Frugal & Gourmet -- Entertaining This Holiday Season Is Possible Without Blowing the Budget

Summary

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You hear people say it everywhere you go: This year, they're scaling back for the holidays. Gifts for the kids, good wishes for everyone else. And in this economy, who can argue against prudence?

But being frugal doesn't mean you have to be Scrooge this season. You can still entertain in your home without blowing the budget. How does a dinner party for 10, with wine, for about $100 sound?

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Frugal & Gourmet -- Entertaining This Holiday Season Is Possible Without Blowing the Budget

My cooking group and I recently put this to the test and we succeeded. Further, we didn't deviate from our formula of having five courses and a different wine with each course - mostly, anyway.

In protest, our appetizer couple decided to bring cocktails made from Campari and Grand Marnier, but come on, who was going to complain about that? The appetizer itself, caponata with a goat cheese spread and crostini, easily fit the budget.

Our seated appetizer was a cream of arugula soup that came in under $1 per serving. The entree was a slow-cooked Cajun pork dish that was less than $1 per person. A salad followed, and my rice pudding with a brulee top finished the meal -...

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