, it’s cheap, and I’m the Cheap Party Chick, so I guess that makes sense.  Here is an idea that can’t be any quicker or easier.  Try it out.

Take these supplies...

And turn them into this.

Candy Cocktail

 

The tag is just a scrap of paper I used earlier, layered with a coordinating solid paper.  Then punch a hole with a plain old paper punch.  Thread a ribbon through the hole, & tie the ribbon around the stem.  Fill with candy that matches your theme, and the umbrella…Walmart in with the party supplies.  A whole bunch of them for cheap! 

 I used a rub ons for the text on the paper, so much more chic looking than stickers, and easier than stamps.  Here’s where you can find some of the coolest ones on the planet.

Basic Grey Makes Awesome Rub Ons. Good way to Fake Custom!

Cheap Party Idea: Build a Burger, Better Please!

I was grilling hamburgers today, and was thinking what fun it would be to host a burger building party.  the next thing that popped into my head was that I HATE when people by those frozen brick patties and say they’re grilling out.  Pardon my gagging.  Maybe I’m spoiled because my hubby is such a burger meister, but c’mon people you can do better than that. 

My next thought was, gee I wonder if you can season the hamburger ahead of time and freeze the patties.  That way you could stretch your party budget over time.  Maybe buy a package of hamburger or two each week until your party (I’m not talking a party your having next year either…one you’re having relatively soon.  4th of July, Memorial Day is coming up, Graduation, whatever.)    The answer to my burger wonderment is yes.  See there once again i looked something up for you so you don’t have to waste your precious time finding out the answer.  More below on this.

Now, how bout the rest of the brick and mortar.

• cheeses:  mozza, cheddar, bleu, American, Swiss
• veggies: onions, pickles, peppers, tomato, mushrooms, sprouts, lettuce, get creative
• condiments: horseradish, ranch, ketchup, mustard(s), mayo, chipotle whatever you can find, BBQ.  Oh the possibilities.
• Buns: crusty, whole wheat, sesame seed, kaiser rolls, regular, go crazy

Sides: I’ve always wanted to have a Doritos or Pringle fest.  Choose one and buy like 5 varieties and have a taste test.

And have some fruit there too, to keep everybody cool and healthy.  Gotta get your antioxidants.

Drinks…up to you.  But, I’m thinking maybe something reminiscent of the Cheeseburger in Paradise variety.

 

Here’s how to have the good burgers ready to go.  Ditch those hockey pucks will ya?  Unless you’re playing hockey with them.

FREEZING HAMBURGER PATTIES

Cheap Party Favor Idea, and I mean Cheap

I am revealing a source here.  And I do mean a source.  For those of you who are not crafty, you probably have never ever seen this website.  You are about to enter another world.  A world where the possiblity of looking very craftworthy just came to fruition. 

 Meet Lettering Delights.   This site features FREE software that is akin to scrapbooking.  All of the elements of scrapbooking are there; fonts, journaling blocks, title blocks, backgrounds, graphics.  It all there.  The elements are not free, but here’s a little hint.  They have dollar days sales, and you can shop until you can’t take it anymore.  The software for utilizing all of these nefound toys is easy to use.  The kicker…u ready?  Here it is!

They have customizable candy bar wrappers.  You heard me.  Oh yeah, wedding ones, and just about anything else.  You buy the template for like $4 or so, and you have the template at your disposal forever!  Woohoo!  What the heck is a candy bar wrapper? 

Candy Bar Wrapper

 The best way to see is to just check out the site.  But you can buy a whole pack of hershey bars for like $3 and customize them.  Cheap and easy and cool as can be.

Now, I’ve done it.  I’ve revealed a big giant secret.  You better make good use of it.

M&M’s Favor Savers!

Mars definitely hit the mark when they began offering customizable m&m’s.  Is there a person on the planet who doesn’t like m&m’s? 

In addition to being able to have text printedon these mini delights, you can choose the color (they now have shimmer colors awww).  Have your m&m’s delivered in favor boxes or little bags, or just have them delivered in bulk, and wing it when it comes to display.

This isn’t exactly cheap.  At $38.99 for 3-7oz bags, you’ll need to come up with a way to make them stretch.

Here are some thoughts.

1. For a casual wedding, rim the bottom of each layer of your cake with them.
2. Buy mini champagne flutes, and use them as favors, and I do mean mini!
3. Cupcakes with 1 m&m on top. (really cheap, better be dang good cupcakes!)

If you do decide to go this route, take the time to check out their “specials” feature.  You can save about $14 on certain offers. 

Before you decide to do the M&M customization.  Here’s another idea to think about.  Just buy the color you want blank.  Then add to mini champagne flutes, and cut out a little tag out of paper, fasten with ribbon to the stem of you flute, and still customized, still m&m’s, still good, still have money!