Have you been invited to a Memorial Day cookout and need a dish to pass? Food & Wine has 10 suggestions for elevated, crowd-pleasing sides that travel well. Watermelon salad with mint and feta, green bean slaw and Thai cucumber salad offer refreshing light bites for the year’s first hot days, while apple pie bars and walnut brownies will round out the cookout. If you prefer to indulge with traditional comfort classics, make a potato salad or deviled eggs, but be safe — don’t leave those dishes to bake in the sun and risk a case of food poisoning.
Tag: recipes
A Mother’s Day Menu Mom Will Love
Planning a menu for Mom? Southern Living recently asked the many mothers among its readership to suggest a few favorite dishes based on their likes. For the early birds, there’s a quiche and “fruitini” combination — perfect for breakfast in bed. A “coastal” mom’s menu includes grilled shrimp and Key lime pie. And the “gourmet” mom gets rack of lamb and a chocolate soufflé. When you’re on a budget, even elegant dishes are less expensive to cook yourself than a restaurant meal — and Mom will know that it took lots of effort. Whatever you choose for your Mother’s Day menu, don’t let her lift a finger during meal preparation, serving or (especially) cleanup.
Easter Brunch on a Budget
Taking the family out for an Easter brunch can get costly, with restaurants competing to offer the most lavish seafood towers, made-to-order omelets and carvery plates. It’s simple to stage a family feast on a budget, however, if you shop wisely. Watch for deals on mainstays like ham and leg of lamb; crowd-pleasing sides such as deviled eggs, asparagus and scalloped potatoes are in-season and inexpensive to prepare. Check out sites such as the Food Network for seasonal ideas, and you’ll be able to create a spring banquet for a fraction of what you’d spend at the local buffet.
A Valentine’s Menu That Only Tastes Like a Million Bucks
With Valentine’s Day arriving midweek this year, you might have a special dinner date set for Friday or Saturday night — and if you’re on a budget, you may be doing the cooking yourself! The ol’ surf-and-turf is a favorite romantic repast, but your options are limited only by your time and creativity. The Kitchn suggests sumptuous starters such as lobster bisque and deviled eggs, main dishes such as grilled branzino and parmesan risotto with shrimp, and decadent “sweets for the sweet” such as panna cotta and dark chocolate brownies, plus adult beverages that are sure to make the mood buoyant.
The Super Bowl Is Mostly About the Snacks
Did you know that football isn’t even the top draw on Super Bowl Sunday? Electronic invitation service Evite says that 48 percent of people look forward to seeing the new $5 million-per-half-minute ads the most, and 36 percent just want to indulge in party food; the game itself comes in third at 28 percent. In other words, the best game plan for a successful, stress-free party may be to avoid muting the commercial breaks and ask guests to contribute a snack or beverage so that there are plenty of Super Bowl essentials such as wings, nachos, chili and pizza to go around.