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

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!
Will you be entertaining this weekend?
Happy eating and drinking!