Saturday Night (Cabin) Fever!

You know the way they (whoever ‘they’ are) say staying in is the new going out? Well those of us a bit strapped for cash do. But we’re broke, we’re not dead, so what to do for entertainment?

I was listening to Moncrieff on his Newstalk show talking to Ross Golden of Food & Wine magazine about dinner parties. ‘Dinner party’ sounds ever so posh but having your mates round for some grub and a few drinks sounds right up most people’s street! Ross says the key to a successful dinner for friends is to keep it very simple and gave a few pointers-I might have added some of my own too.

Eats: a big pot of – Irish stew, curry, spaghetti bolognese. Take your pick. And make it the day before if you can. Or a few days before and freeze it, it’ll mean a lot less hassle and stress on the day.

Servings: let people serve themselves, they usually take less when serving themselves in someone else’s house and you can bulk it up with lots of bread and salad.

Desserts: ask one or two friends to bring dessert with them, they’ll more than likely be happy to contribute to the evening.

Drinks: tell everyone it’s BYOB (bring your own bottle) and/or buy some cheap sparkling wine and try out these Budget Tipples for Christmas. Mmmm.

Entertainment: well these days lots of people are into reality tv, X Factor or I’m A Celebrity. Failing that you always have the option of sports, a movie night, a karaoke-off if someone has SingStar or a battle of the bands with Guitar Hero or something similar.

Result: a relatively inexpensive and fun night for everyone. And lots of cleaning up for you in the morning :)