Frugal Friday - planning a dinner party

Sticking to a budget shouldn't mean we're limited on having guests for dinner. It just means thinking a little more creatively and carefully checking what's already in stock.

Here's my menu plan for this weekend, for 7 adults and 7 children.

Pre-dinner: platter of cheese, olives and veggie sticks

with crackers and hommus dip.
Main: a rich beef casserole to be served with mashed potatoes and steamed veg., plus a baked pasta dish.

Side salad.
Dessert: bottled peaches and a coffee cake.

I'm taking 4 beef spareribs and cooking them up as a casserole in the crockpot. Here's what I'm doing:

- 2 large brown onions, sauted in olive oil until well coloured. This adds a lot of the flavour, so make sure that this is done well. Place in the bottom of the crockpot.
- Next brown the meat in the frypan. Place on top of the onions in the crockpot.
- Pour over a jar of tomatoes (or a 840g tin).
- Cover and let it cook slowly. I aim to have the meat VERY tender, removing all the bones and connective tissue so that only the meat is left in a rich tomato sauce. Add a tablespoon of tomato puree' to taste, plus salt and pepper if you think it needs it. If it needs thickening, mix together some cornstarch (about 1-2 tbsp) with a little water (about 1/2 cup) and slowly add, stirring until you're happy with the consistency.

This casserole will be served with mashed potato, steamed carrots and beans and a salad.

I'll also make a pasta dish, in case that doesn't stretch far enough and the children find the meat too rich.

- Pasta sauce: saute'd onion, garlic, celery, carrots and pumpkin. Add chicken stock and cook until soft.
- Add cooked pasta and place all in a baking dish.
- Top with a cheese sauce and bake until golden on top.

The coffee cake is quite simply a butter cake, allowed to cool, put back into the baking tin then drizzled with a cup of strong black coffee (sweetened to taste). When all the liquid is absorbed, turn out onto a serving dish. Serve with cream and slivered almonds (if you have any on hand), or icecream, plus some preserved peaches on the side.

It should be a very relaxing atmosphere, with some games out for the children to play and lots of chatter.

Don't forget to check out more Friday frugal ideas here.