Who says entertaining has to cost an arm and a leg? My husband and I recently hosted a Hot Dog Party for 15 guests. Now Filet Mignon and pate are expensive, but hot dogs? Not so much. I got the Nathan's Skinless All Beef (recently voted top dog on AOL)- 2 packages for $7, so $14 for four. The buns (the soft, squishy Publix ones) clocked in at only $1.29 each pack. Trying to keep the cost of drinks down, I limited drinks to soda, Sangria and Beer. Unbeknownst to me, my hubby (budget saboteur) bought 6 bottles of red wine, which turned out to be fine because that's mostly what people drank. I currently have a fridge filled with beer. Appetizers were picnic fare of deviled eggs (cheap, cheap!) and a block of cream cheese with a jar of jalapeno jelly poured over it, served with wheat thins. Dessert- ice cold watermelon and mini ice cream sandwiches. Now, if you're going to serve something basic (like hot dogs) as the centerpiece of your dinner, you need to have a twist on it. My twist was the toppings. I offered Cobb (blue cheese, bacon bits, guacamole, lettuce and tomato), New York (onions in red sauce, mustard, relish), Chili Cheese (with chopped onions and jalapenos) and, the favorite- Colombian (pineapple salsa, secret sauce and crushed potato chips). Even my Venezuelan friend Carolina choose the spicy Chavez Dog. As side dishes, I served Cole slaw and my mother's baked beans. Napkins and decorations from the dollar store saved money and paper plates saved time. Everyone loved the hot dogs, some guests even had 3 dogs each! As my sister Kelley exclaimed "You'd think they never had hot dogs before!" But they will again. At my next Hot Dog Party!
"Do you like my hat?"
"I do, I like your party hat!"
Go Dog Go!
No comments:
Post a Comment