Cost Saving Party Planning Tips

From birthday parties to wedding celebrations, planning a party can be very expensive – but it doesn’t have to be.

Get creative with your party planning and you’ll be able to arrange the perfect soiree without spending lots of money. Here are some great ideas that could help you organize a celebration your guests will never forget…

The venue

This can easily be the most expensive aspect of a party if you don’t look around to find the right deal. Make a list of venues you like and find out what their rates are.

You may find that they offer free room hire (depending on the night you plan your party) or free room hire with a minimum bar spend in place.

Ask about food deals too – some venues will waive the room hire fee if you have a buffet type menu so it’s always worth shopping around for what you want.

Be flexible with dates and try to negotiate where you can. You have nothing to lose by asking and if you’re a regular customer, they might be happy to put a good deal in place for you.

Food

To serve food or to not serve food – it’s a good question. Nobody wants to waste money on food that’s going to be thrown away, so ask yourself if your party is the type of party where guests will expect food.

For example, at children’s birthday parties, christenings and wedding receptions, it’s customary to serve food, whereas birthday parties are more focused on drinking and dancing than eating. The choice is entirely yours, but if you do decide to do it, how can you make it cost effective?

Well, if you can rope in some willing volunteers, you could easily cater for the party yourself without too much trouble. Many supermarkets sell a huge range of party platters that offer value for money and are still very tasty. You could get platters that can be served as they are or some that simply need heating up but can be served cold. You could also buy bulk goods at excellent rates from wholesale outlets – so ask friends if they have membership cards for local wholesalers.

Alternatively, you could ask family or friends to help with catering instead of buying gifts. You may have a friend who’s great at making cupcakes, an uncle who cooks up the tastiest chicken legs and an auntie who loves making sandwich mountains who would be happy to contribute.

Drink

It can be a dilemma for the host as to whether they should supply the booze or not if they’re hosting the party at home.

If you’re questioning whether you should supply the beverages, ask yourself whether you would pay for everyone’s drinks in a bar all night.

If the answer is no, don’t feel shy about asking your guests to bring a bottle. You could supply soft drinks and perhaps have some extra wine and beer in case you want to give guests a drink when they arrive. Alternatively, you could make large punch bowls that guests can enjoy throughout the party.

Music

Music is a vital part of any party, but if you can’t afford a DJ, why not turn your hand to being the music maestro for the night? Ask the venue if they have a sound system that will allow you to plug a laptop or MP3 into, create the perfect party playlist and press play! Just make sure you have enough battery power to last the night.

Invitations

Invitations are relatively easy to make but if you want to create an invitation for free, use Facebook! If you have a Facebook account, you can create an invitation online and send it to people in your friends list. You can even set the online invitation to private so only the people you have invited will know about it. And if you want to invite people who are not on Facebook, you could easily create something to give them so they know to save the date.

Have fun!

Baines and Ernst help people deal with tricky financial situations by consolidating debt repayments into one affordable monthly amount. Speak to Baines and Ernst for debt help.

Forshmak - A Jewish Appetizer

Tips for Creating Healthy Jewish Holiday Recipes

Jewish holiday recipes are known for their sweetness, their high fat content and their richness. However, I have always been on a special diet because of allergies and easy weight gain, so for each holiday season I still want to sample my favorite holiday recipes. The following tips are what I adhere to for all the recipe conversions I have made over the years and hope they will help you to have a happy and healthy holiday season.

Portion Size

If you don’t want to alter your traditional Jewish recipes to fit your dietary needs then you have a second option. Your second option is to alter the size of your portioning. By taking a smaller portion you will cut down on the sugar, carbohydrates, fats, salt and calories on your plate. You can further trick your mind into thinking that you have a larger portion is to use a smaller plate and even smaller utensils.

Add More Smell to Your Dishes

Another way to cut down on unhealthy ingredients in your traditional Jewish holiday recipes without sacrificing taste is to utilize the properties of scent to enhance the taste of your dishes. Scent can be added to your dishes by using spices and flavor extracts. One of my favorite holiday smells is almond and butter. Fortunately both of these scents can be added with flavor extracts of butter and almond. Vanilla is another flavor extract that is widely available in shopping markets. Keep in mind that authentic extracts are going to be more expensive and more potent than imitation extracts, which are less expensive but less potent.

Use Healthier Ingredients

Most people who alter their holiday recipes to make them healthier do so by changing unhealthy ingredients to healthier ingredients. For example, many people today substitute coconut, olive or canola oil for butter. You can also substitute light mayonnaise for real mayonnaise and low fat cheese for full fat cheeses. Using leaner cuts of meat is another way to make your holiday dinner healthier. For example, if you normally serve a beef brisket during your family holiday celebration consider using a learner brisket like one from bison instead of beef. I prefer to use the 1st cut of the brisket and have the butcher remove most of the fat.

Add Vegetables Instead of High Calorie Ingredients

Another option that you have to enhance the healthiness of your holiday dishes is to load them with complimentary vegetables instead of loading them with high fat or high calorie items. For example, if you are making a pizza or lasagna, add complimentary vegetables like tomatoes, olives and celery. Other vegetables that you can sneak into marinara sauces include carrots (diced into small pieces), potatoes, peas and beans.

For  healthy jewish recipes check out our blog.

Delicious Torta Setteveli

Image Courtesy: http://foodloversodyssey.typepad.com

How to make Torta Setteveli – the Seven Veils Cake

This cake is as beloved across the whole of Sicily as it is in Palermo villas. The seven veils refers to the seven strata of the cake, making this delightful treat a time consuming affair usually reserved for special occasions. And what could be a more special occasion than the Easter break? when the cake is often made.

Use your favourite recipe to make the chocolate sponge cake in a 10-1/2 inch spring form pan. You will also be wetting the cut surfaces with simple syrup, made from equal parts water and sugar, brought to a boil and chilled.

The cake should be fully cooled and the simple syrup cold before you begin final preparation.

First, trim the cake top to insure it is flat, then slice in half lengthwise, producing two half thickness 10-1/2 inch rounds. Place one at the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan, cut edge up. Dab this surface with the simple syrup until damp, then refrigerate.

For the next layer, Praline, uses crushed corn flakes that give some crunch. Melt together in a double boiler:

2-1/2 ounces dark chocolate;

1-3/4 tbs butter;

6 tbs hazelnut paste.

Then incorporate

1-3/4 cups cornflakes, crushed a bit.

Spread praline evenly on cake, and return it to the refrigerator.

The next layer, hazelnut Bavarian cream, requires an ice bath that can hold a good sized mixing bowl.

In a large saucepan, heat to scalding:

1/2 cup whole milk;

1/2 cup heavy cream;

7 tbs hazelnut paste.

While heating, whisk together in a new bowl…

5 egg yolks and

1/2 cup granulated sugar

…until the mixture is uniform and pale. When the milk has scalded, remove from heat and add…

3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

…and stir to incorporate. Temper this egg mixture with the hot milk a bit at a time, whisking continuously. When incorporated return it to the saucepan and slowly heat to 160°F, stirring regularly. Transfer mixture to the ice bath, and let it cool while stirring.

Then whip…

2 cups heavy cream

…to the soft peak stage, and fold one third into the chilled hazelnut mixture, combine, then repeat twice more until both are fully incorporated.

Spread half onto the cake, then place in freezer for 15 minutes to set cream.

When set, add the other cake round to the pan, treating cut cake surfaces as before. Return to freezer for ten minutes, then apply the remaining cream, and back to the freezer for 45 minutes.

The chocolate mousse for the next layer starts with a chocolate ganache made from…

5-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, cut into small pieces, and…

…a scant 2/3 cups heavy cream.

Heat cream to a very low boil, then pour it over the cut up chocolate pieces and stir until mixed.

Whip 1 cup heavy cream until the soft peak stage, and leave it unrefrigerated so it can warm through slightly to avoid seizing the chocolate. When the ganache has cooled to about 100°F, fold in the whipped cream by thirds to combine.

After the Bavarian cream on the cake in the freezer has set, remove the spring-form rim from the cake. Apply the mousse to the top and sides of the cake, making sure it’s as smooth as possible. Freeze for 45 minutes.

The chocolate glaze covers the finished cake. In a saucepan bring…

1/3 cups water,

1/3 cups heavy cream,

6 tbs cocoa powder, and

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs granulated sugar

…to a boil while whisking. Boil for four minutes, continuously whisking. Remove from heat and add…

3/4 tsp unflavoured gelatine

…and stir. Let cool to 90°F, and then take cake from freezer and place on a baking rack set on a sheet pan. Carefully pour the glaze over the cake, covering it slowly and evenly to insure it is completely glazed.

Garnish with chocolate shavings, and return to the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.