Cheap Christmas Dinner

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Kevin86

Senior Cook
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
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399
Location
Ontario
So with seasonal workers getting laid off and Christmas straining some people more than others I thought about asking for ideas.
My thoughts are simple ingredients done well

Let’s say family Christmas for 12 people what is the thriftiest dinner you can plan to host?

I found turkey on sale $0.80/lbsish so I got $10 bird. So lots of meat to go around.

I have flour in my pantry so homemade gravy comes from stock if I add a bit extra water to the roast. As well homemade buns Mere cents.

We have squash $1/ea. 1 acorn 1 butternut so $2

Store had a sale on 10 lb bags of beets, onions, potatoes. $2.50/bag.
So roast beets and onions and baked potatoes since I can fit everything in one oven. Half of each bag is $3.50.

Coleslaw for salad cabbage $1.50/head

Pie pumpkins same price as squash $1/ea.
Apples a basket $3

Skip buying pie she’ll make pumpkin cookies and an apple crisp I have a bit of oatmeal etc in pantry.

So I feed 12 people easily for around $21. That’s about $1.75/person.

Ps we don’t usually do a soup starter but if I did it’d be a turkey soup or French onion to hold cost fairly close. Less than $2/person.

So tell me what you could do to give people help and classy ideas on a tight budget.
 
That menu is fabulous and frugal and it would be SO good.
Add some stale or toasted bread and make stuffing or dressing, make extra gravy to put over it.
A bag of cranberries with sugar for some cranberry sauce.
Everyone will be so full and satisfied, they'll never realize how frugally you managed it.

That menu is probably the thriftiest you'll ever make, unless you hit a deer and have no car damage, process the venison, and then make a venison roast, not everyone's cup of tea.
 
A pasta dish comes to mind. You can feed a lot of people on not much money.

It can be with or without a meat and veggies, and with or without cheese. Depends on the budget.


For dessert, crepes with a bit of butter and sugar, or some preserves is also inexpensive for a lot.
 
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A pasta dish comes to mind. You can feed a lot of people on not much money.

It can be with or without a meat and veggies, and with or without cheese. Depends on the budget.


For dessert, crepes with a bit of butter and sugar, or some preserves is also inexpensive for a lot.
buckytom! It must have cheese! :LOL: Cheese cheese and more cheese. Pasta with cheese is meant to be together.
 
Kevin, I'm on the same page with you and your ideas.

I bought a small 1/2 ham for seventy-nine cents a pound. It will provide dinner, plenty of leftovers and a pot of soup.

Another inexpensive vegetable is carrots. Simmer some carrot coins until tender, drain, season, add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup, toss to coat the carrots and serve.

Make some inexpensive cut out cookies and let the kids gather around the table to decorate them.

Another inexpensive way to spend Christmas would be a brunch with plenty of eggs, home fries, ham, skiers toast with maple syrup, etc...

Skiers French Toast Recipe - Genius Kitchen

A big pot of chili or American chop suey, coleslaw, a pan of cornbread or a loaf garlic bread would be good after some outdoor fun.

Consider a pot luck with family and friends.

Good luck and have a great Christmas!
 
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We’ve done lasagna for Christmas dinner at my mother in laws for years cause it was the kids favourite and a break from all the turkey dinners. She makes 1 seafood and 1 regular lasagna and a Caesar salad
 
Never thought of doing chilli for Christmas dinner but if you had a big day of outdoor fun with the family and came in to simmering chilli or a hearty soup everyone would dig in I’m sure. Mmm with homemade garlic and herb biscuits
 
Simmering veg is also a good way to do it. We’ve just been on a roast vegis kick lately and I put everything in one over no stove top fussing. I’ve really grown to like oven cooking against stove cooking sometimes
 
Never thought of doing chilli for Christmas dinner but if you had a big day of outdoor fun with the family and came in to simmering chilli or a hearty soup everyone would dig in I’m sure. Mmm with homemade garlic and herb biscuits

Another thought for a big day of outdoor fun is to fire up the grill and fix hot dogs with all the trimmings.

Hot dogs seem to taste better when your feet are numb and you are wearing mittens! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
While I agree hotdogs when it’s cold are great. I don’t know if I would consider them a classy family Christmas dinner. But for anyone else’s birthday I’m all in
 
So.. for a soup, why not try peanut soup? It was served in colonial times and is cheap to make. It would also bring a nice historical twist to a holiday meal.

Cream of Peanut Soup : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site


You can also find this in the Colonial Williamsburg cookbook which is packed full of extraordinarily thrifty way to feed folks. They had very little to work with and used up every speck of food - there was no waste.

Here are my tips to modernize this recipe: Substitute coconut milk for the called for 1/2 and 1/2. Reduce the amount of peanut butter Add a handful of chopped parsley to the top to serve and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. The recipe would look like this:


Ingredients:

¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
8 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 cup water
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups coconut milk
Finely chopped salted peanuts and parsley, for garnish
Squeeze of fresh lemon or lime at the table to finish
 
Other than anaphylactic allergies and it being my last supper it’s an interesting idea��
 
Economic issues aside, certain days of the year are times to save for. Those days we don't do cheap. If you plan/save ahead, you can purchase something special, like standing rib roast or beef tenderloin when it is on sale and stick it in the deep freezer. There are a few items that have been mentioned that would make good sides, but the majority I would never consider serving on special days.
 
Economic issues aside, certain days of the year are times to save for. Those days we don't do cheap. If you plan/save ahead, you can purchase something special, like standing rib roast or beef tenderloin when it is on sale and stick it in the deep freezer. There are a few items that have been mentioned that would make good sides, but the majority I would never consider serving on special days.

That was always the approach in our family. My grandmothers and my mother would always squeeze the grocery budget in the weeks leading up to a major holiday. It allowed them to buy things and stash them away a little at a time. It also meant more budget meals on the days leading up to the big day so we were more than ready for a special feast.

“Hunger is the best sauce in the world.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saaverdra, Don Quixote

These days the younger folks in my family would rather have a pizza and wings or graze at the mall after a movie. :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
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“Hunger is the best sauce in the world.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saaverdra, Don Quixote

After a long day of playing rough and tumble games outside, my mom would often say just before dinner, "Hunger makes everything taste better".


I wonder if she'd read Don Quixote?
 
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