Cost Of Living Crisis Series - Budget Celebration Food

Whether you are facing mortgage stress,  job loses,  budget restraints or any other financial pressures,  celebrations can be a way of bringing joy into your life and those around you.  How you celebrate depends on how much money you want to spend.  It doesn't have to be anything big and lavish.  Even putting a few plates of special food on a well laid out table can be just as enjoyable.  

Following on from last week's post about hosting a celebration,  I though I'd share some of the food I've serve for afternoon tea gatherings over the years.  If you do any scratch cooking or baking then you'll most likely have many of the ingredients on hand.

Here are the links to foods that are easy to make,  cheap and fill up a plate for just a few dollars -

Scones  These can be made ahead of time and frozen.  If you don't have the budget for jam and cream,  just serve with butter and jam.

Lunchbox Chocolate Choc Chip Muffins  The flavour doesn't have to be chocolate.  Add any fruit,  fresh or frozen for a different flavour.

 Pita Chips  Pita bread is cheapest bought from a market.  If you are buying from the supermarket,  get the cheapest brand.  One packet of pita bread makes heaps of chips.  Add a $3 dip,  carrot sticks and celery sticks and you have an impressive plate.

Easy Coconut Slice  This recipe uses very basic ingredients.  It can be made and frozen ahead of time.

Apple Rose Pastries  These pastries can be served as a dessert too.  For an afternoon tea,  just make them a little smaller.

Choc Chip Bickies ( Cookies )  This recipe only has 5 ingredients and makes 50 - 60 biscuits.   Maybe halve the recipe or freeze all the leftover dough.

Other budget foods I've served at afternoon teas,  but I don't have links for are -

Curried egg and lettuce sandwiches.  Even using one egg will make 2 rounds ( 8 points ) of sandwiches.

Honey joys.  This is the corn flake,  honey and butter  mounds you serve in patty cases.

Custard tarts.  These are just puff pastry cases I've cooked then filled with thick custard and topped with a little lolly.

Seasonal fruit platter.  I serve watermelon,  grapes and cantaloupe ( if it's cheap enough ).  While berries are lovely to eat,  they can be quite expensive.

There are plenty of other foods I've served when I had a bigger budget.  These can be found in the recipe section.  I've served Hoovers  Doovers,  Sausage Rolls,  ANZAC Biscuits,  Chocolate Truffles,  Whole Orange Cake,  Pumpkin Scones and Chocolate Brownies.

A simple afternoon tea

Getting out the pretties

What budget friendly foods do you serve at an afternoon tea gatherings ?

Budget Party Food For Kids ( Or Adults )

About 4 years ago,  Jessica was turning 17 and deciding how to celebrate her birthday without blowing the family budget.  Money was super tight back then with Darren only working one day a week and myself cleaning homes two days a week.  We've always celebrated each birthday with a party or dinner out no matter how much money we've had.  Birthdays are important and worthy of a celebration.

After much deliberation Jessica decided to have four or five of her friends over to watch a movie.  Homemade sausage rolls and mini quiches were on the list.  For sweets she decided on a few slices and MOO ( make our own ) sundaes.  MOO sundaes have been a big hit with the teens. We've just  put out a tub of no name vanilla icecream, choc topping, nuts and a few bowls of small lollies and let the teens design their own desserts.

Other party food I've made in previous years for my girls have been -

Honey joys
Fruit platters
Mini pizzas
Mini muffins
Jelly and custard cups
Spag bol
Homemade hamburgers
Bbq ( generally sausages in bread with toppings )
Dip and biscuit platters
Scones, jam and cream
Choc brownies
Lemon slice

As well as the sausage rolls and mini quiches. I've found homemade food is a bigger hit than a bowl of chips. Over the years I've also cut down on the food too as ' less is more ' seems to work better. It reduces food waste and reduces the cost.

Whatever food I make is made on a budget and most of the ingredients I already have.  The money comes out of my food slush fund so that I don't break the budget. Generally for a larger party I make three savoury dishes and three sweet.

Mini quiches

Apple rose pastries

Cupcakes

Scones

Sausage rolls

How do you cater for kids / teenager birthday gatherings ?

What is your family's favourite party food ?

Lemon Slice

I love pretty much  anything lemon flavoured including this lemon slice.  The trick to making a great lemon slice is to include lemon juice in the icing on top.  The more zing the better.  I've tasted a quite a few lemon slices that don't have the lemon flavour and I've been left wondering what slice it was.

This slice keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge and travels well too.


1/2 a tin of sweetened condensed milk.  I think the current size is 400grams

125 grams of melted butter

1 x 250 gram packet of Marie or milk arrowroot  biscuits or similar sweet biscuit

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 cup of shredded coconut

Grated zest of 1 medium lemon ( I like to add more )


Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or in a food processor.
Add all other ingredients and mix well until everything is wet.
Place into an oblong slice tin and pat down with the palm of your hand.
Refrigerate for one hour

Lemon icing -

Approx. 1  1/4 cups of icing sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix together until a thick icing is made.  Add a little extra lemon juice if needed.
Spread the icing over the slice working quickly to even and smooth it out
Add a little extra shredded coconut to the top of the icing and press slightly into the icing.
Return to the fridge to set.

To cut the slice,  take it out of the fridge for 1/2 hour before cutting.  It can be cut in the tin or taken out and cut. 
Store in containers with baking paper between each layer.

Hoovers Doovers

This recipe is an old family favourite from my childhood.  When Mum first made them,  Dad called them Hoovers Doovers as he thought that's how you pronounced hors d'oeuvres. As with most of my recipes,  you can make them your own by adding your favourite ingredients.  My inlaws like to add pineapple to theirs.


Bread - sandwich sliced of any type
Butter or margarine

Butter approximately 12 - 14 slices of bread and place onto large flat baking trays

In a bowl place -

1 1/2 large tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes finely diced
4 eggs
Diced ham or bacon - about 150 -200 grams
1 1/2 - 2 cups of grated cheese
2 teaspoons of dried onion flakes or 1/2 small onion finely diced
1 teaspoon of chives or parsley
Salt or garlic salt, pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together.  The mixture should be wet and thick. Add another egg if needed.
Spoon onto bread and spread to the edges with a fork.
Cook in the oven for 25 - 30 mins @ 200c until the bread is golden underneath.

Serve hot.  They are best eaten fresh but can be refridgerated  for two days but must be covered.  Can be frozen.

Apple Rose Pastries

I first saw a tutorial for Apple Rose Pastries on facebook a few weeks ago.  They are easy,  tasty and very impressive looking.  After looking at the tutorial a few times I thought I'd give it a go.  I've made a few changes as I came across some problems when making them.  Here's my version of a delightful dessert -

2 sheets of puff pastry
3 medium red apples
1 1/2 tablespoons of jam - any flavour,  store bought or homemade
1 cup of boiling water
flour for the bench
juice of half a lemon
cinnamon -optional
icing sugar - optional

Cut the apples in half and neatly cut out the core.
Thinly slice the apple halves discarding the small end pieces

Place and spread out the apple slices in a large microwavable bowl
Pour the boiling water over the apple and add the lemon juice.  Stir slightly.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and punch a couple of holes in it.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until the apple is cooked and soft ( not mushy )
Drain the water and let the apple cool.

Defrost the pastry until it's almost room temperature. 
Lightly flour your kitchen bench and roll the pastry out with a rolling pin until it's longer by about 20%.  Make sure your rolling pin is lightly floured too.
Cut the pastry sheet into 5 long strips.

Warm the jam in the microwave until it's easy to spread
Spread the jam over the top half of each pastry strip

Layer the apple pieces over the jam. Make sure the apple overlaps each other.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and fold the bottom half of the pastry up towards the top.

Starting at one end,  roll the pastry up taking care that the apple doesn't fall out.
Pinch the pastry end to the rose.
Place each rose in a lightly greased muffin tin

Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream or icecream

Makes 10 apple roses.

NOTES -

*  The original tutorial said to cut the pastry in 6 strips.  I found the pastry too firm to roll it out this thin.  I think the pastry in the tutorial was American and might be more flexible.

*  The apple slices must be cool or it will soften the pastry too much making it hard to work with

*  Make sure the jam is just warm or it will soften the pastry.

*  The original recipe used cold water to cook the apples.  This takes too long to heat up in the microwave

*  The apple roses can be made and cooked ahead of time.  I found them easy to reheat in the oven on a baking tray.

Sausage Rolls

These sausage rolls have become a party favourite in the Gower house.  They are full of flavour and very tasty.  Once you've tried homemade sausage rolls you'll never want to eat store bought again.

4 sheets of Puff Pastry defrosted.
I egg beaten

To a large bowl add - 

500 grams of sausage mince, 
good squirt of tomato sauce,
Salt, pepper, chives or parsley,
finely chopped onion ( or dried ),
Garlic ( I use dried )
Half a cup of seasoned  bread crumb
.
Mix all ingredients well by hand or with an electric mixer

Lightly spray baking trays with cooking spray

On a floured surface cut 1 pastry sheet in half ( thirds if you want tiny bite sized ).
Spoon mixture along each pastry half, - not too much.
Brush edge closest to you with a beaten egg.
Roll pastry over towards you
Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg.
Cut to desired size.
Cook in oven on about 200 degrees Celsius for 20 - 30 mins until golden brown

NOTES - 

*  Grated carrot and zucchini can be added to the sausage mince.

*  Sausage rolls can be frozen.