With this year’s tighter budgets, many holiday cooks will be limiting their entertaining splurges. Fancy menus and imported ingredients are facing the ax, as shopping lists face greater scrutiny.
Instead, many are taking a new look at old favorites, which can help cut holiday-meal costs without having to cut guest lists.
While in recent years, holiday entertaining often has put the emphasis on pizzazz, this might be a good year to return to the basics. Such holiday standards as roast turkey and mashed potatoes are surprisingly affordable and provide anchors around which more expensive fresh vegetables and desserts can really shine, for a table you’ll be proud to showcase.
That’s the approach taken by TV chef Devin Alexander, host of FitTV’s “Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander” and author of The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. With a little pre-planning and a willingness to do more prep work yourself, a cook who already has pantry basics on hand can feed even a gathering of 12 without breaking the bank, Alexander insists.
Savvy shoppers begin with a menu plan.
Are you hosting an appetizer party or a sitdown affair? Will you be serving from a buffet line or family-style? Then make out your shopping list and gather up the weekly sale flyers from your area’s markets.
“See where the bargains are for the food you want to buy,” Alexander says. It may make sense to hit more than one store, depending on your list. For example, many markets will give you a free turkey if your total goes above a certain dollar amount and almost all stores