If you know me personally, then you know that I LOVE to entertain!!! This is one of the main reasons that I am such a huge proponent of keeping your home somewhat clean and organized, so it isn’t a major ordeal every time you want to invite people over. Another big reason that people don’t entertain more is because if you don’t plan, it can be a major expense (boo!!!). Here are five of our favorite things to serve at a small gathering that are easy to make and even easier on the budget:
Spinach Dip – There are a ton of spinach dip recipes out there, but I prefer the one on the Knorr vegetable dip box! You can find the recipe from their website HERE, and I have used it for years. The mix is very inexpensive, and the other required ingredients are typically things you keep in a stocked kitchen (except for the water chestnuts, but we always keep a few cans on hand). You can throw everything together in a snap the night before, and let the flavors develop overnight in the refrigerator. It is even easier if you already make it in a pretty serving dish, so you literally take it out of the fridge and you are ready to go! We served this at Madeline’s Baptismal Lunch, and it was definitely a hit! 🙂 
Candy Covered Rice Crispy Treats – For all of you sweet lovers, these are SO EASY AND YUMMY! Another great thing about these little guys is that you can easily change up how you serve them, as well as the colors of the treats. All you do is take square rice crispy treats, heat up THESE candies (pick whatever color you like), and pour the melted candy across the tops. You can apply the candy with a spoon, but I recommend a squeeze bottle for a neater application. You can either serve these on a plate, or you can make them fancier and add a cute paper straw. We made these for Madeline’s first birthday party, and they were a huge hit! 
Fruit Side Dish – This is one of our go-to recipes for holiday gatherings at our home. It is nice because it works well for events held either in the morning or at night. It also looks pretty, which is always a bonus! 🙂 All this involves is opening cans and boxes, and then stirring everything together (hooray!!!!).
Here is what you will need for this dish:
One large can of pear halves
One large can of peaches
One large can of pineapple chunks
One package of French Vanilla pudding
Directions:
- Put the dry pudding mix in a bowl and add just enough pineapple juice to make a “paste” consistency. It should look something like this (below):
- Drain the pears and peaches, and then pour into the mixing bowl
- Stir everything together
- Drain the pineapple and add to bowl
- Stir everything together and you are done! 🙂
Below is a picture of the fruit dish being served at Madeline’s luncheon (the bowl at the top right). It was completely gone before the end of the party, and it was super easy to make! If you are short on time, but you are serving a big group, then I highly suggest this recipe!
Pimento & Cheese With Pretzels – This is completely awesome, and something that my husband is known for. A great thing about this recipe is that you can make it the night before, go ahead and put it in its designated dish, and set it out right before your guests arrive. It is ready to go and is always a crowd favorite. You can also use this as a spread on burgers, and it is absolutely delicious!
Here is what you will need for this dish:
Four cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
One cup of mayo
Cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper
One four ounce jar of diced pimentos
1/8 of an onion
Directions:
- Stir together the cheddar and mayo in a mixing bowl
- Add ground black pepper to taste
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper
- Stir together
- Use a fine grater to grate the onion to the point of almost being a liquid (it should look something like this):
- Stir in onion
- DRAIN a 4oz can of pimentos (do NOT forget to drain or your cheese will turn pink) and pat dry
- Add drained pimentos to cheese
- Stir and refrigerate for several hours or overnight
- Serve with pretzels or any preferred type of cracker
Mini quiche – These look so fancy and all you do is pop them in the oven or microwave! 🙂 You can find them in a lot of places, but we typically purchase ours at Costco (link HERE). We also served these at Madeline’s birthday party, and they were a big hit! Another bonus is that they come in a large container, so you will most likely have leftovers. You can just keep them in your freezer and you are ready to go for your next impromptu gathering! YAY! 
Side note – Just because something is inexpensive to make, does NOT mean that it has to look cheap! You can always elevate the look of something by putting it in a nice dish. Presentation is everything, and people will think it is fancier if it looks pretty! 🙂
Above is a picture from one of our events where you can see the spinach dip, fruit and quiche all being served. All of this was super easy, and looked fancy because it was put on pretty serving pieces. 🙂
That is it for now, but I will let you know other food items that are easy and inexpensive in a few weeks. Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Entertaining! 🙂
P.S. Please check out my Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook pages for more fun ideas from One Cheerful Mom!
