How To Plan An Inexpensive Patio Meal

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What I Learned from Eating A Lot of Baked Goods

I am a food addict. Over the years, I have developed a deep appreciation of baked goods. The idea that a person can take flour, sugar, and little else and create baked perfection has always fascinated me. As a result, I have spent a lot of time traveling to different bakeries to learn more about the techniques that experienced bakers use. I quickly learned that there were many other foodies in the world who also wanted to know more about how bakers do it. I created this blog to share some of the insight I have gained from my time spent in bakeries.

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How To Plan An Inexpensive Patio Meal

29 April 2016
 Categories: , Blog

Is it your turn to host friends and family at your home? If you're bank account is low, you are probably considering ways that you can present a delicious meal without spending a lot of money on it. If so, consider tweaking traditional foods that are inexpensive. 

The Main Course - Hamburgers and hot dogs are both inexpensive choices, but you might be hesitating to serve them, as they might seem commonplace to you. If that's the case, consider serving them in a very different way. 

  • Hot Dogs - Instead of using traditional buns for your hot dogs, serve them in hot flour or corn tortillas. Offer grizzled onions, guacamole, different salsas and Mexican cheese as toppings. Choose extra large tortillas which can hold your condiments well. Another idea would be to serve the hog dogs on long Kaiser rolls. This time serve them with thinly sliced tomatoes, fresh red onion slices, sauerkraut, mayonnaise and mustard-based spreads. Kaiser rolls are a good choice, as they're sturdy enough to hold all of the condiments without the bread getting too soggy. Also, Kaiser rolls have a beautiful design, so they're fun to serve.
  • Hamburgers - Again, give this popular selection a twist by serving them on specialty breads. Mexican French bread, also known as bolillos, would be a good choice. Before adding the meat, spread refried Mexican beans on the bread and add avocado slices and corn chips right into the bun. Your guests will love the crunchy taste! Kaiser buns would be another way to serve your hamburger meat. When you prepare the meat, add canned corn, cooked rice, cooked seasoned carrot cubes and your favorite seasonings. Choosing Kaiser rolls with pumpernickel seeds will add even more flavor to the sandwich. 

These meals are so loaded that you don't even need sides. However, if you do want to serve something extra, go with store brand chips which are not only inexpensive, but delicious.

Extras - A great way to save money on punch is to mix store brand ginger ale with a can of frozen apple juice. You'll end up with a very special poor man's champagne! For dessert, make your own fancy popsicles using ripe bananas and strawberries. Both fruits are inexpensive during this time of year. When you're going to serve your popsicles, place them in a paper muffin liner so your guests won't get sticky fingers.

It's a good idea to keep a log of people you entertain and of the food you served so you can use the log as a reference for your next gathering. There are many ways to serve inexpensive meat and kaiser buns, and you can check it out online.