by Haley Salles

Hosting a dinner party in a studio apartment can be a challenge. This is the reality of being a young, single female living in Manhattan.  Aside from not having a ton of extra space, you rarely have a ton of extra money either! Here are a few ideas for hosting your friends to a memorable dinner party while still having some money left over to get to work the next day.

Pasta dishes are always crowd pleasers and are relatively inexpensive to make.  With two pounds of pasta you can feed about 8 people and will cost you less than $5.  You can make an impressive pasta entrée by adding seasonal vegetables in a simple sauce.  For example Lidia makes a wonderful Penne with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella  that doesn’t even require cooking.  This is a fool-proof recipe for any beginner cook and the whole dish will cost you about $15. 

So now you need a salad or appetizer, dessert and maybe a side dish.  Sticking with the Italian theme why not make a Caesar Salad which is easy and always well received.  I know that Lidia makes her own Caesar dressing, but I’m more than happy to take credit for a well made, store bought dressing.  Add some croutons and some grated Parmigiano and that’s it, your salad is complete and for less than $5. 

Garlic bread has been a long standing specialty of mine (well at least since my college years).  I learned quickly that it was cheap to make and can be made in a toaster oven.  This is always good when you are working in an apartment as tiny as mine.  

I’m all about ease and there’s nothing easier than buying Gelato at the grocery store.  My favorite desserts are simple with great flavor.  Try for something different maybe pistachio or hazelnut instead of basic chocolate or vanilla.  To give it a homemade touch add some seasonal berries.

The wine is a very important component of your dinner party and generally the most expensive.  Here are my suggestions: When a friend asks what they can bring, say wine!  You have put your heart and soul into this wonderful dinner so it’s the least they can do, right? If you have bad friends who don’t offer then I would say your best bet is to go to a wine store that you know and trust.  It’s not embarrassing to ask for help, in fact you should. Let the sales person know your menu and tell them exactly what you want to spend.  There are many great finds out there for less than $10. 

Now you know that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have your friends over for dinner.  For me it actually costs less than what I would spend on just my meal alone at a restaurant.  Give it a try and let me know what you think and let us know how it goes!