Christmas Dinner on a Budget

Tap to Read ➤ Madhura Pandit

Even if you have a tight budget for Christmas, you can still have a fancy dinner and save money at the same time using these tips. Take a look...

Christmas is a festive season where everyone wishes to indulge in good food, sweets, and drinks. You may be planning to have an elaborate, tempting dinner for your family and must have already made your menu and shopping list.

But, wait! You suddenly find that you have already crossed over your budget. You cannot afford to do this, and need to cut down on your shopping list and alter the menu. You can avoid spoiling all the fun and still have a proper fare using these tips and techniques.

Budget Tips

♦ Plan and shop in advance. You may get a turkey cheaper if you shop for it early. You can also cash in discount coupons of supermarkets to buy things that you require. ♦ When shopping for things, you should know the exact number of people (family members and guests) who will be dining. Do not overdo food items and sweets to avoid wastage.

♦ Go for frozen vegetables rather than the canned ones as the former is a lot better than the latter. Avoid including gourmet or exotic food ingredients and store-bought sweets in your menu. ♦ Try to make dishes at home. You can make your own dips and sauces, side dishes and salads, and of course, desserts. This will help save a lot of money.

Christmas Dinner Recipes

Now, you can either buy a smaller turkey (bought in advance) or look for other substitutes for the main course. If the traditional turkey is out of your budget, go for the given ideas. These will suit your budget.

Corn Bread

Ingredients ♦ 1 box of corn muffin mix ♦ 8 ounces of creamed corn ♦ 4 ounces of whole corn kernels ♦ 1 egg ♦ 2 tablespoons of honey ♦ ⅓ cup of skim milk

Method of Preparation ♦ Mix corn muffin mix, creamed corn, kernels, egg, skim milk, and honey in a large bowl to form a well-blended mixture. ♦ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. ♦ Now grease the pan and pour the mixture in it. Set to bake for 20-25 minutes.

♦ After the prescribed time, check whether the bread is baked. It should appear golden brown and fluffy. ♦ Your corn bread is ready. You can have it with a salsa sauce, bowl of chili, etc.

Potato Salad

Ingredients ♦ 20 halved chat potatoes ♦ 1 cup of chopped pitted kalamata olives ♦ 1 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves ♦ ¼ cup of olive oil ♦ 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley ♦ 2 teaspoons of sea salt

Method of Preparation ♦ Put the halved potatoes in a pan with water and boil for 6-8 minutes. ♦ Remove from heat when the potatoes are tender. Now set them aside till they cool off completely.

♦ When cooled, cut the potatoes in desired sizes. ♦ Mix potatoes, olives, mint, parsley, and olive oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle sea salt and toss together. ♦ Your potato salad is ready to eat/serve!

Christmas Dessert

Ingredients ♦ 1 teaspoon of butter ♦ Leftover cooked Christmas pudding ♦ 1-2 tablespoons of brandy ♦ Any flavor of ice cream

Method of Preparation ♦ Melt butter in a pan. ♦ Crumble or squash the Christmas pudding and add it in the pan. ♦ Now pour the brandy over the pudding in the pan. ♦ Put this hot mixture of pudding and brandy over a slice/scoop of ice cream and serve immediately.

Apart from the traditional menu, pigs in blankets, Poussin chicken, casserole, beef stew with vegetables, pudding, salad, etc., are some other options that you can include in your menu.

Now, another method to have a fun party and still save money is to have a potluck dinner. You can plan in advance and inform people to get a dish, while you, as host, can prepare only the main course. This way, you can have fun at the party, enjoy, and also save a lot of time and money.

With proper planning, you can save money. You can also modify recipes to suit your budget and have a great Christmas dinner. Merry Christmas!