2017

It's Ya Birthday! Party on a Budget

11:52 PM



I have four kids. I am a single mama, divorced since 2007. 

Trying to come up with birthday ideas for my kids that are budget friendly that I can do on my own is tough. 



When my youngest turned thirteen this summer, I knew I had to make it special. At the time (and still to this day) I was obsessed with candy cakes....over the top cakes topped with anything you can find. I am no baker but I loved making her cake.




I opted for a simple taco bar. Easy enough, right? You cook your meats and everything else is pretty much prep. Yes, this was so easy.



This is a fabulous idea because, well, who doesn't love tacos? What kid hates candy? A win-win, right?

Right.



My kids and our guests loved it. Even though the cake fell on the back side, nothing was left. All food was eaten and we didn't know whether to pass out from food overload or be super hype from our sugar high.



This was one of my favorite parties to put together. Outside of the taco bar, we had an ice cream mini bar and the best part???? The best part was that it all cost me less than $100. I'm taking all the food, the Dollar Tree decorations and errthang....less than $100.



Tips for buying on a budget for a birthday party:

  • Check out your local dollar store. 
  • Dollar Stores have tons of candy for goody bags, candy bars, chips, drinks, and decorations. 
  • Clearance!
  • Tons of grocery stores and stores in general have clearance sections or baskets. Look at those clearance bins for candy or decorations for some awesome deals. I got all the toppings for the ice cream bar for 90 cents a bag.
  • Plan a simple menu but display it in a high end fashion.
  • Burgers, hotdogs, tacos, etc....display your food items on coordinating serving platters. It really makes a difference.
  • Be Creative!
  • Make decorations for inexpensive items.




I had hard taco shells, flour tortillas, and bags of doritoes that they could use to make their own Taco-in-a-Bag. Seriously, dudes, this was so good.






bbq

Pulled Pork Tacos & Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1:32 PM


Let's make it a taco night with these bad boys!  I invited some friends over and made some Mexican Street Corn and blackberry pies.....and these. It was just such a good dinner and a great time. Kick your taco game up a few notches and impress folks with these lovies.  I topped my tacos with red cabbage, queso fresco , chipotle bbq sauce and some pickled red onions. Oooooowweeeee. 




Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

2 slices of lemon

3 tbsp of chopped chipotles

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt


In a sauce pan on low heat, begin adding your ingredients. Squeeze the slices of lemon and then add the slices into the mixture. Stir well. Let cook for about 15 minutes and then remove from heat. Allow to cool and place into your container.


Pickled Red Onions
1 large red onion, sliced

1/2 cup of water

1 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp of sugar

Mix well and add in your slices of onion. Let the onions sit for at least 2 hours before serving. 



Grilled Pulled Pork

1 Pork Shoulder

8 tbsp of Creole Seasoning

4 tbsp of Tajin classic seasoning or Trechas Spicy Powder


Mix the dry ingredients together and using your hand, pat the dry mix all over the shoulder. Be generous. If you need more, add more! The idea is to coat the outside of the pork with a nice layer of seasoning.




Place your shoulder on a hot bbq grill, fat side up and allow to cook for 7 hours.




From the Food Network for cooking your shoulder in the oven: "Set the meat on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into theshoulder reads 185 degrees F, about 4 hours. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.




Once the pork is cooked, allow it to rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. Using your hand or two forks, begin separating the meat or "pulling" it into strands. Remove and discard the fat. (My mom likes to leave a bit of the fat inside the pulled meat for moisture as pork will dry quickly)




Corn Tortillas

2 cups masa harina

1 1/2 to 2 cups warm water

1 tsp salt




In bowl mix your ingredients together. The dough should begin having a consistency similiar to play dough. If it is too dry, add more water. Knead into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 15-20 minutes. Separate the ball into 15 smaller balls. Place one of the dough balls in between two pieces of plastic wrap, roll flat. I used a bowl to 'cut' out my circle shape. You can use a tortilla press but I did not have one.




Place in skillet lightly greased with olive oil on medium-high heat and cook on both sides for a minute each. Remove from heat and serve warm.

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Divian Conner