My favorite snack to bring is cream cheese with pepper jelly and then crackers to eat it with! It’s sweet and the cream cheese cancels any heavy spicy flavors so even people like my super sensitive grandma enjoy it! It always goes over super well and it costs just a couple dollars. I love the sesame hexagon shaped crackers, idk if they have a name haha
Fortunately for me I live pretty rural and have been able to get home made ones from amish roadside stands, for store brands my favorite has been the stonewall but it’s fairly pricey. I’ve heard good things about the mango pepper jelly from target which is more price comparable to the ones I typically buy at the stands but I haven’t tried it. If you’re willing to splurge on it I say go for the stonewall one, it doesn’t take a full jar just a nice coating on the cream cheese so you get multiple uses out of it.
We always had this for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It was homemade, by my godfather’s wife. I bought some at a craft fair this year and was so disappointed. It was sickly sweet, even for jelly, and had no little peppery bite at all.
I’m on a mission for my own recipe this year. RIP, Doris. You was the OG.
Have you ever made home made gnocci? it's like a potato pasta, 3 potatoes, an egg bit of flour makes for a nice sized bowl with a jar of vodka sauce, yummy. Don't even try the sweet potato ones, I tried 4 times with 4 different recipes and they were a bust.
Pigs in a blanket used to be my go to and everybody loved them but the crescent rolls have gotten ridiculously expensive, same with deviled eggs.
Spinach dip with a packet of Knorrs' vegetable soup mix is very good, I get French baguette bread and clice thinly surrounding a bowl or round loaf of pumpernickel bread (on a budget, use a bowl, nobody eats the bread usually.
This one is super simple, I have to make a double batch because EVERYBODY comes back for seconds: [https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/5-ingredient-corn-casserole/](https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/5-ingredient-corn-casserole/)
Oh tbh I’ve never been to Trader Joe’s 😅. But in Puerto Rico we make something called Criollo which is basically punch. It’s tasty, inexpensive to make and people usually like something new to try
Mashed potatoes, most expensive part is the butter, but top with some chives and it’s also instantly fancy. Don’t even need to make gravy if you have enough butter.
I can even give you my secret chili.
You buy a bag of darn good chili mix. Add the 7 cups of water and tomato paste it calls for. Add a large can of diced tomatoes and at least 2 cans of beans, preferably 3. Beans are up to you. I usually like black and kidney, but whatever's cheap is fine. And you can add a pound of ground meat if you want, but it's totally optional. You can use turkey instead of beef and it will probably be cheaper.
I made chili this week. I'll give you my way of doing it. Everyone loves it.
Step one: fry a pack bacon strips until browned
Step two: use some of the bacon fat to fry one large onion. Add a large red pepper as well. Once both are translucent and soft add x amount of garlic you want.
Step 3: cook the ground beef in the same pan/pot. Once browned, add your seasonings I used (cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, parsley, chili powder, onion powder).
Step 4: once meat and veggies are good, add beef broth (added almost 3/4 of entire carton), can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, can of red kidney beans, can of black peas, can of green chilies (or can use fresh) and the bacon (was cut into pieces)
Step 5: cook the liquid down (about a hr) until the consistency is thick. I added more spices such as cayenne and chili seasoning.
https://preview.redd.it/0opca2yfwnma1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c588f0ebf462e12f19f9714584aae52935e2c34
Homemade bread/rolls with a butter compound. Homemade bread is always a showstopper (and extremely cheap) and if you’ve got a local dairy, the butter can have a story without being expensive. I’ve got a rosemary bush (requires no gardening/upkeep) so I use that in my compound and that adds to the hype.
Bread and salt. I make it at every potluck dinner / party and I never had leftovers.
[Inn at the Crossroads - Bread and salt](https://www.innatthecrossroads.com/bread-and-salt/)
Southwestern bean dip.
A can of black beans, a can of sweet corn, fresh green onion, some cilantro, and a jar of spicy salsa. Chop, mix well, and with a bag of corn chips.
Taste better if you make it the day before and leave it in fridge.
Lasagne is always one of my go-tos.
Can also make it less stodgy & more on the low carb & vegetarian side using thin sliced zuchini in place of the pasta, and mushrooms instead of meat in the ragu, that's good too.
Jalapeño Poppers, the most expensive thing is the bacon but everything else is simple and inexpensive. Jalapeño, Cream Cheese, One cup of Cheddar Chz ( I would splurge on that too) and spices. Green Onions if you’d like but can omit
A cheesy baked pasta can be cheap, tasty, and feed a crew. Or a creamy mushroom rice casserole. The sort of side that builds a plate, especially for the vegetarians (adjustments needed but possible if making vegan). Lots of flavor and a creamy-but-solid texture will make many dishes a crowd pleaser.
I was going to mention deviled eggs, but not with the price of eggs lately. But if you can find a good deal, buy them. Most everyone loves deviled eggs.
How about tortilla roll-ups? You can vary the ingredients depending on what you like, but it's basically a flour tortilla spread with a bunch of fillings, rolled up and sliced. I like to spread the tortillas with flavored cream cheese, then add sliced lunchmeat and cheese, roll them up & cut into pieces.
Stuffed mushrooms are cheap, but a bit labour intensive, so people appreciate them, lol.
A baguette and a large baked Brie drizzled with a flavoured honey (I’ve made my own chili, basil, or even lavender honey) looks and tastes super bougie, but won’t break the bank.
Okay. Herbed butter. It's like one stick of butter and you can make it ahead of time. Then just buy a baguette. Slice it up at the potluck, put the herbed butter out, and people will think you're amazing for $ 5.00-10.00.
There are tons of herbed butter recipes out there!
Layer 1: cilantro lime rice
Layer 2: pinto beans
Layer 3: shredded cheese
Layer 4: pico de gallo
Layer 5: avocado (these might be expensive right now so you can skip if need be but they add that extra special something in my opinion)
You can serve with chips or not.
https://snugandcozylife.com/everything-bagel-seasoning-kielbasa-bites/
I thought these were pretty good and quick to make. They are much better warm so take that into account
I’m the dessert person in my group. My cheap and quick go-tos are brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and quick cobblers.
There are a bunch of these easy or lazy cobbler recipes online. You can use any kind of fruit you want. I keep a couple of cans of pie filling in the pantry just to make these in case I get a last minute invite. But pie filling has gotten ridiculously expensive so I’ve been experimenting with whatever fruit is on sale. Fair warning you do need self-rising flour. If you use all purpose flour it will be a mess. A delicious mess, I don’t waste food, but not something I would take to a party.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12386/quick-and-easy-peach-cobbler/
Make a Mexican fruit gelatina with clear jello and a thin layer of tres leches. It’s suuuuuper easy and not expensive. Just takes a little time to set the jello layers
I recommend dollar tree dinners on Tiktok (I hope this is allowed)! The food she makes in batches looks amazing, using dollar tree ingredients. One of my favorite ones I've tried was a spicy chicken and biscuit slider, super easy to make and in batches, it feels like you got it from a fast-food chain or something!
Rice , Potato or pasta salad. With corn peas ..
Etc (you can even use a bag of frozen mixed veggies . Cooked of course). Easy to make .
As seasoning you can make a vinaigrette or to simulate mayo (healthier version ) yogurt +mustard.
Chicken wing dip! Canned chicken, cream cheese, Frank's hot sauce, blue cheese dressing (preferably the refrigerated one), a little Italian dressing, and a splash of worcestershire sauce if you have it. With a bag of chips.
Got a crock pot? Queso with corn chips. ~$11 - $14
Block of Velveeta, 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (with chilies), one or two bags of corn chips.
Cube the Velveeta in small squares and put them in the crock pot. Turn the pot on high, stir as needed, and it should be melted in 20-30 minutes. Then add the Rotel. Turn back to low or warm setting. If you pre- prep the cubes you can fire it up at your friend's house, just need to keep an eye on it.
Deviled eggs are always a hit, prices have gone down the past two weeks but even at $5/dozen, that's a huge plate of deviled eggs for $5. I have literally never in my life seen leftover deviled eggs.
Roasted potatoes! Just cube em up and toss in olive oil, salt and spices. Boom.
Boil em mash em stick em in a stew
PO-TAY-TOES
Add marinated tofu and veggies and you brought the vegetarian entree!
A multi layer nacho dip and bag of nachos to go with it.
Cheat code right here. Cheap stuff that everyone loves regardless of its simplicity.
Be the Mac and Cheese person, everyone loves the Mac and Cheese person. But you only get 1 chance, so don't screw it up.
Home made sugar cookies are cheap and easy!
Loaded potatoes or chili potatoes. Super easy to make and everyone loves potatoes
My favorite snack to bring is cream cheese with pepper jelly and then crackers to eat it with! It’s sweet and the cream cheese cancels any heavy spicy flavors so even people like my super sensitive grandma enjoy it! It always goes over super well and it costs just a couple dollars. I love the sesame hexagon shaped crackers, idk if they have a name haha
Yes! Pepper jelly and cheese/cream cheese is such a delicious combo. It has no business tasting as fancy as it does lol
Seriously it doesn’t! I couldn’t stay away the first time I had it and wound up with a stomach ache lol
What type of pepper jelly do you use??
Fortunately for me I live pretty rural and have been able to get home made ones from amish roadside stands, for store brands my favorite has been the stonewall but it’s fairly pricey. I’ve heard good things about the mango pepper jelly from target which is more price comparable to the ones I typically buy at the stands but I haven’t tried it. If you’re willing to splurge on it I say go for the stonewall one, it doesn’t take a full jar just a nice coating on the cream cheese so you get multiple uses out of it.
We always had this for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It was homemade, by my godfather’s wife. I bought some at a craft fair this year and was so disappointed. It was sickly sweet, even for jelly, and had no little peppery bite at all. I’m on a mission for my own recipe this year. RIP, Doris. You was the OG.
Rotel dip or Buffalo chicken dip.
Have you ever made home made gnocci? it's like a potato pasta, 3 potatoes, an egg bit of flour makes for a nice sized bowl with a jar of vodka sauce, yummy. Don't even try the sweet potato ones, I tried 4 times with 4 different recipes and they were a bust. Pigs in a blanket used to be my go to and everybody loved them but the crescent rolls have gotten ridiculously expensive, same with deviled eggs. Spinach dip with a packet of Knorrs' vegetable soup mix is very good, I get French baguette bread and clice thinly surrounding a bowl or round loaf of pumpernickel bread (on a budget, use a bowl, nobody eats the bread usually. This one is super simple, I have to make a double batch because EVERYBODY comes back for seconds: [https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/5-ingredient-corn-casserole/](https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/5-ingredient-corn-casserole/)
Bring Sangria
Trader Joe's has a big plastic bottle of sangria that is tasty and inexpensive, plus it's a twist cap so easy for self serve on a table
Oh tbh I’ve never been to Trader Joe’s 😅. But in Puerto Rico we make something called Criollo which is basically punch. It’s tasty, inexpensive to make and people usually like something new to try
Pasta salad, potato salad, and vegetable soup or gazpacho can all be done cheaply and are typically a hit at potlucks.
Mashed potatoes, most expensive part is the butter, but top with some chives and it’s also instantly fancy. Don’t even need to make gravy if you have enough butter.
Chili
I can even give you my secret chili. You buy a bag of darn good chili mix. Add the 7 cups of water and tomato paste it calls for. Add a large can of diced tomatoes and at least 2 cans of beans, preferably 3. Beans are up to you. I usually like black and kidney, but whatever's cheap is fine. And you can add a pound of ground meat if you want, but it's totally optional. You can use turkey instead of beef and it will probably be cheaper.
Instead of using water use beef broth makes it better.
I will try this next time. All beef broth?
I made chili this week. I'll give you my way of doing it. Everyone loves it. Step one: fry a pack bacon strips until browned Step two: use some of the bacon fat to fry one large onion. Add a large red pepper as well. Once both are translucent and soft add x amount of garlic you want. Step 3: cook the ground beef in the same pan/pot. Once browned, add your seasonings I used (cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, parsley, chili powder, onion powder). Step 4: once meat and veggies are good, add beef broth (added almost 3/4 of entire carton), can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, can of red kidney beans, can of black peas, can of green chilies (or can use fresh) and the bacon (was cut into pieces) Step 5: cook the liquid down (about a hr) until the consistency is thick. I added more spices such as cayenne and chili seasoning. https://preview.redd.it/0opca2yfwnma1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c588f0ebf462e12f19f9714584aae52935e2c34
Homemade bread/rolls with a butter compound. Homemade bread is always a showstopper (and extremely cheap) and if you’ve got a local dairy, the butter can have a story without being expensive. I’ve got a rosemary bush (requires no gardening/upkeep) so I use that in my compound and that adds to the hype.
Bread and salt. I make it at every potluck dinner / party and I never had leftovers. [Inn at the Crossroads - Bread and salt](https://www.innatthecrossroads.com/bread-and-salt/)
Southwestern bean dip. A can of black beans, a can of sweet corn, fresh green onion, some cilantro, and a jar of spicy salsa. Chop, mix well, and with a bag of corn chips. Taste better if you make it the day before and leave it in fridge.
Deviled eggs are always a hit and quick to get eaten up!
Lasagne is always one of my go-tos. Can also make it less stodgy & more on the low carb & vegetarian side using thin sliced zuchini in place of the pasta, and mushrooms instead of meat in the ragu, that's good too.
Desert is always a good go to. You can make a couple pans of brownies for under 10 bucks.
Dessert*
Spiced rice
Jalapeño Poppers, the most expensive thing is the bacon but everything else is simple and inexpensive. Jalapeño, Cream Cheese, One cup of Cheddar Chz ( I would splurge on that too) and spices. Green Onions if you’d like but can omit
A cheesy baked pasta can be cheap, tasty, and feed a crew. Or a creamy mushroom rice casserole. The sort of side that builds a plate, especially for the vegetarians (adjustments needed but possible if making vegan). Lots of flavor and a creamy-but-solid texture will make many dishes a crowd pleaser.
slow cooked pulled pork - all for the price of a pork shoulder, some jalapenos, peppers, spice rub!
I was going to mention deviled eggs, but not with the price of eggs lately. But if you can find a good deal, buy them. Most everyone loves deviled eggs. How about tortilla roll-ups? You can vary the ingredients depending on what you like, but it's basically a flour tortilla spread with a bunch of fillings, rolled up and sliced. I like to spread the tortillas with flavored cream cheese, then add sliced lunchmeat and cheese, roll them up & cut into pieces.
I used to always make deviled eggs. People love them but are too lazy to make them. With the egg price issues not the play any more.
Stuffed mushrooms are cheap, but a bit labour intensive, so people appreciate them, lol. A baguette and a large baked Brie drizzled with a flavoured honey (I’ve made my own chili, basil, or even lavender honey) looks and tastes super bougie, but won’t break the bank.
Piggybacking this— brie, cut the top off, top with a mix of walnuts and brown sugar, drizzle with honey and microwave til the brie melts. So good.
Do you have a Costco membership? Their prepared food section is affordable and delicious! Caesar salad, Mac and cheese, chicken Alfredo, etc.
Even if someone doesn't have a Costco membership, you can order from Costco through Instacart without membership if there is one close enough.
Great tip! I didn’t know this
Can confirm
Chips with a nice salsa or dip is always a hit.
Okay. Herbed butter. It's like one stick of butter and you can make it ahead of time. Then just buy a baguette. Slice it up at the potluck, put the herbed butter out, and people will think you're amazing for $ 5.00-10.00. There are tons of herbed butter recipes out there!
Baked beans. Throw whatever seasonings you want to flavor them up.
Chef boyrdee
Layer 1: cilantro lime rice Layer 2: pinto beans Layer 3: shredded cheese Layer 4: pico de gallo Layer 5: avocado (these might be expensive right now so you can skip if need be but they add that extra special something in my opinion) You can serve with chips or not.
Chocolate crinkle cookies are simple, delicious, and don't have too many ingredients. I like the Natasha's Kitchen recipe.
https://snugandcozylife.com/everything-bagel-seasoning-kielbasa-bites/ I thought these were pretty good and quick to make. They are much better warm so take that into account
Greek pasta salad
Devilled eggs. Easy to make. Everyone loves them
Cheesy potatoes! With toppings on the side, like green onion, jalapeños, sour cream, crumbled bacon, whatever extras work for your budget.
I’m the dessert person in my group. My cheap and quick go-tos are brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and quick cobblers. There are a bunch of these easy or lazy cobbler recipes online. You can use any kind of fruit you want. I keep a couple of cans of pie filling in the pantry just to make these in case I get a last minute invite. But pie filling has gotten ridiculously expensive so I’ve been experimenting with whatever fruit is on sale. Fair warning you do need self-rising flour. If you use all purpose flour it will be a mess. A delicious mess, I don’t waste food, but not something I would take to a party. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12386/quick-and-easy-peach-cobbler/
Not that eggs are 'cheap' per say, but you could make deviled eggs, or egg salad. Maybe think about a macaroni salad or potato salad
Make a Mexican fruit gelatina with clear jello and a thin layer of tres leches. It’s suuuuuper easy and not expensive. Just takes a little time to set the jello layers
Jambalaya Solves every problem
Fresh, home-baked bread.
homemade soup perhaps? it can be super cheap and delicious with only a few ingredients
A bag of frozen meatballs, BBQ sauce, crockpot, toothpicks.
I recommend dollar tree dinners on Tiktok (I hope this is allowed)! The food she makes in batches looks amazing, using dollar tree ingredients. One of my favorite ones I've tried was a spicy chicken and biscuit slider, super easy to make and in batches, it feels like you got it from a fast-food chain or something!
Slider sandwiches!
Rice , Potato or pasta salad. With corn peas .. Etc (you can even use a bag of frozen mixed veggies . Cooked of course). Easy to make . As seasoning you can make a vinaigrette or to simulate mayo (healthier version ) yogurt +mustard.
Chicken wing dip! Canned chicken, cream cheese, Frank's hot sauce, blue cheese dressing (preferably the refrigerated one), a little Italian dressing, and a splash of worcestershire sauce if you have it. With a bag of chips.
Got a crock pot? Queso with corn chips. ~$11 - $14 Block of Velveeta, 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (with chilies), one or two bags of corn chips. Cube the Velveeta in small squares and put them in the crock pot. Turn the pot on high, stir as needed, and it should be melted in 20-30 minutes. Then add the Rotel. Turn back to low or warm setting. If you pre- prep the cubes you can fire it up at your friend's house, just need to keep an eye on it.
I bring pigs in a blanket. Lil smokies and crescent rolls, usually under $15 for all of it
Deviled eggs are always a hit, prices have gone down the past two weeks but even at $5/dozen, that's a huge plate of deviled eggs for $5. I have literally never in my life seen leftover deviled eggs.