Isnt it expensive to have guests?

DVOM

Sat, Mar 25 2017, 9:56 pm

I love having company, and we are on a very tight budget. It does cost a bit more, because when we're on our own our shabbos menu is really bare bones, but I think it's worth it.

I tend not to serve traditional shabbos meals, and I think that helps because I can be creative with the menu. Sometimes I'll serve chili (instead of chulent) and homemade franks in blanks for shabbos lunch. Friday night can be zucchini soup and pasta with meat sauce. My husband and I love to try out new foods, so we'll sometimes get cookbooks out of the library featuring food from different countries and make themed meals (I can remember a 'Russian' shabbos. Just about everything we made was in some kind of pie crust. So yummy!) Desert is generally homemade and kid oriented, mostly because my littles are the ones choosing and making it. We've been on a rice kirspy treats kick for the past few months. The adults seem to like it too! I always tell guests when I invite them that I don't serve traditional shabbos food, and ask if there's anything particular that they like or dislike.

ectomorph

Sat, Mar 25 2017, 10:09 pm

DVOM wrote:

love the zucchini soup idea. Reminds me we once ate out and they made split pea soup with meat bones- delicious!

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 5:02 am

amother wrote:

if money is tight we dont buy and make from scratch.

baking regular challa at home is not expencive (I can make 4 loafs for about 1 euro)

chicken soup from bones and veggies on sale costs 2 euro per huge pot here. comes out delicious, almost everyone wants a second serving.

I make lokshen or mazzah balls very somple...yumm

instead of salmon or ready made gefilte fish I might make a dip from sardines with olives etc and tuna patties in sweet sour sauce...very cheap ingredients and it can serve many people. especially if served on a nice serving tray with herbs or red bellpeppers it is really nice.

eggs with chives--- very low cost

dips from whatever veggies are on sale or in season (avocado, olives, tomatoes + garlic...)

kugel is basically potatoes and oil- if some yummy veggy is on sale ill make a second layer (even cheap frosen spinach can make a deliious second layer and the kugel suddeinly looks very sophisiticated).

meat costs a fortune, so I try to minimise, but you can stretch incredibly well in tchulent or when making dishes with sauce.

desert is lemon sorbet (lemons sugar water--cheap) or simple cake with frosting, just add coffee OR orangejuice to the dough and frosting tastes delicious and is a nice twist.

obviously the food costs! but if oyu keep the ingredienst simple and cheal you can make something special out of everything. store bought dips, salads, fish, pastries are VERY expencive.

my way I can feed 15 guests on a relatively small budget.

but budget is very relative and so depends on everyones individual financial situation.

when money was tight and our rfiends new, they would invite us back and they also contributed to the meal. its the company that make sthe atmosphere special not the gourmet food imho.

so do what works for you.

I have no idea where you live, but these prices do not at all match what food costs here.

How can you make 4 loaves for one euro, approximately $1.10? Flour, oil, sugar, yeast, eggs, all cost. Even if you are talking about small rolls (and that is not enough challah when you are making a meal for more than 2-3 people), that would cost me more than $1.10.

A chicken for chicken soup costs me $12 even on sale; it can cost as much as $16. Vegetables and herbs just add to the cost. Even chicken bones cost here; they are over $2 a pound. And you need more than chicken bones for a tasty soup.

Even lemons for lemon sorbet are expensive.

I am not saying that hosting has to be a budget breaker, but the prices quoted above are not realistic for most people in the U.S. And I've never heard that food in Europe is cheaper.

soaraway

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 5:14 am

sooo many ways you can do it-if you love having guests, you should be able to-it just means being creative. Inviting couples helps I find because they will often offer to bring something (appetizer, salad, side etc.) helps minimize cost and your time.
I often make a stir fry chicken/meat dish with seasonal veggies. It's a great way to stretch expensive protein and make it saucy so it's yummy over rice/potatoes.
You don't have to make fish as a starter, and if you do, you can make a salmon salad/sushi salad, etc.
Homemade challah and dips obviously. Chicken soup is cheap. add noodles/veggies.
Pie crusts/whip/baking chocolate is expensive, make a simple cake and popcorn for dessert.
Basically. I often ask myself "Simple/cheaper and guests or no guests and fancier," We enjoy hosting, people enjoy coming and for many its the only time they get invited out.
That said, obviously if you are literally not making ends meet and cannot afford even the extra veggies in the soup, save it for later-beH there will be easier times.

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 5:15 am

SixOfWands wrote:

They should never have done that. Its not appropriate to discuss how much you spent on the meal, and not appropriate to make guests feel uncomfortable. If you cannot afford to have guests, then you shouldn't.

But as others said, it doesn't have to cost a fortune to host. Salads and dips can be made relatively inexpensively to serve as appetizers. Cucumber salad, quinoa salad, jalapeno dip, things like that. Cholent can be stretched with additional dried beans (cheap), barley (cheap) and potatoes (cheap). Chicken salad or chicken fried rice made with chicken from soup, or chicken purchased on sale ($1.99/pound per random circular I just checked). And kids get kid food.

But if you're not in a position to host, for whatever reason, and do accept invitations, you do need to do something for your regular hosts. Bake challah and bring it to them, even on a week you're not invited. Invite them for coffee. Anything to show appreciation. (And whatever you do, don't tell people you can't afford to host, beg for invitations, then post weekly photos of your family at restaurants and places with expensive admission fees; it irks people.)

The kids' table is one of my pet peeves. It was not something we experienced when we lived in NYC, but is very common in my new community. Kids at kids' tables here get chicken nuggets and cold cuts (barely enough for kids with moderate appetites), lots of junk food and candy, and no vegetables and fruit. Of course if you feed kids that kind of stuff, they will never want to eat real food. Ugh. Not when I host. Everybody gets real food. I always include one dish that is reasonably kid friendly, like meatballs or chicken schnitzel, and I always have cut-up and separate raw fruits and vegetables for kids who who won't eat salads, but otherwise I cook regular, adult food. It is not always super fancy, but it is plentiful, non-processed, and healthy.

lucky14

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 8:21 am

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

LOL I know this is off topic, but I agree!

Anyway as far as having guests goes, we hardly ever do because when we have guests I feel the need to actually make FANCIER stuff then usual Sad

I guess I have to get over this and just start inviting people more often. I guess to me since we have the same stuff every week it seems dull, but prob most people would be fine with it.

ectomorph

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 8:27 am

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

If you make 5 lbs challah at a time, not so much. U already have oil and sugar - it's just the eggs. I think they buy flour in smaller packages in Europe.

I use wings at 1.99/lb for chicken soup. A big plus is they have very little gunk.

Have u tried shopping at krm? I have gotten really big chickens there for much less than $16.

ectomorph

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 8:29 am

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

yup. I'm not even as nice as you - I ask people if their kids eat regular food, if not I make an effort but if I don't have time I just tell them to bring something their kids will eat...

SixOfWands

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 8:57 am

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

If you feel that your children will be so affected by one Shabbat at my home that they will never want to eat "real" food, then we'll miss you.

If you feel that the fact that our dining room table is too small to accommodate everyone, so we set up a kids' table, will adversely affect your kids, then we'll miss you.

If you feel that our offering your kids pasta with meat sauce, mini hamburgers, chicken drumsticks, or chicken fingers (and why on earth are they less healthful than larger chicken pieces; they're just easier to handle) means they will never eat "real" food, then we'll miss you.

Oh, who am I kidding. We won't miss you at all.

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 9:20 am

SixOfWands wrote:

SixOfWands, of course one Shabbat won't affect kids' eating habits, neither for good nor for bad. (I have no illusions that the kids who come to my house for Shabbat beg their parents for cantaloupe and cucumbers at their next Shabbat meal.) But overall, yes, feeding kids "kid food" does not make for healthy eating habits. Chicken nuggets aren't just small pieces of chicken schnitzel; they are often made of inferior quality chicken (like ground chicken, including skin). And even when making schnitzel, the smaller the pieces you fry, the higher the proportion of oil and breading (the less healthy stuff) to chicken (the healthier stuff). You yourself suggested the kids' table as a way to save money. If you're not serving food that is is in some way inferior to adult food, why are you doing it?

I understand the problem of having a small dining room -- I have one myself -- and I understand that there are different approaches to the problem. I happen to think there's a real value in having kids be part of a Shabbat family experience, rather than what I find is typical in my community, where kids run off outside or to the playroom after the first course, only to return for dessert. But that's not what I was addressing here. You can set up kids in a separate room, and still not feed them junk food.

(Incidentally, is the kids' table more of an MO thing than a JPF or Yeshivish thing? My old neighborhood was more mixed, and as I've said, I do not remember the kids' table trend there. And if it is an MO thing, why?)

BTW, I am not the one who hugged you. I don't hug to indicate lack of agreement.

ectomorph

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 9:21 am

SixOfWands wrote:

I think you are really nice and would love to eat at your house - I just wouldn't expect it of others, and would be upset if others expect it of me

amother

Wheat

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 9:21 am

ectomorph wrote:

$16 for chicken for soup is crazy!!! I live in ny. I use chicken bones (3.00-4.00 for a pkg I split in half) and 1 or 2 chicken legs which I take out if a family pack (1.99 a pound) and use the rest for chicken for main.
I makeep 6 pounds challah a time time....it make 10 to 12 challahs. Probably costs 5 or 6 dollars a dough.
Veggies and herbs can be economical. Just buy what's on sale or in season.
Lemons are 3 for 1.00 don't know how much u need for lemon sorbet.

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 9:22 am

ectomorph wrote:

I live OOT. I can get chickens for around 12.50 at Costco. In the Kosher supermarket, they're around $16. It's sometimes hard to get to Costco, and it's the Kosher supermarket or nothing.

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Mar 26 2017, 9:33 am

amother wrote:

I do use the chicken from soup in chicken salad, so it isn't wasted. I'm just saying that it does cost money. Even the carrots, parsnips, onion, celery, and dill cost. I am not saying that it costs $18 to make a pot of chicken soup and all you get out of it is the soup. But the European poster who said she could make a pot of soup for 2 euros -- I'm just not seeing it.

Regarding the lemon sorbet, I think it would be cheaper to buy lemon juice rather than the lemons. Fresh lemons are not cheap. I think the least expensive desserts are banana cake (especially because you usually use bananas that are about to go south) and spice cake (spices last forever).