The Broke-Ass Bride

Flab to Fab: Easy, Economical Entertaining

Having friends over to eat is one of our super badass budget and diet tricks. It gives us control over the menu, the cost, gives us incentive to keep our place presentable (which, clutternuts that we are, is quite helpful), and allows us all to enjoy a leisurely meal and great conversation in a cozy atmosphere. Some people find entertaining to be a high-stress race against the clock, but I have found that with some creativity, doing dinner in can be easy, breezy, and, well, entertaining!

The other day we had planned a lovely meal for some friends who had to cancel at the last minute, but we didn’t let that put too much of a damper on our plans – we just turned it into an impromptu, light and refreshing date night in! It’s hot as an oven here in LA, and we were coming from across town to make dinner in a hurry, so we had already honed in on light, fresh, no-cook dishes that take less than 5 minutes to make.

The menu:
Marvelous Minted Pea Soup (served chilled)
Heavenly Herbed Heirloom Tomato Salad
Mouthwatering Watermint delight

We split our shopping between the grocery and farmers market, to get the freshest and most convenient ingredients we could. For instance, we went with frozen peas to save the time of hand-shucking each peapod, but bought fresh mint and tomatoes to ensure maximum taste! We also picked up a mint plant, so next time we could just snip it from our garden.

THE SOUP
3 cups frozen peas
1 can vegetable broth (I like swanson’s best)
a handful (more or less) of fresh mint leaves
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon (optional)

Put them all in your blender or Cuisinart – hit “go” and that’s it! Its stupidly easy, and ultra delicious and healthy!
*note: if you want to get real fancy, pass this mixture through a food mill to produce a silky smooth soup, then dollop a spoonful of cream fraiche on that badboy!
*Flab to Fab tip: double the batch and save 1/2 in pre-measured tupperware for fast, free, healthy lunches!

THE SALAD
1 large, juicy, ugly heirloom tomato (remember, its not about looks with these!)
fresh sprigs of mint and basil
Good olive oil (we used Yellingbo EVOO)
Juice of 1 lemon (we used a meyer lemon from the backyard tree)
Coarse ground sea or kosher salt

Cut the tomato into slices, cut slices in half, and arrange on plate. Chiffonade the herbs and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Drizzle a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt. DONE!
*note: if you want to dress it up, throw in some english cucumber for crunch!

THE DESSERT
Fresh Watermelon – cubed
Fresh Mint – torn into small bits
Coarse ground salt (optional)

Toss all together, in advance to let the flavors marry. Chill until ready to serve!

Each of these fresh and delectable dishes is absurdly easy to prep, and healthy as hell, but definitely make a huge impression on guests. The colors alone make the table sing!

I always say the real key to entertaining is setting a mood. You could order pizza and still make it feel fancy and thoughtful for your guests if you aim for ambiance. Set your table in advance, plate the meal on some pretty china, and don’t forget candles on the table and good music in the background. If you’re cooking with herbs like mint or basil, or have some in your herb garden, toss a few sprigs into each water glass for an infusion of flavor and fancy! A nice chilled bottle of wine on the side, and you’ve got yourself a low-stress, light on the wallet and waistline but heavy on the fun, dinner party!

Note to friends: if you’re invited over this summer, don’t be surprised to be served any one or all of these dishes to you…. I think I’m addicted to them!

What’s your favorite go-to entertaining dish?