Win an Ice Cream Party for Your Neighborhood

We have always been big fans of community-building here at Very Merry Events, and what better way to get to know someone that over a big bowl of ice cream? Edy's is once again sponsoring the Slow-Churned Neighborhood Salute, where you could win an ice cream block party for your neighborhood!

All you have to do is write a 350 word essay (or less) on why you think your neighborhood should win! They give the grand prize to 1,500 winners, so if you are creative and original in your essay, you have a good chance to win! The contest runs now through May 30th and the winners are revealed in July. Go ahead, enter today!

Better than a Cold Bowl of Cereal (Part 2)

In yesterday's post, I outlined some basic ideas on how to throw a monthly breakfast for your neighbors. Today, we are focusing on the main event -- the food!

The $30 Feed-a-Crowd Breakfast Menu:

2 9X13 pans Breakfast Casserole*
2 pans Cinnamon Rolls (homemade or store-bought)
1 pan biscuits
Fresh Fruit
Bagels or Doughnuts
Jelly, Butter, Cream Cheese, etc.
Vegetarian, though not vegan, option: Spinach Quiche (homemade)
Orange, apple, or cranberry juice
Coffee and fixins

I've made all the above for around $25, minus the coffee.

Optional substitutions or extras:
Milk (I know milk is like gold around our house these days, but if you feel generous or have the extra funds, serve it up!)
Croissants
French Toast Casserole
Waffles or Pancakes
Scrambled Eggs and/or Grits
Bacon Strips or Sausage, pre-cooked and kept warm on a platter

*Our Redd family Breakfast Casserole recipe uses bread, eggs, milk, sausage, cheese, mustard powder and Worchestershire sauce, but there are other versions using grits, ham, bacon, and even Rotel for some kick. Southern cookbooks, especially those from churches, usually have the best versions.

The breakfast casseroles come to about $4 each, even store-bought cinnamon rolls on sale can be as little as $1 each roll (I use 3-4), homemade biscuits cost pennies, but you can get the kind in a can on sale for $.50 sometimes (and through some experiementation, I actually found I preferred the store brand to Pillsbury, too!). Buy whatever fruit is on sale that week and make a salad -- it will last longer. Pick up bagels or doughnuts at the store (frozen bagels go on sale all the time, and if you let them thaw and then toast them, no one will ever no the difference) or from a local bakery.

(If you are really, really cheap and can keep a secret...you can get free or almost free baked goods from stores like the Atlanta Bread Comapany and Panera if you go right before they close at night. They are required to throw any leftovers away, so are willing to sell them cheap or sometimes give them to you. But maybe you knew about this already?)

Everything hinges on the presentation, after all. Even the most inexpensive meals can become the basis to a wonderful occasion with a little extra effort.

If you serve the condiments in pretty little containers no one will every know you used the store-brand jelly or cream cheese. Same goes for fruit juice -- serve the reconstituted frozen kind in a nice glass picther. We always had little juices and coffee provided by the office, and I'm not a coffee drinker, so if any of you have ideas on how to get really good gourmet beans on the cheap, please let me know!

I've found that you can make scrambled eggs or grits and keep them warm in a crock pot. We got two crock pots for our wedding, and these have come in handy many times!

For smaller groups, made-to-order waffles are an extra treat. If you have a griddle (or two), and you have lots of assistance in the kitchen, other breakfast options that work well for larger groups include assembly-line pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns.

Most of our neighbors enjoy the treat of a (mostly) home-cooked hot breakfast. However, if you get tired of having the same thing month after month, have themes -- serve croissants for a French morning meal, or spice up the breakfast casserole or eggs with some green chiles, add some tortillas for wraps, and have a South-of-the-Border breakfast.

If you are planning for a smaller crowd, why not make it more of a mid-morning affair and only serve ONE item -- hot, fresh cinnamon rolls, or a platter of doughnuts and some fruit? Sometimes the more intimate gatherings are the ones with the best conversations.

If you enjoyed these ideas or have any suggestions of your own, please let me know! I'd love some community input! Also, if you have any breakfast recipes or ideas you'd like to share, please add them in the comments!

Better than a Cold Bowl of Cereal (Part 1)

Have you ever wanted to get together regularly with your neighbors, but you just can't seem to find a good time to meet? Evenings are busy, the kids all have different bedtime schedules, and you don't want to take away from weekend plans.

Well, if you don't mind getting up a little early, try hosting a Saturday morning breakfast or burnch once a month! A few less hours of sleep is worth it, trust me.

When we were a CARES Team, this was one of the first regular events we instituted in our complex to get to know our neighbors, and I can testify that it was one of the most well-attended ongoing activities we had. (Of course, we also had folks who came, grabbed a plate of food, and ran off, but all our neighbors weren't so rushed. I'd hope yours would at least want to stay and say hello!) We were also on a limited budget, especially during the winter, and often only had less than $30 to spend to feed at least 25-30 people or more, so we got creative!

The first rule of any good event is to make it inviting. Serve warm, yummy food! Your neighbors will also thank you for offering them the chance to eat something other than cold cereal or a breakfast bar, even if they do grab a plate and go!

If you do plan to make this an ongoing neighborhood event, one way to defray costs is to have everyone bring a favorite breakfast item, even if they just pick up doughnuts from down the street. However, for the first time, you will probably want to provide everything yourself, as an act of hospitality and goodwill towards any new folks you might meet. In the next installment, I will provide inexpensive menu ideas that feed 30 people for less than $1/person.

The easiest way to serve breakfast for a large group is buffet style. We use various dishes, crock pots, casseroles, platters, baskets with a cloth napkin to keep breads warm, really almost anything will do.

As for what to serve on? At most Dollar Stores, you can find brightly colored tablecloths and paper napkins and plates if you are looking for cheap options for easy cleanup for a large group. If you plan to do this often and want to use paper products, the cheapest option is to go to a warehouse store and buy the extra-large quantity paper goods they sell to small businesses. I liven up plain forks, knives and plates with festive napkins.

But, if you are hosting the event in your home and have the space (and the dishes), or if you just want to be more environmentally friendly and economical, feel free to set up a buffet on your kitchen counter with real plates--just make sure you recruit some help with washing the dishes!

Once you have gotten to know your neighbors a little better, and you want to keep the Saturday brunch time going, another option is to rotate the location--and the hosts! Perhaps you'll want to spend one Saturday morning together at the park and serve bagels and cream cheese or bring along some biscuits, butter, and jam. Bring along a cooler with bottled juices or a thermos.

If you know your neighbors REALLY well, why not make it even more casual and relaxing by letting the kids come over in their pajamas? Make it reminiscent of a Saturday morning when you were a kid and had all the time in the world. If you are hosting the brunch in your home, you can put in some DVD's of appropriate children's cartoons, perhaps some classics that even the adults might appreciate.

These are some simple tips for a fabulous, yet frugal, Saturday morning breakfast event. If you decide to do something like this for your neighbors, or have in the past, please tell us about it in the comments or e-mail me with pictures!

In my next installment: More Breakfast Menu Ideas!