Hosting a Porch Supper for Eight on $60

We had eight people on the back porch last Saturday, which is about two more than it comfortably holds. Ben carried in the kitchen chairs, I borrowed two folding chairs from the neighbor across the street, and Lila sat on an upturned bucket and declared it the best seat. The pecan trees had just leafed out fully, the pollen had finally washed off the screens, and it was one of those mid-May evenings when the air is warm but not yet heavy. I had a budget of $60 for the food. We came in just under.

I want to share exactly how, because hosting used to stress me out mostly because of the money. When I was still commuting to the library in Columbia, having people over meant a rushed trip to the store and whatever was quick, which usually meant expensive. Now I plan a week ahead and it is a completely different experience.

The menu

• Shrimp and grits (shrimp stretched with smoked sausage)
• Big green salad with buttermilk dressing
• Skillet cornbread
• Strawberry shortcake with whipped cream
• Sweet tea and water; guests brought wine and beer

Shrimp sounds like a splurge, but grits are cheap and filling, and two pounds of shrimp go a long way when there's also sausage in the gravy. Strawberries were at their peak at the farmers market, which made dessert easy.

The shopping list and what it cost

I counted pantry staples at a rough estimate because it felt like cheating to leave them out entirely.

The timeline that kept me sane

Thursday

1. Thawed the shrimp in the fridge.
2. Made the buttermilk dressing; it gets better after a day.
3. Washed the porch screens with the hose and wiped down the table.

Saturday morning

1. Farmers market for strawberries, greens and grits.
2. Sliced and sugared the strawberries so they would release their juice.
3. Baked the shortcakes (the biscuit dough I make anyway, with a little extra sugar).

Saturday afternoon

1. Chopped vegetables, browned the sausage, made the gravy base up to the point of adding shrimp.
2. Set the table: a white sheet as a tablecloth, a jar of honeysuckle and privet cut from the fence line, and the string lights we hung during last summer's porch makeover.
3. Started the grits about forty minutes before guests arrived. Stone-ground grits need time and stirring; they hold well on the lowest heat with a splash of milk.

Half an hour in

1. Cornbread into the hot skillet.
2. Shrimp into the gravy for the last five minutes.
3. Everything served family-style straight from the pots, which saves dishes and feels more like supper than a dinner party.

What made it feel generous

Nobody at that table noticed what anything cost. What they noticed was that there was plenty, that seconds were offered without anyone needing to ask, and that the cornbread came out of the oven hot just as everyone sat down. A few things I have learned about stretching a budget without it showing:

• One impressive element is enough. The shrimp did the work; the sides were humble.
• Starch and bread fill people up. Grits and cornbread are cheap and nobody leaves hungry.
• Seasonal fruit makes dessert. Strawberries in May, peaches in June and July. Out of season, the same dessert would have cost twice as much.
• Let people bring drinks. When guests ask what they can bring, I say "something to drink," and drinks are often the most expensive part of hosting.

Afterward

The last guests left around ten. Ben and I sat on the porch with the leftover shortcake, eating it straight from the pan while Pepper waited hopefully under the table. Lila had fallen asleep on the living room couch with whipped cream still on her chin. The kitchen was a wreck, and I left it until morning.

There was enough shrimp and grits left for Sunday lunch, which I am counting as a small bonus on the $58.75.