Living Luxe for Less Dinner Party!

When I first came up with the idea of Living Luxe for Less, all of my friends and family were very supportive of the idea.  But one of my friends, Ali, was so excited and enthusiastic about LL4L from the very beginning that I knew she would be an incredible resource for me as I embarked on my  journey to create a space dedicated to living luxe on a budget! 

Ali and her husband Howie have always loved to entertain at home, and in particular, they love to throw dinner parties with friends.  There's nothing better than a good meal, good friends, and a bottle or two of wine in the comfort of your own home.  But when Ali and Howie first started throwing dinner parties, they were shocked to discover that it was often easier to spend more money on cooking and entertaining at home than it was to eat out at a restaurant with friends.  It also probably didn't help that for their first dinner party Howie made  a lobster risotto!  A delicious dish, but definitely more LUXE than LESS!

Since the lobster saffron risotto evening (resulting in a week of ramen) and another evening featuring truffle butter and Chateauneuf de Pape, Ali and Howie quickly learned the art of gracious entertaining on the cheap.  While discussing how to plan a LUXE but not expensive dinner party, a few tricks Ali shared with me are to first, plan meals around seasonal fruits and vegetables; second, serve protein as an accompaniment rather than the main dish; third, use recipes that take advantage of what you already have on hand in your kitchen.  Makes sense doesn't it? 

After learning Ali and Howie's easy tips to entertain on a  dime, I was dying to experience this meal in action, so Ali generously offered to have us over recently for an evening of homemade pizza, Italian wine, and fresh fruit cobbler.
 

Ali and I both agree that hor deurves and a light refreshing libation are an important way to make your friends feel at home, and to get any gourmet meal started.  There is no need to spend hours worrying about the appetizer course, or to spend more here than you would on your main dish, but it is still not a course to be overlooked.  For our cocktail hour Ali wisely paired a Prosecco with seasonal fresh fruit.  If you would like to learn more about Prosecco, please see my post on this Italian sparkling wine.

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For the main course Ali served two kinds of pizza: one with goat cheese, carmelized onions, and roasted beets, and the other with andouille sausage, roasted red peppers, and fresh mozzarella cheese.  And on the side she served a simple mixed green salad with fresh parmesan, oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Using simple, and fresh quality ingredients she was able to serve a gourmet main course for less than it would cost to order a takeout pizza!

And while the food you serve is always important, Ali and I also believe that paying attention to the wine you serve with dinner can turn an ordinary meal into something truly special.  Although it can sometimes be tough to choose a proper pairing on a budget, we are FIRM believers in never being too proud to ask your local wine store for help.  In this case, Ali and her husband Howie went to their favorite wine store, Mister Wright, where Joe was able to steer them in the right direction. (And I can attest to that!)

Here's a photo of the final product...doesn't it look delicious???

But Ali and I believe that no meal is complete without a delicious dessert!  To entertain luxe for less Ali opted to serve fresh nectarine cobblers.  This dessert allowed her to take advantage of items she already had in her pantry, supplemented with fresh nectarines as the star ingredient.  Are you seeing a trend here?  Using fresh, seasonal ingredients in your meal is a great way to keep the cost down but the quality high!  Mmmm, fresh out of the oven...don't these look good?

And now the question you all have been dying to ask...this dinner looks so gourmet, is there anyway it really could be living luxe for less?  YES!  Ali did such an amazing job having us over for a wonderful evening of delicious food and wine, and she did it all for less than $70.  Here's the receipt....
 

Receipt
Jour de Soif $14.99
Roccanora $14.99

Cantaloupe $4
Whole wheat pizza dough $7.99*
Applegate Farm organic chicken and turkey andouille $6.99
Red pepper $2.24
Beets $.99
Goat Cheese $2.99
Arugula $3.50
Fresh mozzarella $7.99
Nectarines $2.99

Food = $38.68
Wine = $29.98

* This was a 4 pack of pizza dough so the cost was really $4
** Prosecco was provided by me!  If a guest would like to bring something to the party, always let them be a part of the fun!
*** If you are looking for a way to cut down on this receipt, this meal would have been just as delicious with only one bottle of red wine, but having a wine to pair with each pizza definitely added to the fun!
 

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Thank you Ali and Howie for being such amazing hosts, and for sharing your clever tips on how to entertain for less!  We cannot wait to return the favor soon.  Also thank you for contributing the beautiful photos for this post, and for helping me tell the story of our fun dinner party.

Will you be entertaining this weekend?

Happy eating and drinking!