Something Easy and Cheap to take to dinner party?

[DustPuppyOI]

Flatbread: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/cr...ary-flatbread/
Use whatever herbs you've got handy (or come up with combinations that you can't get in the store). You've really got to roll them thin for it to be crunchy.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/ch...amel-crackers/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/i...ipe/index.html

[Habs]

I'm with Marlowe as well. I'd call the hostess and say something came up and I couldn't make it.
If you don't like them that much and think there is going to be drama, why waste the time and energy? Spend the evening doing something you want to do instead.

[Cachoo]

Too bad she is so picky about wine: I wonder if she has a dessert wine in the mix..,

[PDilemma]

You know what? Life is short! And driving 150 miles (round trip) to spend two hours with people one doesn't even like is maybe not something one needs to do. Driving 150 miles to go to a 2 hr dinner party is something you reserve for people you REALLY like ALOT!

If it were me, I'd cancel. It would not be an easy (flip) decision, but I know that I would call and send my regrets. I look at it this way, You accepted the invitation when you were told it was a dinner party for 4 people whom you really wanted to see; then it changed (without consulting you) and now it's no longer the event you agreed to attend - in fact now it has turned into something you are dreading! You don't have to go!

Wouldn't it be more fun to just stay home with your hubby and have a nice dinner and evening together than to drive 150 miles for an evening of dodging the slings and arrows of 4 nasty people? Why choose to spend an evening with people who are abusive and make you feel bad when you can spend it with someone who loves you and makes you feel good?

ETA: The hostess's comment that insinuated that you'd bring something "undrinkable" - and you say that she's one of the nice ones? Lordy!

Believe me...I'm thinking about it. However...making the trip is not completely a waste of my time nor is it taking me away from my husband. He works a 12 hour shift tomorrow and won't be home until nearly 7 p.m. Then he will sleep on the couch until I wake him up at 10 to go to bed so he can get up at 4:40 a.m. to work another 12 hour shift on Sunday. I'm not missing a lovely evening at home with him --and I picked the date for the hostess so it would be his work weekend. Another reason I feel obligated to show up. (As for her...she's just a snob about certain things, always has been and always will be).

The real upside is this: my parents live in the same town where this party is. If I leave early, I can hang out with them and watch the football game with my dad instead of at home alone. And he just returned from a quick trip to help his siblings with getting my grandmother's house ready to sell and brought a few things of hers back for me that I can get if I go. My husband's work weekends get really long for me--12 hour shifts Sat-Mon. I can only talk to the rabbit for so long. So this is a good excuse to not spend Sat. alone. And the invitation helps justify the gas, because otherwise, I'm not going to spend it just to watch a football game with them.

[victorskid]

Make the best of your trip, stay strong, and remember the FSU snarky reply advice

Just remember not to get locked into something like this ever again!

[skatemommy]

Hopefully the game will go into overtime!

[Nan]

And if you want an excuse for an early departure, beg off with a stomach ache and blame the food of the person who annoys you the most.

[PDilemma]

And if you want an excuse for an early departure, beg off with a stomach ache and blame the food of the person who annoys you the most.

Oh, I have an excuse. And I'm using it. If I'm not home by ten --and I have to drive about an hour and 20 minutes--my husband will be asleep and I will not see him all day. I'm out of there at 7:30. And my hair stylist, who volunteered because he is cool like that, is calling my cell phone between 6 and 6:15 in case I want to make up an emergency and leave even earlier.

[Marlowe]

The real upside is this: my parents live in the same town where this party is. If I leave early, I can hang out with them and watch the football game with my dad instead of at home alone... And the invitation helps justify the gas, because otherwise, I'm not going to spend it just to watch a football game with them.

Ahhh! This sounds like a great upside! Enjoy!

[numbers123]

Hopefully the game will go into overtime!

NO - NO OVERTIME

[PDilemma]

NO - NO OVERTIME

AMEN!! We don't do well with overtime.

[Jenny]

It's great that you are going to your parents to watch the game after - I do believe that when we have to do something we don't want to do or some other challenge, that a little reward is in order, whether it's the frozen vodka waiting in the fridge, or a cosy time with people you like.

Ditto your hardworking husband - mine has been working long hours for weeks now, so knowing the crunch is over soon, we have just booked a weekend away as a reward and something to look forward to for both of us.

[FigureSpins]

And my hair stylist, who volunteered because he is cool like that, is calling my cell phone between 6 and 6:15 in case I want to make up an emergency and leave even earlier.

I've set up appointments in my online calendar and had it send me a text reminder at a certain time. I'd pull out my phone to read the text and choose "I have to make a call/leave" or "It's okay - not important."

[PDilemma]

It's great that you are going to your parents to watch the game after - I do believe that when we have to do something we don't want to do or some other challenge, that a little reward is in order, whether it's the frozen vodka waiting in the fridge, or a cosy time with people you like.

Ditto your hardworking husband - mine has been working long hours for weeks now, so knowing the crunch is over soon, we have just booked a weekend away as a reward and something to look forward to for both of us.

That's his regular schedule. He always has 12 hour shifts on rotating days. So every other weekend is like this for us. It isn't fun, but the alternate three day weekends off are nice. And the pay and benefits are great.

[Cachoo]

Please let us know how this turns out (Yes I have no life.)

[Cupid]

You want to bring something "easy and cheap" to the dinner party, I suggest you bring my friend Diane.

[Habs]

You want to bring something "easy and cheap" to the dinner party, I suggest you bring my friend Diane.

[FigureSpins]

I thought of this thread yesterday -- my sister made her delish habenero jelly preserves this weekend and she saved me a jar! She grows her own peppers and jars them. Served over cream cheese with crackers, it is !

Also waiting for the reviews to come in from the OP's potluck.

Love the pre-canned discussion topics, numbers.

[PDilemma]

Okay...two of the mean girls did not show and one person I didn't mind seeing did not show, so it was a smaller group. The nastiest one on the invite list was there, of course.

First matter....we have all recently had a milestone b-day and are a far distance from 20. But I would like to submit that we are not 80, either. There were five women there--including me. Three pairs of mom jeans and four pairs of sensible shoes. Not cute flats, mind you. I have nothing against cute flats. These women were all wearing shoes that can only be labeled sensible. Two were wearing those black shoes that are a cross between an athletic shoe and a loafer. With their faded mom jeans. The nasty woman topped her mom jeans and sensible brown loafers with a very boxy floral print jacket. I think my husband's 80 year old grandmother has the same one.

Two of them still have the same haircut they had in ninth grade. We were in ninth grade a long time ago. Those haircuts are more than a little dated. I suppose they go well with mom jeans and sensible shoes, though.

The food was good. That's the best thing I can say. My one close friend there and I talked among ourselves a little more than we should have. Mean girl acted sullen most of the time and responded in one word answers to anything anyone said. I did get the whole "you're the only one who doesn't own a home" thing from the hostess. And that is true, but doesn't need announced to me in a condescending tone. I partly used Numbers answer and partly that we don't want to buy until I'm working full time again and we have an idea where we want to live. Mean girl did slide in a comment about how she personally is not lazy enough to not have a full time job. I answered that I'm pretty sure lazy people cannot get through one semester of graduate school homework.

Of the five people there, two are single and three of us married. So creepy woman launched into complaining about her husband and marriage for awhile, mean girl followed and then they both looked at me because it was apparently my turn. I said, "well, I realize it isn't fashionable in our generation, but I have a very happy marriage". That silenced the room for a minute. It was kind of fun.

I ended up with two out phone calls, my husband when he got off at 6:15 and my stylist/friend at 7ish. I left at 7:30 on the dot to get home to see my husband. Mean girl announced to me that she had only seen her husband for a half hour all day and "with any luck, I'll see him less than that tomorrow. It doesn't really matter if you see them at all, you know." I answered, "it matters to me, so I'm going to go."

I took artichoke dip using the recipe Mag pm'ed me. It went over very well.

And prior to the party, I watched football with my dad which I don't get to do often anymore. He had also brought a bunch of old newspapers home that were at my grandmother's house including ones from the week of the JFK assassination, several with headlines from the Vietnam War, the RFK assassination, John Glenn's mission and a some other cool stuff. Those were really interesting to look through.

[Angelskates]

Care to share the dip recipe PD?