Me and +J decided to take it easy for Memorial Day. I'm getting sit here sipping some wine while he prepares some burgers. Its been lovely relaxing at the house this weekend. We decided to throw a birthday part for ourselves on Saturday (this weekend sandwiched our birthdays, 6 days apart!) but it ended up being really fun!
For dinner +J cooked brisket for over 24 hours using the smoker and I decided to actually try out a couple of Pinterest recipes. Its about time! I've probably pinned over 1000 recipes and now I can say I've tried at least two of them! I didn't want to overdo it but I made a greek pasta salad and crock pot mashed potatoes. And homemade guacamole. The menu was a bit eclectic but I knew the brisket would be center stage anyways!
The recipes were easy so I'll share them here:
Crock Pot mashed potatoes: http://pinterest.com/pin/31032684904003376/
These were so easy to make and I was able to set them and forget about them! I got them started about 5 hours before the party started so they were ready to go right about the time people started eating! And, since the primary ingredient was the humble potato it was definitely cost effective. Other than the potatoes the only other ingredients were butter, milk, salt, pepper, and a few other spices we had around to spruce it up.
Pasta Greek Salad: http://pinterest.com/pin/31032684902540656/
This also was really easy to make and I was able to make it ahead of time, about 2 hours early and just stick it in the fridge. I didn't ever add the mustard, but I think I will next time. Overall it was really easy to make, not too expensive, and delicious! It made a LOT of food so it helped round out the meal.
Guacamole
The last thing I made was some homemade guacamole. If you've never made guacamole from scratch before I'l tell you my quick recipe (I'll try to remember to take photos next time):
- 8-10 small ripe avocados (its important that they are ripe! They should give slightly when you squeeze them but not too much. If they aren't ripe they will have an unpleasant texture and won't be creamy)
- 1/4 white onion, chopped small (I used my ninja blender)
- 2 jalopenos chopped small
- cilantro (just the leaves, about 2 tbs worth)
- lime juice from 1 lime
- 1 tomato, gutted, and chopped
Once you have your ingredients ready, just mix them in a large bowl! I waited till about an hour before the party to put this together then covered it in foil (saran wrap would work too) to keep it from turning brown. I also tried to remember to put it back covered into the fridge when it didn't look like anyone was eating it to keep it fresh.
I love having house parties but don't like spending a bunch of money, because you easily CAN spend a lot of money. I suggest these recipes for easy preparation! The best thing to do is make the food easy so you can focus on finishing cleaning the house and getting yourself ready to go. I try to have everything ready at least 30 minutes before you told people to come over because you never know when someone will feel like being early.
For dinner +J cooked brisket for over 24 hours using the smoker and I decided to actually try out a couple of Pinterest recipes. Its about time! I've probably pinned over 1000 recipes and now I can say I've tried at least two of them! I didn't want to overdo it but I made a greek pasta salad and crock pot mashed potatoes. And homemade guacamole. The menu was a bit eclectic but I knew the brisket would be center stage anyways!
The recipes were easy so I'll share them here:
Crock Pot mashed potatoes: http://pinterest.com/pin/31032684904003376/
These were so easy to make and I was able to set them and forget about them! I got them started about 5 hours before the party started so they were ready to go right about the time people started eating! And, since the primary ingredient was the humble potato it was definitely cost effective. Other than the potatoes the only other ingredients were butter, milk, salt, pepper, and a few other spices we had around to spruce it up.
Pasta Greek Salad: http://pinterest.com/pin/31032684902540656/
This also was really easy to make and I was able to make it ahead of time, about 2 hours early and just stick it in the fridge. I didn't ever add the mustard, but I think I will next time. Overall it was really easy to make, not too expensive, and delicious! It made a LOT of food so it helped round out the meal.
Guacamole
The last thing I made was some homemade guacamole. If you've never made guacamole from scratch before I'l tell you my quick recipe (I'll try to remember to take photos next time):
- 8-10 small ripe avocados (its important that they are ripe! They should give slightly when you squeeze them but not too much. If they aren't ripe they will have an unpleasant texture and won't be creamy)
- 1/4 white onion, chopped small (I used my ninja blender)
- 2 jalopenos chopped small
- cilantro (just the leaves, about 2 tbs worth)
- lime juice from 1 lime
- 1 tomato, gutted, and chopped
Once you have your ingredients ready, just mix them in a large bowl! I waited till about an hour before the party to put this together then covered it in foil (saran wrap would work too) to keep it from turning brown. I also tried to remember to put it back covered into the fridge when it didn't look like anyone was eating it to keep it fresh.
I love having house parties but don't like spending a bunch of money, because you easily CAN spend a lot of money. I suggest these recipes for easy preparation! The best thing to do is make the food easy so you can focus on finishing cleaning the house and getting yourself ready to go. I try to have everything ready at least 30 minutes before you told people to come over because you never know when someone will feel like being early.
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