Fourth of July Party

The Independence Day party menu is easy to plan: simply make it an all-American and very patriotic affair. Suggestions for party food: grilled foods (ribs, chicken, steak, hot sausage, kebab, hamburgers, hot dogs, and shrimp), deviled eggs, potato and macaroni salads, baked beans, chips and pretzels, corn on the cob, watermelon, apple pie, traditional flag cakes, iced tea and lemonade.

Buffet Party

A buffet party is perfect for limited space, and will allow everyone to choose what they want to eat. Party food suggestions: lots of appetizers (salad, cheese and crackers, vegetables and dip, shrimp cocktail), main course (carved ham, roast beef, baked pasta dishes, fried chicken), and desserts (cupcakes, tarts, cookies, chocolate).

Caribbean Party

Do you feel like something more exotic? Then a Caribbean party may be the way to go. The food selection simply needs to fall into the traditional Caribbean cuisine category. Suggestions for party food: crab cakes, chilled papaya soup, seafood, jerk pork, and sweet potato pudding.

Hawaiian Party

Hawaiian Party is yet another way to indulge in something more exotic. Suggestions for party food: Poi, Barbecue Huli Huli, traditional Hawaiian Pork Adobo, and Pina Coladas, Mai Tais, and Blue Hawaiian for drinks. Simply stick to the traditional foods of the Hawaiian Islands.

Halloween Party

Is it time for Halloween spooks and jack-o-lanterns again? The food selection for a Halloween party menu needs to be anything but ordinary. Suggestions for party food: any food with black food coloring and Halloween-themed scary looking decorations, plus the traditional candied apples, popcorn balls, and pumpkin dishes.

Football Party

Is your home team playing? Then you may want to hold a party for this very reason. Suggestions for party food: Sloppy Joe, dips (for vegetables, crackers, chips), cookies, cupcakes, beer and soda. Make sure to use your home team’s colors and banners for decoration.

Graduation Party

Is someone you know soon to become a graduate? It’s time for a smashing party then. Suggestions for party food menus: pizza, dessert buffet, finger food, taco bar, or the popular themed menus – Luau, Parisian, Mexican fiesta, or Hollywood.

Kentucky Derby Party

Are you getting ready to don a wacky hat and enjoy a day at the horse races? You can finish your day with some or all of these: Mint Juleps, Henry Bain sauce, the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich, Kentucky burgoo, and an extra yum Kentucky Derby pie made with chocolate and pecan nut. Serve Bourbon for drinks.

New Years Eve Party

New Year is here… again! And this time liven it up with a new addition to the regular food selection. Suggestions for party food: fondue, canapés, cheese cubes, fruit and veggie trays, pastries, relish tray, and lots of nuts – sweet or salty.

No matter what party you are going to hold, strive for a variety and make sure to offer a few sweet nibbles for dessert to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. Give your guests something to enjoy and remember.

1. Fritos and Dip

Chips and homemade dips are one of the most popular easy cheap party food ideas. Take 1/2 small jar of salsa, 1 bag of shredded cheese, 1 block of cream cheese, and 1 can of Hormel chili. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and melt it in a microwave. Serve with Fritos.

2. Baked Spinach and Garlic Cakes

This recipe uses ready-made Phyllo dough, making it easy to bake these cakes. Sauté chopped spinach with minced garlic, and let it cool. Spread one sheet of Phyllo dough onto an oven-proof dish, spread a thin layer of spinach with garlic over the dough, and cover it with another sheet of Phyllo dough. Bake at 350 F until golden brown.

3. Lit’l Smokies in a Blanket

Piggies in a blanket are one of the all-time favorite easy cheap party food ideas. Take one pack of Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls (24 rolls) and one pack of Lit’l Smokies (about 40 sausages in a package). Cut the crescents in half. Roll the sausages in. Stick a toothpick into each one to keep them tight. Heat the piggies at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, until light brown. Brush the piggies with butter after cooking.

4. Baked Lit’l Smokies

Take 1 package of Lit’l Smokies, put them into an oven-proof dish, and cover with your favorite BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour, and serve on toothpicks.

5. French Bread with Garlic and Olive Oil

Bread is cheap and fulfilling, so stack up on it. Slice a few loafs of French bread, and rub the bread slices with a mix of olive oil and minced garlic. Toast the slices on both sides, top with some shredded cheese, and then grill.

6. Meatballs with BBQ sauce

Meatballs are yet another popular easy cheap party food. Take a bag of meatballs, lay them on a tray, cover them with BBQ sauce and bake them thoroughly.

7. Ham and Pineapple

Buy a can of ham from a Dollar store and a can of pineapple chunks. Use wooden skewers to make alternating ham and pineapple Kebobs. Grill or bake.

8. Fresh Veggie Tray

Fresh veggies are a perfect easy cheap party food. Purchase broccoli, baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, and cauliflower. Lay them out on a tray. Serve with ranch dressing.

9. Deviled Eggs

There are thousands of recipes for deviled eggs to choose from. Deviled eggs are yet another perfect easy cheap party food, as well as they will allow for your creativity to work. Try not to add any unexpected ingredients to your eggs, such as sweet, crunchy, or spicy. Try not to add any chopped onion or minced garlic to the eggs either, as many people don’t like these tastes at a party. Use the good old hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, white wine vinegar, and other regular ingredients.

Other easy cheap party food ideas include:  finger sandwiches, pizza, homemade cookies and brownies, cupcakes from cake mix, crackers, nachos, chips, pretzels, homemade hot wings, cheese on toothpicks, and popcorn with cheese sprinkles. Purchase the generic brands of food, make lots of homemade dips for chips, and you will end up with tons of easy cheap party food.

What do people primarily look for in a Super Bowl party? An exciting game, sumptuous food, free-flowing drinks, heckling, cheering, and the company of friends – and not necessarily in that order!

It’s a known fact that despite lack of action in the game itself, the guests can have a rollicking good time if the party is well planned.

There are no big secrets to becoming the ultimate Super Bowl Host, and you don’t even have to spend too much to make it successful. If your friends opt to have the party at your place but you have a limited budget, plan a potluck party and ask your friends to help you make your home Super Bowl-ready beforehand. They can also help you out with the cleanup afterwards. However, if you’re handing out invitations, be ready to shoulder the expenses yourself.

What type of food should you serve?

Basically, you should aim for food that can be eaten in front of the TV. You should also keep in mind that you need to watch too, so don’t go for food that will keep you stuck in the kitchen. Here is a shortlist of traditional Super Bowl fare, most of which can easily be prepared beforehand:

Self-serve fajitas. They can be simple to complicated, depending on your budget and prep time. Chicken fajitas can be as tasty as steak fajitas, and you can vary the fillings according to your guests’ preferences. The ingredients are also easy-to-find: jalapenos, cilantro, cumin, bell peppers, guacamole, pre-prepared Salsa Fresca, and tortillas.

You can substitute the tortillas with pita bread and heat them if desired. Lay the ingredients out on the table and ask your guests to roll their own fajitas.

Chili. This can be prepared the night before the game and all you need to do is reheat it when game time comes. As it simmers in your kitchen, the delightful aroma will fill your home and whet your guests’ appetites. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Soup. There’s no better comfort food on a chilly Super Bowl night than a hearty bowl of soup. Chowder, French Onion, or Mushroom, serve them in mugs instead of bowls so your guests can sip them while watching the game.

Buffalo chicken fingers. Cook them hours earlier and heat them in the oven before halftime. Serve with a Danish Blue-Cheese dip.

Cold cuts. A platter of choice cold cuts and hams plus small servings of different kinds of cheese can add a touch of class to an otherwise informal affair. Serve with vegetable sticks and dip too, to complete the spread.

Drinks

Beer and wine are the traditional drinks served on Game Day, but make sure you prepare juice, iced tea, apple cider and other non-alcoholic drinks for non-drinkers. Keep a cooler by the TV so you won’t have to keep getting up to replenish, and refill the cooler at halftime.

Super Bowl atmosphere

Spruce up your place with pennants or decorate it with the teams’ colors. Better yet, ask your buddies to come wearing clothes in the teams’ colors. Serve cookies in the shape of footballs or helmets after the meal. Decorate the place with balloons or prepare a bag of goodies for your guests to take home.

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