Thrill your friends and family with a delicious, yet thrifty, Memorial Day feast they will remember for years to come. Serve scrumptious appetizers, decadent salads and steaming barbecue for less than the cost of dinner and a movie.
Saving money on your Memorial Day barbecue does not make you a cheapskate. If anything, in today’s economy, it makes you a smart, efficient consumer. Why spend more than you need to, regardless of the occasion? You can offer many foods at your barbecue that cost, literally, pennies per serving.
Appreciate the Appetizers
Snacks are a huge hit at any party. They are easy to eat while mingling with friends or chatting with family, but the best part is; they cost less than full meals. Serve a variety of appetizers like crackers, chips, bread, vegetables and fruits. These foods are filling and generally affordable.
Shrimp Swirl Dip with Buttery Crackers
1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup ketchup
1 /4 cup horseradish
1 /2 cup chopped shrimp
Place the above ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture in to a small bowl and serve with butter-flavored crackers.
Experiment with “The Usual”
Instead of trying new recipes that might be questionable, experiment with diehard favorites, you know your guests will enjoy. Do not go overboard, just add a few subtle differences and see what happens, it could turn out to be the best recipe you ever make.
Sweet and Salty Deviled Eggs
1 dozen extra large eggs, hardboiled
1/8 cup whipped salad dressing
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup chopped ham
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Carefully, remove the shells from the cooled, hardboiled eggs. Slice the eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove the yolk from each side of each egg and place them in to a food processor bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Place the mixture in to a plastic zipper bag and cut off one of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the yolk mixture back in to the hollow of each egg white. Swirl your hand around as you squeeze to create a decorative effect with the yolk. Sprinkle the eggs with paprika to add color.
Bring on the BBQ
Get outside and enjoy the warm, spring weather. Just because you are cooking on the grill does not mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars on high-end steaks or expensive cuts of chicken. Buy whatever meat is on sale and experiment with different flavors instead.
Spicy Cheese Stuffed Burgers
1 pound ground beef
1 /2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 /2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 /2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 /4 cup medium salsa
Mix the ground beef, breadcrumbs and egg together in a large bowl. Create twelve thin hamburger patties, measuring about 4 inches across. Pour the cheeses and salsa in a separate bowl and mix them together. Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on the center of six hamburger patties. Cover the cheese topped hamburger patties with the remaining hamburger patties. Press each one down around the edges to seal the cheese and salsa inside. Place the hamburgers on the grill and cook, at medium high temperature, for about 10 minutes. Serve with slices of lettuce and tomato.