The time has come and you've finally agreed to host a dinner party. You've sorted the guest list, worked out a date that suits everyone and now its time to think of what to cook.
It’s easy to go overboard wanting to impress the guests, but staying within budget is not as hard as you think.
The following is a 'gourmet' dinner party menu for six based on ingredients you have in your cupboard and a few extra goodies. The key to this menu is that the dishes use what you have already, meaning less time (and more importantly money!) wasted on deluxe ingredients you'll probably never use again.
The Menu
Mini Quesadillas with Mexican-Style Salsa.
Pasta with Creamy Roasted Pumpkin and Steamed Greens With Honey Sauce.
Carmelised Pears with Berry Coulis and Ice Cream.
Shopping List:
Can of berries
Vanilla ice cream
Flour tortillas
Tasty cheese
6 pears
1 lemon
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
Pumpkin (at least 400g)
Celery
5 tomatoes
Packet of frozen beans (or fresh)
300ml cream
Packet of pasta
Pantry Basics (things you’ll probably have):
Salt and Pepper
Sugar
Olive Oil
Herbs (preferably dried oregano and basil)
Honey
Extras (if you have them or can afford them):
Pesto
Chilli Sauce
Mini Quesadillas and Mexican-Style Salsa
Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Tasty cheese
Extras (olives, mushrooms)
Sandwich between two tortillas some grated cheese and any other the extras you have hanging around the fridge and pantry. (Olives, mushrooms, salami, special cheeses, sun dried tomatoes etc). Either grill the quesadillas using a sandwich press, or warm a frying pan with a little oil and grill each side until slightly brown. Cut into bite-size triangles.
Clean out the fridge and pantry challenge: Do you have any of the following kicking around? Olives, mushrooms, salami, special cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, cooked vegetables, cooked or smoked meat. Chuck these into the quesadillas.
Mexican-Style Salsa
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 celery (or some other green vegetable)
5 chopped tomatoes
Squeeze of lemon juice
Splash of chilli sauce
Salt and pepper to season
Finely chop vegetables and combine with other ingredients. Pasta with Creamy Roasted Pumpkin & Steamed Greens with Honey Sauce
Ingredients:
Pumpkin (at least 400g)
A packet of dried spagettetti, penne or similar pasta
3tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
300ml cream
Pinch of dried basil
Pinch of dried oregano
1-2 tbsp basil pesto
Roast the pumpkin in 2tbsp of the olive oil in a hot (220°C) oven until soft and sweet. Saute the onion and garlic in the other tbsp of oil. Add roasted pumpkin, cream, herbs and pesto. Simmer until liquid has slightly reduced and flavour developed. Pour pumpkin sauce over cooked pasta.
Clean out the fridge and pantry challenge: Do you have any of the following kicking around? Bacon, left over cooked chicken or any veges that are in season. Add these to the pasta sauce. Add the bacon and chicken to the garlic and onion, add any veges later.
Steamed Greens with Honey Sauce Steam about 2 cups worth of the frozen beans, drain. Soften 2Tsp of honey with a teaspoon of olive oil, drizzle over beans.
Carmelised Pears with Berry Coulis and Ice Cream
Ingredients:
6 pears
4Tsp sugar
Can of berries
Ice cream
Quarter the pears and remove the cores. Squeeze a little of the lemon juice over them and sprinkle with sugar. Grill the fruit until golden, carmelised and tender.
Berry Coulis Take the can of berries, heat in saucepan with 2Tsp of sugar until sugar has dissolved. To serve, put a pear with some ice cream, a drizzle coulis over to finish it off. Voila!
Clean out the fridge and pantry challenge: Do you have any of the following kicking around? Maple syrup, honey or any ice cream sauces can be stirred through soft vanilla ice cream to spice it up? Nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios, walnut), liqueurs (Baileys, Kalua, Cointreau, Rum) and dried fruit (raisins, craisins, prunes) all work well.
The key to entertaining well on a budget is to work with what you've got. The above menu is just a guide. Be creative, be flexible and you're well on your way to 'champagne' entertaining on a 'beer' budget.
party. You've sorted the guest list, worked out a date that suits everyone and now its time to think of what to cook. 
an of berries
Ingredients:
Ingredients: