Beautiful birthday treats. A festive birthday table: tasty, fast and beautiful! Simple and inexpensive recipes

Setting a festive table is a rather expensive task. Let's talk about the various options for budget, hearty and delicious dishes.

To begin with, we choose the practice of planning. We study the products in stock, try to use them in festive dishes. We write a list of dishes with the composition and a list for purchases in the store.

We offer examples of options for delicious and inexpensive dishes with a short description.

Salads, snacks

Envelopes / rolls with cheese and mushrooms. Wrap fried mushrooms with grated cheese in thin pita bread or pancakes, heat in a pan with butter on both sides so that the cheese melts. Serve hot or cold.

Mushroom salad. Ingredients: boiled red beans -100 gr., Fried mushrooms in butter - 100 gr., 2 boiled eggs, garlic, salt, sour cream or mayonnaise. To mix everything.

Herring under a Fur Coat. Ingredients: 0.5 onions, 1 herring, boiled grated potatoes, grated carrots, egg, beets, mayonnaise or sour cream)

Sandwiches with cheese clouds. Grate 2 processed cheese like "Nadezhda", "City", grate 2 eggs, garlic, sour cream or mayonnaise, mix. Put the resulting cheese cloud on the bread, you can add cucumbers and sprats.

Sauerkraut.

Whip up salad. Mix 1 can of canned green peas, 0.5 finely chopped onion with sour cream or mayonnaise, plus salt and pepper to taste. It turns out to be simple and quite tasty.

Spicy carrots. These are variations on the theme of Korean-style carrots. Three grated carrots with garlic and ground black pepper, coriander, other spicy hot spices, season with sour cream or vegetable oil.

Radish with carrots. Three grated radish with carrots, salt and season with sour cream.

Avocado with cheese and garlic. Three grated 1-2 medium avocados, 150 gr. cheese, 2-3 cloves of garlic, salt, season with sour cream or mayonnaise.

Available slicing options: cheese, sausage, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers.

Pancakes with various "economical" fillings. We wrap various fillings in thin pancakes: finely chopped or grated boiled eggs, rice with fried onions; liver with onions and eggs; mashed potatoes with mushrooms and fried onions; cheese with mushrooms; chopped boiled sausage with mushrooms and cheese.

Salad with "Rybki" cookies. We spread in layers: "fish" cookies, coat with mayonnaise, grated smoked cheese ("Sausage"), finely chopped chicken breast with green onions, 3 finely grated eggs, a layer of mayonnaise. It is better to let it brew in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, so that the cookies "soak".

Salad with fresh vegetables and herbs:
Option 1: young cabbage, cucumber, dill, green onions, sour cream, salt.
Option 2: cucumber, radish, 2 finely chopped eggs, lots of herbs, salt, sour cream.
Option 3: cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, cheese, onion, herbs, salt, sour cream.
Option 4: chicken breast or ham, cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, 2 boiled eggs, salt, ground pepper, sour cream or mayonnaise.

Tomatoes with cheese and garlic. Cut the tomatoes into rings, put grated cheese with garlic and mayonnaise on top.

Hepatic plates. We make liver pate: 0.5 kg of boiled or fried liver, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 0.5 pack of plums. oils, salt and spices to taste. Scroll the liver with vegetables in a meat grinder, mix everything. Then put on wheat plates, tartlets or bread.

Salo. Lard can be used both as slicing and make a kind of snack by chopping it together with garlic and pepper in a meat grinder. Then we spread this mixture on bread. It turns out to be especially tasty if such sandwiches are slightly warmed over a fire on a wire rack.

It turns out more economically when using an abundance of seasonal ingredients: in the presence of freshly picked or canned, frozen mushrooms - we prepare dishes with them, in the season of abundance of fresh vegetables - we use them to the maximum, etc.

Hot

Chicken breast pancakes. Finely chop raw chicken breast, 1 onion, salt, pepper, mix with mayonnaise and fry in a pan.

Chicken cutlets. Scroll the chicken breast, add a small piece of lard or pork, 2 eggs, salt, pepper, a little milk, bread or potatoes. Mix thoroughly and fry.

Liver pancakes. Grind 0.5 kg of chicken liver in a meat grinder or blender, 1-2 eggs, 2 tbsp. spoons of milk, onion, 100-200 gr. flour. Mix thoroughly until thick sour cream and put pancakes in a preheated pan.

Fish in sauce. Ingredients: 3 large pollock, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 100 gr. milk, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of sour cream, salt, pepper. Put the fish in a hot pan, fry on both sides, add chopped carrots and onions, simmer for 5 minutes, add milk, sour cream, seasoning, simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Fried potatoes with onions.

Fried mushrooms with onions and sour cream.

Fish cakes.

Boiled rice with fried mushrooms. Cook the rice separately and fry the mushrooms and onions, then stir or put the mushrooms on top of the rice.

Oven baked chicken wings. A few hours before baking, soak the chicken wings in the sauce: sour cream or mayonnaise, salt, pepper, hot seasoning. Then spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp.

Potato casserole. Wrap in thin pita bread, laying out in layers: mashed potatoes, minced meat or stew, fried onions, cheese, sour cream.

Warm meat salad. Fry separately: finely chopped chicken breast, a little beef and vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, onions. We spread it in a slide on a plate, serve it clumsy.

Potato pancakes with sour cream and mushrooms.

Zucchini pancakes with sauce(mayonnaise, sour cream and garlic)

For tea

Homemade baked goods are much cheaper and more natural than purchased ones.

Sponge cake with apples. Beat 5-6 eggs and 150-200 gr. sugar, add 100 gr. flour, the dough should be like sour cream. Cut 2 medium apples into a baking dish, spread out the dough and bake for 30 minutes.

Pie based cake. On the basis of this cake, you can make a cake. Cut the cake into several cakes, coat with cream, add soaked dried fruits, marmalade, berries, fill with chocolate icing.

Pancakes or thin pancakes with jam, condensed milk, chocolate

Homemade cookies and waffles

Ice cream with jam or chopped banana pieces

Marshmallow and biscuits

Cheesecakes for tea with jam and sour cream

Cottage cheese cake. Lay out in layers: cookies like "Jubilee", "Sugar", a layer of cottage cheese with sour cream, a layer of thinly sliced ​​marmalade, a layer of cookies, a layer of cottage cheese with sour cream, a layer of marmalade, cookies, cottage cheese and fill with chocolate icing.
For chocolate glaze, melt 2 tsp in 100g of milk. cocoa powder, 4-5 slices of dark chocolate, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.

Fruits

The use of exotic fruits significantly increases the cost of the festive table, you can use more affordable fruits: apples, pears, bananas, oranges. In season - watermelon, melon.

After the holiday

It happens that many products remain after the holiday. So, from vegetable and sausage cuts, you can cook a hodgepodge soup, make a kind of gravy for a side dish, from the remaining side dish and hot one - prepare a casserole. If there are a lot of products left after the celebration, then some can be frozen in the refrigerator, for example, chicken, cutlets, sausage, pancakes and cheese cakes, fish and many others. This will keep them fresh and significantly reduce the time for cooking in the future, it will be enough just to get them out and reheat them.

Complete the list. What options for tasty and inexpensive dishes do you prepare for the holiday?

Birthday is a long-awaited and special holiday for every person. On this day, I would like to gather all close friends and relatives at one table and spend the evening in a warm atmosphere. As soon as such plans appear in my head, it immediately becomes necessary to draw up the right menu. What should be the birthday table? This question baffles many, forcing them to look for alternative options for the celebration, excluding the feast. In fact, everything is quite easy if you think over the dishes in advance.

How to correctly calculate the number of dishes

First, you need to decide how many guests will be fed and how generous your table will be. First courses for banquets are usually not used, with the exception of some exotic oriental soups. However, even so, they are more of a problem than a benefit. Stop for appetizers, hot and dessert.

If you are not planning a large-scale celebration, you can completely get by with an exceptionally sweet table. Today there are many excellent pastry shops offering cakes and pastries for every taste. You can go the other way, completely excluding the dessert from the menu. In this case, you will have to pay more attention to the main dish.

Calculate the amount of future treats depending on the number of guests. The easiest way is not to make a mistake when serving meals in portions, like in a restaurant. The only negative is that you have to run around pretty much the guests until everything is in its place. If this does not suit you, proceed in the old fashioned way - prepare meals with a reserve. Remember: it is better to let something remain than everyone will sit at an empty table.

Planning a holiday menu

In some families and companies, it is customary to cook, if not the same, then very similar dishes from year to year. Good or bad, you can argue endlessly. Nevertheless, you will definitely know that everyone will leave well-fed and satisfied, and guests will not faint from the sight of exotic treats. So, the standard menu for all occasions of festive feasts:

1. Snacks and salads for birthday

Snacks are prepared quickly, do not require any special investment and are always in demand on the table. Offer your guests more variety of treats and prepare light meals for all tastes.

Mandatory set

Prepare a separate plate for a meat appetizer, thinly chop the sausage, ham, boiled pork, or any other similar ingredients. Do the same with cheese and vegetables. Moreover, the more types of this or that product you use, the richer and more festive your table will look.

Korean food

You can easily find a Korean snack stall at every vegetable market. They will favorably decorate the feast and dilute its usual content. Be sure to take Korean carrots, cabbage, pork ears, soy and any other delicacies you like. Place everything in small bowls.

Pickles

Search your pantries for pickles, tomatoes, courgettes, etc. Such snacks will not remain intact.

Salads on the table - simple and tasteful

Salads will not only help feed the guests, but, with due diligence, will brighten the table. Do not forget that food should not only be tasty, but also beautiful!

You can use the good old "Olivier", salad with crab sticks and "Caesar". However, nobody canceled "Herring under a fur coat" either. For those who find the fishy taste of the Fur Coat unpleasant, prepare the Bride. The recipe is almost identical, but it will suit even the most whimsical gourmets.

Very easy to prepare ham and pineapple salad. Buy canned pineapples that are already diced. Cut ham, boiled eggs and hard cheese (also into cubes) to them yourself. Add croutons (you can from a pack) and season with mayonnaise.

You can surprise guests with "sea" salads - shrimps, mussels and squids, as well as lightly salted fish are perfect. Seafood goes well with vegetables, eggs and hard cheese. Use low-fat mayonnaise, sour cream, or olive oil as a dressing.

Vegetable salads like vinaigrette serve as a light snack and will certainly delight vegetarians. And for the vinaigrette in the company prepare "Spring" and "Greek". For the first, use all the herbs that come to hand: dill, parsley, sorrel, green onions. Add boiled egg and radish to them, season with sour cream. “Greek” is an improved model of the well-known cucumber and tomato salad. Cheese, olives and sunflower oil are added to it.

2. Main course

First, you should think about what your guests like more - meat or fish. Pay attention that the dish has a decent look. Try to give it a beautiful shape, bake it until a delicious golden crust, and decorate it additionally.

It will be bad without meat during a feast, so be sure to cook at least one main dish with this ingredient. The easiest way to handle is chicken. You can bake the mouth-watering legs and wings, or use the sirloin on the chops.

Beef and pork will take longer, but steaks or burgers are great for a holiday menu. For a delicacy, you can cook duck with apples or veal medallions.

For many "home" cooks, cooking fish does not seem to be the most pleasant pastime, so the fish menu for the holidays is not often chosen. Of course, you will have to spend extra energy and nerves on removing bones, cleaning and cutting. Nevertheless, stuffed pike, baked carp or pike perch in batter will be a real feat on your part and will definitely be remembered by everyone present.

Tricks for the lazy:

• To minimize the time spent in the kitchen, you can use ready-made options for meals. First, take a look at grilled chicken, which can be found in any supermarket. It will look great on the table, and you just have to divide the bird into portions.
• Home delivery is not a bad option either. Choose from several varieties of pizza and order right in time for your guests. Japanese cuisine will cost a little more. Sushi and rolls are a great option for a holiday. Calculate that both will be enough for everyone.

Think about the side dish separately. Of course, it is better to leave various cereals for the daily diet. Potatoes are suitable for the holiday: mashed potatoes, fries, young with dill, rice with vegetables will look beautiful.

3. Dessert

The most common dessert is cake. Moreover, in honor of its birthday, it can be decorated with burning candles. But one cake will not be enough for you. Be sure to put vases with sweets or cakes, a large plate of fruit on the table.

Although you don't have to go to the store for festive goodies. After all, a birthday is a great occasion to please your friends with homemade cakes. Even the simplest DIY pie will make an indelible impression, and what can we say about cakes, baskets or Napoleon cake!

If you have calculated the menu so that everyone is already well fed during the main course, prepare a light and fresh dessert. For this, a fruit salad dressed with honey or sour cream, panna cotta (a dessert made of cream and vanilla) or any kind of cocktails (milk can be used, alcoholic can be used) are suitable.

4. Drinks

When choosing drinks, consider the preferences of all guests. If there is only strong alcohol on the table, this can put some guests in an awkward position. Take care of the availability of wine and champagne. Don't forget about soft drinks too. Place several types of juice and lemonade on the table, and serve coffee and tea for dessert.

Buffet or self-service delights

If you do not plan to get hung up on constant sitting at the table, but prefer a more active celebration and want to entertain the invitees with fun, offer your guests a buffet table.

The main rule to follow is that all meals should be divided into small portions that you can take and eat right away. An excellent option would be a variety of snacks: sandwiches on skewers, chopped vegetables and fruits, cheese and meat plates. You can immediately put the sweets on the table. These can be eclairs and sweets or any other delicacies. At the same time, setting the table for your birthday will take you much less time, moreover, you will not have to constantly carry away and bring plates.

As for the main course, you have to show your imagination here. Your guests will have to take more food with their hands, otherwise cutlery will be in all corners of the apartment. Baskets with various fillings (meat, fish, mushrooms) can help you out, you can also make delicious pancakes (it is better to cut them into small neat pieces). If desired, chicken legs are also suitable. To do this, wrap the bone in advance with a napkin.

Put all drinks on the table immediately. Uncork the wine bottles in advance so that guests do not have to waste time looking for a corkscrew. Do not forget to place glasses and saucers in a conspicuous place.

Festive picnic

An excellent option for celebration is always going to nature. Especially if you are lucky to be born in the warm season. Hot birthday meals cooked over the fire will be both appropriate and delicious.

Of course, the menu is planned before the trip. It is better to take some dishes ready-made, but for the rest you will need blanks:

1. Marinate your barbecue meat in advance. It can be steaks, kebabs or all the same wings. Remember that chicken is pickled quickly enough, but pork and beef will have to start preparing almost in a day.
2. Your guests will be delighted with the pilaf cooked by you personally. Do not forget to bring a cauldron and more oriental spices with you.
3. It is better not to take mayonnaise salads with you, or season immediately before meals, otherwise they can let the juice out and lose half of the taste. Various sandwiches are perfect as appetizers.
4. The side dish can be cooked at home, or you can bake the potatoes in the coals. Meat fried over a fire is quite fat in itself, so fresh or baked vegetables are best suited to it.
5. In addition to the standard set of drinks, do not forget to bring plenty of water with you. During active recreation in nature, everyone will definitely want to drink. You may also need to rinse your hands.

Decorating the table and dishes to create the right atmosphere

Don't forget that in itself it creates a festive atmosphere. Do not be stingy to get the best tablecloth and expensive service. Rub your glasses and cutlery to a shine in advance. Put a nice napkin on a plate for each guest. Ideally, use a cloth to cover your knees during meals. Try to make some original figures out of them. If it doesn't work, just fold it in a wave or a neat square.

Do not forget to add solemnity to your dishes. Even a simple bunch of greens will add attractiveness to treats. You can purchase a special curly cutter in advance. Then banal cucumbers and tomatoes will turn into real works of art. In addition, salads can be laid out in any original shape that comes to mind - from a hedgehog to the Eiffel Tower.

Try to create a holiday for yourself first. Even outdoors or in a restaurant. Several balloons and confetti bows will surely cheer you up and your loved ones.

10 simple tips on how to make your holiday tasty and enjoyable:

Setting the table for your birthday on your own may not be an easy task. But if you approach the solution of the problem with soul and creativity, even the process of preparation itself can bring a lot of positive emotions. In addition, this is another reason to show off your culinary skills and hospitality in front of your friends.

Birthday is not only a holiday of fun, a sea of ​​congratulations and gifts, but also the pre-holiday bustle and worries that fall on the shoulders of the one who decided to treat and surprise everyone at the birthday table. How to set the table inexpensively and tasty for a birthday, a photo so that the feast will be remembered for a long time by the long-awaited guests.

On the eve of the holiday

A variety of dishes, invented and tested by lovers of tasty food and feeding others, allows you to create a festive and inexpensive menu from almost any product. Therefore, long before the birthday, it is worth deciding which products are profitable to buy this season, i.e. when the name day is celebrated.

So, for example, in summer, emphasis is placed on fruits, vegetables, herbs, in winter - conservation and pickles. However, it is worth remembering about the big plus of our time - hypermarkets and supermarkets with their regular discounts and promotions. An analysis of these stocks should be done in advance and, based on this, make purchases of inexpensive products for your birthday.

The basis of the holiday menu

A feast is a set of different dishes for every taste and stomach. The festive table includes a large number of snacks (hot and cold sandwiches, tartlets, rolls, canapes, croutons, toasts). Considering that guests come to have fun and have fun, there should be a lot of such snacks, however, like drinks. Hot dishes (meat, fish, poultry, cutlets, cabbage rolls) take pride of place. Salads, there should be at least two or three different types of them. As a side dish, you can serve rice, buckwheat or mashed potatoes, familiar to everyone. But it is not necessary, for example, potatoes can be stewed with meat or cooked whole (well, if these are young potatoes), pour over with oil and sprinkle with herbs. For sweet cakes, pastries, sweets or cookies. As for drinks, it is decided here individually, depending on the guest company and the habits of the hosts.

Simple and inexpensive recipes

When creating a menu for a birthday, it is important to take into account not only the size of your wallet and culinary possibilities, but also how convenient and tasty it will be for guests to eat this or that dish. Then, it is not entirely correct to set the table with only nutritious and fatty masterpieces, thereby turning a noisy party into a well-fed and lazy feast.

1. Snacks, salads

Hot sandwiches

You will need mouth-watering buns or plain white bread. Separately finely chop the sausage or ham, cucumbers, tomatoes, mix everything with mayonnaise and put on buns halves. Top - grated cheese and herbs and for a couple of minutes in the microwave (oven).

Rolls with cheese

Grate the cooled processed cheese, add finely chopped garlic, herbs, boiled egg. Pour all over with mayonnaise. Wrap the resulting mixture in pita bread and cut into small tape measures.

Herring rolls

Shake the minced meat from the herring fillet, boiled carrots and butter in a blender (in a meat grinder). Spread two sheets of pita bread with the resulting minced meat, put pita bread on top of each other and roll into a roll. Wrap the roll in foil and hide in the cold. Cut the cooled dish into small rolls and place on a flat plate.

Tomatoes with cheese

Put a mixture of squeezed garlic, grated cheese and mayonnaise on the tomato slices.

Rafaelki from pate

Diced liver (chicken or beef), grated carrots, chopped onions simmer in a sealed container or in the oven until completely soft. Add salt and pepper. Turn the resulting mass through a meat grinder or blender, make balls, roll in grated cheese and put in waffle or sand baskets.

Chicken and Korean carrot salad

Cut boiled chicken, cucumbers (fresh or salted) into strips, add grated cheese, cooked Korean carrots, squeezed garlic and chopped herbs. Season everything with mayonnaise and salt to taste.

Mushroom clearing

A salad of several layers, which must be placed in a deep plate. After all the ingredients are soaked in mayonnaise, the finished salad is sharply turned upside down on a wide flat dish. It will look like a mushroom cake. Layers: chopped greens, boiled small champignons, put their caps down, chopped boiled chicken, grated carrots, chopped fresh cucumber, chopped onions, grated potatoes. Soak the layers with mayonnaise.

"Snack" cake

From margarine (100 g), soda (0.5 tsp), slaked sour cream (1 cup), eggs and flour (2.5 tbsp.), Knead a soft dough, divide into 4 parts and hide in the cold. After an hour from the dough, form 4 thin layers for the cake and bake each until golden brown.

For interlayers you will need: hard and processed cheese, herbs (onions, parsley, dill), an egg (2), garlic and a can of canned food in oil (saury).

To form a cake, coat each cake with mayonnaise on both sides (the first cake is only on one side). On the first crust smeared with mayonnaise, put a mixture of grated processed cheese with garlic. The second is a chopped boiled egg with onions, the third is fish from a can (chopped with a fork), on the last crust smeared with mayonnaise, put grated cheese (hard) and finely chopped greens.

Ruby Stars Salad

Mix boiled grated beets, chopped prunes, chopped walnuts, a little garlic. Season the resulting mass with vegetable oil (olive).

Salted fish (red)

Divide fresh fish into beautiful portions. Prepare a mixture of 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons salt. Grease the bottom of the salting dish with vegetable oil, sprinkle the fish on one side with a salt-sugar mixture and put in a bowl, pour vegetable oil on top. Put in the cold for 2 days.

Sea fish in sauce

Fry the fish and place on a dish. Separately, sauté the onion and carrots, put on top of the fish, pour over everything with Krasnodarsky sauce and set aside in the refrigerator to soak the fish with the marinade.

2. Hot dishes

Potatoes with chicken

Put pieces of chicken (or whole chicken) on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, put peeled potatoes next to them. Bake the dish for about an hour. One chicken requires one kilogram of potatoes. Sprinkle with spices.

Potatoes with mushrooms

Put pieces of potatoes, fresh mushrooms, bell peppers, herbs, onions in refractory dishes (you can pre-fry). Cook in the oven in a sleeve or on the stove (microwave).

3. Desserts

Universal biscuit

Separate the whites from the yolks, beat the whites with a mixer, add successively, without stopping whipping, the yolks, one at a time, then 1 glass of sugar and 1 glass of flour. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. The resulting biscuit can be decorated with any cream, berries and fruits.

Rotten stump cake

Mix well flour and jam in a glass, an egg and 1 tsp. soda, bake until tender. Divide the resulting cake into two cakes, grease with cream. Cream: beat sour cream and sugar in equal proportions (3 tablespoons each).

Drawing up a festive menu for a birthday requires a lot of effort from the hostess. After all, I want to surprise guests with new recipes, dishes, tastes and forms and at the same time try not to make a dent in the family budget. Experience shows that this scheme of a festive dinner works best: 2-3 salads, 2-3 appetizers and 1 festive main course with an appropriate side dish. Of course, you can save on everything, but for a festive table it is worth making at least one dish from expensive, gourmet products. These can be mini-sandwiches with caviar, puff salads with quality hard cheese, salmon steaks or natural pork cutlets.

Thinking over the menu, try not to repeat yourself: do not prepare several layered salads, but rather compose one, but unusual, and prepare other salads from fresh vegetables or serve vegetables in the form of a beautiful cut.

Salad with smoked pink salmon and cheese

Ingredients:
150 g smoked pink salmon,
150 g soft cheese
100 ml sour cream,
½ head of Chinese cabbage,
salt, black pepper.

Preparation:
Remove the bones from the fish and cut into thin slices. Cut the Chinese cabbage into strips. Lightly freeze the cheese and grate on a coarse grater. Mix sour cream with salt and pepper. Combine all ingredients and season with sour cream.

Puff salad in glasses

Ingredients:
700 g shrimp
100 g feta cheese,
1 cucumber,
1 avocado
1 tomato,
½ lemon (squeeze out the juice).
For the sauce:
200 g mayonnaise,
100 g sour cream
some black pepper.

Preparation:
Boil and peel the shrimp. Cut the tomato and cucumber into cubes. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and drizzle with lemon juice to prevent the avocado from darkening. Cut the cheese into small cubes. Mix mayonnaise with sour cream and add black pepper. In 4 tall transparent glasses, lay the salad in layers, pouring each layer with sauce: shrimps - tomatoes - cheese - cucumbers - avocado slices - shrimps. Garnish with cheese cubes.

Mistress salad with beets and carrots

Ingredients:
1 boiled beet,
1 raw carrot
100 g of hard cheese
2-4 cloves of garlic
100 g seedless raisins,
100 g walnuts
mayonnaise.

Preparation:
Grate the carrots on a fine grater. Rinse the raisins and cover with hot water for a few minutes. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. Also grate the beets on a coarse grater. Chop the walnuts with a knife. Mix carrots with raisins, combine cheese with garlic passed through a press, mix beets with walnuts. Now put the salad in a tall transparent salad bowl in layers, smearing them with mayonnaise: carrots - cheese - beets. Brush the top of the salad with mayonnaise and sprinkle with nuts or herbs. To reduce the amount of mayonnaise in the salad, mix carrots, cheese and beets in separate bowls with mayonnaise and then put them in a salad bowl. Prepared in this way, the salad takes less time to soak. It can be served 30-40 minutes after cooking.

Layered salad "Cap of Monomakh"

Ingredients:
300 g of boiled meat (veal or chicken leg meat),
3 potatoes,
3 eggs,
1-2 raw carrots
1 stack walnuts
200 g cheese
mayonnaise.
For decoration:
1 ripe pomegranate
green canned peas.

Preparation:
Boil and cool the jacket potatoes and eggs. Grate potatoes, eggs and hard cheese on a coarse grater. Peel and grate the carrots. Crush or chop the walnuts with a knife. Cut the boiled meat into cubes. Mix all the food separately with mayonnaise and lay on a flat dish in layers, forming a cone: potatoes - meat - eggs - nuts - carrots - cheese. Lubricate the cone with mayonnaise and garnish with pomegranate seeds and green peas.

Snack with sprats

Ingredients:
2 jars of sprat,
1 can of canned corn
1 can of canned white beans in its own juice
200 g of hard cheese
1 loaf of "Borodino" bread for croutons,
3-4 cloves of garlic
greens, mayonnaise.

Preparation:
Cut off the crusts from the bread, cut into cubes and dry in a slightly heated oven. Drain the oil from the sprat, pour into a bowl of croutons and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Mash the sprats with a fork, pass the garlic through a press. Grate the cheese on a fine grater. Toss sprats, cheese, corn, beans and garlic and season with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with herbs. Add the croutons right before serving, otherwise they will not crunch.

Cold snacks. They, along with salads, precede the main treat and should not be very satisfying.

Salty tongue appetizer (old recipe)

Ingredients:
1 medium beef tongue
3 tbsp rock salt (coarse, not iodized),
1 tbsp Sahara,
1 head of garlic.

Preparation:
Combine salt, sugar and press garlic. Wash your tongue, dry it and roll in this mixture. Wrap your tongue in a plastic bag, deflate, and tie well. Place the tongue in a bowl, press down with a weight to release the juice. Leave at room temperature overnight, then refrigerate for up to 10 days. Flip your tongue every day so that the tongue is evenly salted. After this period, remove the tongue from the bag and, without washing off the salt, put it in a saucepan with cold water (you do not need to add salt to the water). Bring to a boil and boil until tender for 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the size of the tongue. Put the finished tongue in ice water for 1-2 minutes, then remove the skin and cool. Wrap the cooled tongue in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until serving. Slice your tongue obliquely into thin slices before serving.

Liver roll

Ingredients:
600 g liver (beef or chicken),
100 g butter
2 large onions
2 carrots,
¼ stack. heavy cream
3-4 bay leaves,
salt, pepper - to taste.
For filling:
100-150 g butter
½ bunch of greens (parsley, dill, etc.).

Preparation:
Salt the chopped onion in vegetable oil until transparent and place in a bowl, squeezing out the oil. Grate the carrots on a fine grater, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth, fry until soft and put in a bowl too. Cut the liver into cubes (pre-clean the beef from ducts and films), fry over high heat, then reduce the heat, salt, pepper, add bay leaf and simmer under the lid until soft. Cool and mince twice with onions and carrots. Whisk the liver and cream using a mixer, then add softened butter and beat until fluffy. Beat the butter for the filling with a mixer, adding a little carrot juice. Grind the herbs with a blender or chop very finely and add to the butter. Spread cling film on the table, spread the liver mass 1 cm thick and put in the refrigerator for a short time. Then spread butter with juice and herbs on top of the liver and wrap in the form of a roll. Place in refrigerator and allow to solidify completely. Cut into thin slices before serving.

Hot dishes. Our site invites you to cook the main dish according to one of these recipes. They are not complicated and quite affordable. Boiled potatoes with butter or mashed potatoes, crumbly rice and always a lot of fresh herbs and vegetables are well suited for a side dish.

Beef rolls

Ingredients:
1 kg of beef or veal pulp,
100 g lard,
500 ml sour cream,
2-3 tbsp tomato paste
salt, black pepper - to taste.

Preparation:
Rinse the meat and freeze it in the freezer. Slice the meat across the grain into thin slices. Beat the meat well on both sides. Place the broken plates on the table, and season with salt and pepper on one side. Cut the bacon into long 5mm thick pieces. Place the wedge on the edge of the meat plate and roll into a roll. Roll all the meat in this way. Pour some water into the roaster, lay the rolls and cover with sour cream sauce. To do this, mix sour cream with tomato paste and salt to taste. Place the rooster on high heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 2-2.5 hours.

Stuffed chicken legs "La-bullet chicken"

Ingredients:
8 legs,
2 stacks walnuts
¾ stack. cream (or non-acidic sour cream),
200-250 g pitted prunes,
spices,
some hot pepper
salt,
vegetable oil for lubrication.

Preparation:
Carefully peel the skin off the legs, being careful not to damage it and turning it inside out. When you reach the joint, trim the cartilage and peel off the skin like a stocking. Remove the meat from the bones, turn it through a meat grinder along with nuts and prunes, add cream, salt, pepper and spices to taste. With the resulting minced meat, fill the skin from the legs and secure it with toothpicks. Grease with vegetable oil, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet, greased with vegetable oil. Place in an oven preheated to 180-200 ° C for 20 minutes. Then cover the baking sheet with foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

Pork zrazy with cheese and mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 kg of minced pork
3 onions,
1 egg,
20 ml of milk
400 g fresh champignons,
100 g of hard cheese
50 butter
½ loaf of stale white bread,
salt, black pepper - to taste,
wheat bran or bread crumbs.

Preparation:
Soak stale bread in milk for 30 minutes. Chop 1 onion very finely. Pass the minced meat along with the pressed bread and onions through a meat grinder. Add salt, black pepper and stir. Prepare the filling: Cut 2 onions into cubes, and chop the mushrooms and cheese into small cubes. Cut the butter into cubes and refrigerate. Salve the onion in vegetable oil until golden brown. Add mushrooms to skillet with onions and sauté until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the minced meat into 8 parts, make tortillas from it and place in the center of each onion and mushroom filling, a slice of butter and cheese. Blind oval cutlets, roll in breadcrumbs and fry on both sides until tender.

Chicken fillet in oriental style

Ingredients:
1 kg of chicken fillet,
1.5 kg of pineapple pulp,
100 ml of natural soy sauce,
2 tbsp chopped green onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
100 g ketchup
1 tbsp 6% vinegar
1 tbsp curry spices,
½ tsp Sahara.

Preparation:
Grate chicken curry, place in a bowl and top with soy sauce. Cover with a plate smaller than the bowl and add the weight. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. In the meantime, prepare the pineapple sauce: cut the pineapple into small cubes, heat the vegetable oil, put the green onions and save until soft, then add the garlic, passed through a press, and after a minute add the pineapple, ketchup, sugar and vinegar. Stir, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a separate frying pan in hot vegetable oil, fry the chicken fillet for 5 minutes on each side (no longer, otherwise the meat will become tough). Serve the fillet by slicing and dripping with pineapple sauce.

Quiche with pink salmon and shrimps

Ingredients:
300 g frozen butter
500-550 g flour
2 eggs,
2 tbsp sour cream,
salt.
Filling:
300 g smoked pink salmon,
300 g boiled shrimp,
200 g of hard cheese.
To fill:
400 ml 10% cream,
4 eggs.

Preparation:
Chop the butter with a knife, add flour and salt and crush the whole mixture into crumbs. Add eggs and sour cream and knead the dough. Set the dough for 30 minutes and place in a high-sided baking dish, kneading it with your hands to form the dough sides. Cover the dough with parchment or oiled baking paper and place a flat plate slightly smaller than a baking dish on top of it and place a small amount of oppression or pebbles on top. This is necessary so that the dough does not rise during baking. Place the mold in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 30 minutes. Place the diced fish and peeled shrimp on the prepared base, sprinkle with cheese. Combine eggs with cream and beat well. Pour the resulting lush mass into the cake and put the form back in the oven. Bake until the pot is completely baked for about 30 minutes.

Natural pork cutlets with a surprise

Ingredients:
800-900 g pork fillet (loin),
2 tomatoes,
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 egg,
½ tsp hops-suneli,
sprats,
breadcrumbs.

Preparation:
Cut the pork into 1 cm thick pieces and beat lightly. Make an incision in the form of a "pocket" without finishing cutting to the end. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then put them in ice water for 5 minutes and peel them off. Cut into slices, add salt and fry in vegetable oil on both sides so that the slices do not blur. Pass the garlic through a press and mix with seasoning and salt. Rub the meat from the inside of the "pockets" with this mixture. In each "pocket" put 1 sprats (or 2, if the sprats are small), 1 slice of tomato and stab with toothpicks. Beat the egg with salt, pepper and ½ cup. water, dip the meat in the resulting mixture, then roll in breadcrumbs and fry on both sides in vegetable oil.

Before the onset of this significant date, the heart invariably sanks with joy in anticipation of gifts, fun, friendly meetings. But some people don't like their birthdays for various reasons. Some are due to the fact that they are at least a year older. And some, especially economical subjects, tensely calculate how much it will cost them and from the announcement of the estimate their mood spoils. Life develops in such a way that everyone is periodically forced to save. But this is not a reason to deprive yourself of the holidays. Therefore, we will try to answer the question: how to inexpensively set the table for a birthday?

Where does the tradition come from?

When did people start celebrating birthdays? There are two versions. According to the first, the tradition was based on Roman ceremonies in honor of the gods. The pagans laid abundant tables, congratulations sounded, and various gifts were given. This hypothesis is more recent. And the second version says that the roots of the tradition go back to ancient times, when there were beliefs about the special vulnerability of a person on his birthday. It was believed that any wishes or curses were doubled on such dates. Therefore, the ancient people tried to appease the spirits with offerings so that they would not harm the newborn.

Birthday Mukhi-Tsokotukhi

They gradually switched to personalities, but for a long time no one paid attention to the date of birth of children and women. The first woman whose birthday was celebrated on a grand scale was the beautiful Cleopatra. It was not customary among the common people to write down and celebrate ladies' birthdays.

The Greeks and Egyptians often and pathetically celebrated the birth dates of the gods, as well as the pharaohs and kings. Sometimes, on the occasion of the birth of the pharaoh, prisoners were released from prisons. In ordinary families, it was the practice to celebrate only the birthday of the head of the family.

At first, the position of Christianity on this issue was extremely tough: life was given to a person to atone for sins, so he has no time for fun. Later, the church softened somewhat and allowed christening with name days. But the Soviet system was against the name day and, figuratively speaking, trampled on the tradition with its iron boot. Even the famous birthday fly was ordered to be removed from the works of old Korney.

By the way, in Russia name days were very popular: they baked a loaf, brewed delicious beer, prepared pies and sang songs. Of course, peasant holidays were much more modest than those of the tsars: sometimes the amount spent on the name day of the crowned person could be used to build several luxurious palaces.

Surprise cake

It is clear that ordinary people have always dreamed of setting the table for their birthday tasty and inexpensively. But what a holiday without a cake? Few people know where this indispensable attribute of birthdays came from. If you dig deeper, it is believed that the idea itself came again from the times of paganism, when in the pitch darkness they lit sacred altars in honor of the ancient gods.

But the tradition was introduced into everyday life by the Germans. They created a common ritual for celebrating the children's birthday. To do this, they prepared a delicious pie, in which they hid various iconic objects, put candles upstairs according to the number of years of the hero of the occasion and, waking the child from dawn, sang healthy songs to him. It is noteworthy that the pie was not eaten until evening, when the whole family gathered at the table. The child had to think of something cherished and blow out the candles at a time. Sound familiar, right?

Jam Day: Their Mores

In different countries, such holidays are treated differently. The reverent attitude of the majority of the inhabitants of the planet to anniversaries. But some nationalities mark just odd or non-round dates. Traditions are also different: in Italy, spaghetti will be an indispensable dish on the birthday man's table (so that he can live long), and in Latin American countries, a piñata with gifts loaded into it is sure to be broken.

The British, who have lived to be 80 years old or more, are personally congratulated by Her Royal Majesty. But the most unlucky birthday people live in Japan: instead of children, they congratulate their parents, and gifts are generally given only after the onset of 60 years.

Thrifty table rules

If the birthday lady nevertheless decided to gather close people under her hospitable roof, but wants to measure her needs with the possibilities, then there is a way out.

Laying the table for a birthday at home is inexpensive, very tasty, and even so that it looks presentable is an absolutely doable task. To do this, you must adhere to the simplest rules:

1. The menu must be thought out in advance. It's good to dig in cookbooks, flip through magazines. You need to pay attention to the ingredients: it is cheaper to buy seasonal products, so the menu is selected accordingly. If the hostess wants to set the table for her birthday at home inexpensively, recipes with photos are especially welcome, because you can immediately see how the dishes on the table will look.
2. Calculate the exact number of guests (taking into account, of course, a few uninvited guests). You can cook hot portions, but in this case, the birthday girl will not have peace. It is still better to make a common dish with a reserve.
3. First courses on the birthday menu are usually not included. Exceptions are exotic gourmet soups.
4. If you are planning a traditional celebration, then it is quite possible to set the table for your birthday at home inexpensively. Recipes for budget meals can be found in any source of your choice. But cold and hot appetizers, a main course (meat or fish), salads and desserts must be included.

Alcoholic drinks are also an important attribute of the festive table, since they increase the degree of mood, forgive the pun.

Modest slicing and luxurious roll

Many families adhere to classic longstanding traditions and set the table with their favorite dishes that guests know by heart. But this approach has its own benefit: people will never leave hungry and are guaranteed to be satisfied.

Standard cold cuts include meat, cheese and vegetable cuts. This classic approach has never let anyone down. The main thing is the variety of varieties in the cut. Everyone knows that it is with cold snacks that any meal should begin. This is the so-called organizational moment: after all, it is useless to hope that no one will be late. And while waiting, the rest of the guests will be able to eat well so as not to drink on an empty stomach.

For those who want to set the table for their birthday at home inexpensively, Korean snacks are perfect: buy a little of everything (try the dishes beforehand) and put them on the table in small plates. Homemade pickles and marinades are also in great demand among guests.

There are express recipes for initiates on how to set the table for a birthday tasty and inexpensively: a cold roll and an appetizer with the romantic name "Rafaello". The first is prepared as follows:

• a sheet of thin pita bread is smeared with a mixture that includes: mayonnaise, garlic, dill and grated cheese;
• spread thinly sliced ​​ham on top;
• then the actions are repeated;
• roll up pita bread in the form of a roll;
• wrap the product in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Serve such an inexpensive, but original dish, cutting it into portioned pieces with a very sharp knife.

The Rafaello snack will require the following ingredients:

• crab sticks;
• garlic;
• hard cheese;
• mayonnaise;
• cashews (but for the sake of economy, you can use a walnut).

A nut kernel is rolled into a mixture of cheese, fatty mayonnaise and garlic. Next, a frozen crab stick is rubbed on a fine grater. In grated crab meat, rolls over with a surprise: the dish is ready. Including with the help of this recipe, you can reveal the secret of how to quickly and inexpensively set the table for a birthday. To make such balls look festive, they are laid out on fresh lettuce leaves.

You can also use seasonal dishes. The budget version of the menu is drawn up in the summer. For example, eggplant tongues or fingers. The second option is more expensive, as there is very little, but meat is included.

Delightful hot snacks

A hostess who asks herself the question of how tasty and inexpensive to set the table for her birthday should not forget about hot snacks. They follow the cold ones when everyone has gathered at the table and it's time for the first toast. There should not be many of them, and they are prepared shortly before serving. It is a light dish with small portion sizes. An example of such a snack can be simple-to-prepare meat balls:

• a traditional cutlet mince is made, with the addition of raw eggs;
• the finished layer of dough is rolled out and cut into strips;
• meat balls are wrapped with dough threads like a ball;
• the dish is baked in the oven until tender.

This appetizer looks very presentable.

Now it is not a problem for the hostess to set the table for a birthday at home inexpensively, recipes just jump out of magazines, cookbooks, Internet portals by themselves. Here, for example, is a julienne-like dish that cooks ridiculously fast and tastes delicious. We present to the attention of hostesses champignons in sour cream sauce.

The dish is prepared like this:

• peeled mushrooms are added to carefully salted onions and carrots and stewed for about 10 minutes;
• later sour cream, seasonings are laid and everything is stewed until tender.

The simplest dish can be made beautiful if you sprinkle it with grated cheese and herbs on top, and serve it in ceramic pots.

Date salads

If you intend to set the table for your birthday at home inexpensively, then you cannot do without salads. For the traditional approach, Olivier, herring under a fur coat, Mimosa or Caesar are suitable. You can use the simplest option, which requires products such as:

• green pea;
• ham;
• pickled champignons;
• mayonnaise.

This salad is perfect when guests are literally on the doorstep or come unexpectedly. After all, there is no need to prepare anything in advance, all the components are simply mixed.

Salads with seafood can look original, especially they are to the taste of the female half of the guests.

Main serving of dishes

A very important moment when, after the artistic exclamation: “Fedya! Game!" for example, a delicious baked duck stuffed with dried apricots and apples appears on the table. But the question was how to inexpensively set the table for a birthday, what does the game have to do with it? It is not necessary to bake the duck, the same can be done with the chicken. You can use not the whole bird, but its legs or wings. If you marinate them well, and even roll them in honey, you get an excellent dish with a delicious crispy crust.

In general, before planning the main service, you need to ask yourself what your guests like more: meat or fish? Only then can the coveted main course be prepared. Of course, fish is several times more troublesome than meat, but either pike will become truly festive and will be remembered by guests for a long time. It's a good idea to serve medallions or steaks to the festive table. One thing is for sure - meat on the table must be present.

You should choose any kind of potatoes as a side dish for the main dishes: mashed potatoes, fries, fried, boiled with herbs.

And what about the compote?

To set the table for a birthday inexpensively, recipes are not all that a hostess needs. Drinks are also important. Of course, you can't do without compotes, juices, carbonated drinks, maybe even crochets. What about alcohol? It is important to take into account that not everyone drinks strong alcohol, therefore champagne and other wines are an obligatory attribute on the festive table.

Desserts require tea or coffee. As a sweet, of course, in the classic version, a cake with candles is served, but how to set a festive table for a birthday inexpensively? After all, cakes are quite an expensive pleasure. There is a way out: either bake a cake with your own hands, or buy cakes, cookies or sweets. By the way, a personally cooked confection is better than any purchased product, because the hostess puts her soul into the dish.

Mistress secrets

To set the table for your birthday at home inexpensively, but at the same time to make it unforgettable, you need to know the main secret: competent table setting and decoration of dishes. You shouldn't spare your time for this.

What you need for serving and decorating:

1. Tablecloth. In the classic version, white, but other colors are allowed.
2. Dishes. Cutlery and glasses should be polished to a shine. For a solemn occasion, it will be useful to get your best service from the bins.
3. Do not forget about cloth napkins according to the number of guests. They can be beautifully laid out in waves or in the form of shapes.
4. Decorate dishes with herbs, bright berries, like cranberries, peas, olives. For curly and fruit there is a special knife, it would be nice to get one. If you ask yourself the question: how to set the table for your birthday inexpensively, the recipes can be very surprising. And not only not too expensive and tasty dishes described in them, but also presentable appearance. This is due to the fact that the dish is decorated correctly, because when you look at the food, an appetite should come.
5. Do not carry out a lot of culinary experiments, let everything be as usual, with the exception of one or two dishes.

A festive table should not be complete without a variety of vegetables and fruits. If the alcohol is planned to be strong, then take care of a hearty and plentiful snack.

Little birthday boy

How to inexpensively set the table for a child's birthday so that he was delighted, probably, many mothers think.

In fact, it is not difficult at all. There are several tips that you can use to make an unforgettable celebration for your child and his friends:

• brightly colored paper dishes are safe and beautiful, and you don't need to wash anything;
• decoration of the room with balls, paper garlands;
• small dishes - mainly canapes, salads in bowls, pita rolls with different fillings, chicken croquettes - children do not really like to overeat, unless, of course, these are sweets;
• water-lovers can be offered home-made lemonade, fruit drinks, juices, compotes and milk and fruit cocktails;
• desserts are preferable from cottage cheese;
• salads are best seasoned with sour cream and yoghurts.

Everything is suitable for canapes: ham, cheese stars, pepper slices, olives, corn, shrimp. The sweet version is done like this: bananas, grapes, kiwi are pricked on skewers.

You can make a delicious salad from boiled chicken, tomatoes, sweet peppers and hard-boiled eggs by decorating it in the form of a hedgehog with fly agarics on the back. The salad is stacked in layers: chicken cut into pieces → tomatoes → grated eggs → chopped peppers. Each layer is coated with sour cream and yoghurt dressing. Sprinkle the hedgehog with grated carrots, and mark the face with egg white. The eyes and nose are made from olives and prunes, and fly agarics are made from eggs and tomatoes.

It is important to create a festive atmosphere and provide an opportunity for the little ones to move actively.

Alternative ideas

Finally, you can offer several ideas when there is neither time nor desire to spend time in the kitchen, and the soul requires a holiday. You can set the table for your birthday at home inexpensively and tasty by purchasing ready-made food from a culinary or restaurant. This option is especially suitable for a young, advanced company. You can order pizza, grilled chicken and salads. Japanese cuisine will cost a little more.

There is also an interesting and modern option - a buffet table. But he obeys certain rules:

• division into disposable portions;
• dishes should be mainly on skewers;
• you can lay out all kinds of goodies on one large table;
• the main dish should be in baskets or make the sheet rolls after cutting them;
• if chicken legs are served, then the bone is wrapped in a napkin.

Alcoholic drinks must be uncorked, and guests must be provided with glasses and glasses. But a huge plus will be that the birthday girl does not have to constantly change plates and cutlery.

The most interesting option will be a birthday party in nature. Happy people born in the summer months know what that means. A picnic in nature, barbecue, barbecue, air and sun - what could be more tempting? But here, too, there are nuances:

• salads with mayonnaise - not recommended picnic dishes;
• meat must be marinated in advance;
• you should take care of drinking water;
• sandwiches and side dishes can be taken from home.

And what a delicious pilaf on a fire or potatoes baked in ash!

But no matter what the birthday person chooses, the main thing is that his beloved people are nearby.