We make the menu for the holiday

As practice shows, for many, drawing up a menu for the holiday is not an easy task. On the one hand, I want to show the guests a rich and tasty table, and on the other, there is always a financial constraint. Is it possible to find a middle ground and create the perfect menu for the holiday? Yes, if we consider a few "nuances"!

The long-term practice of drawing up holidays for all occasions made it possible to reveal the basic rules for drawing up the menu:

1. It is necessary to know the number of invited guests. Is it worth spending time preparing 30 dishes if only two come to visit? Therefore, the amount of food should be commensurate with the number of invited persons.
2. On the table should be a sufficient number of both vegetable and meat dishes. The exception to the rule appears if in the family everyone keeps fast, is vegetarian, or is addicted to raw food eating. If only one or two guests adhere to unconventional food, then for them it is enough to cook a couple of dishes. In the same Scripture, it was mentioned that if a Christian at a party refuses to eat the food of his masters, he thereby puts himself above them. This is already akin to pride. Therefore, a bit of “sinful” food is allowed, but with pure thoughts and in the absence of another edible dish. Ultimately, they can bring their own dish! In my practice, there was a case at a wedding when, apart from vegetable cutting, all the dishes were meat. The bride decided not to include in the menu too "banal" salads from cabbage and carrots. And the guests could not eat normally, because they really wanted to “dilute” the fatty vegetables, which were practically not there. Therefore, do not neglect even the usual salads in vegetable oil or with sour cream.
3. Novelty in conjunction with already familiar recipes. As a rule, one or two new lettuce can bring revival to old friends. But do not forget that the previously familiar dishes also delight guests. Therefore, it is better to leave what is familiar and loved by everyone, and add a novelty to them. In this case, if suddenly the novelty, for whatever reason, is not appreciated, the guests will be able to evaluate the level of preparation of the familiar salads.
4. The combination of puff and freshly prepared salads. As a rule, a couple of hours before the arrival of guests, the peak of the hostess’s activity begins. It is necessary to have time to make up, lay the table, cook hot dishes, chop greens, which over time can lose its appearance. A large mass of cases can be somewhat reduced if the menu has enough dishes that could be prepared in advance. For example, jelly, carrots in Korean, pickled cucumbers are prepared the day before. Cutlets and meatballs are usually good both warm and hot. But sandwiches are best cooked almost before serving.
5. Replacing ingredients. With a limited budget you can cook a lot of delicious dishes. For example, experienced housewives add a little more rice and spices to stuffed cabbage to preserve their meat taste. Bread is added to cutlets for volume, and onions and even squash for juiciness. If the recipe is "lime", then it is boldly replaced with lemon. Take a closer look at the selected recipes: is it possible to “modify” them a little, please the guests with a new sound? Just be careful, because not all products are combined with each other!

Remember the phrase "the rich, and so happy"? Should not intermeddle in debt, just to lay the table richer and more interesting. If you show ingenuity and organize contests, even mistakes in cooking will lose their strength before the laughter of guests. So be creative and everything will work out for you!