Budget Baleboosteh

Baking Pan: Make sure you've got enough! Click to order.My name is Kitty and I've been dubbed Pickled’s “Budget Baleboosteh.” That means I'll host dinner parties in my own home, and blog about the planning and cooking to show you how easy it is and why you must get your tush in gear and throw one yourself. More importantly, I won't spend more than $10 a head on food. (Drinks are another story. That budget may depend on how hard my week was.) So it's cheaper than eating out. And your friends will fall more in love with you than ever.
My Pickled debut is another first for me: I'll host my first traditional Rosh Hashanah dinner. My husband and I invited his three cousins over, and I have been consulting with Moms and Grandmas and Jewcy's Interactive Dinner Table to ensure my menu and recipes are up to snuff. The first two steps to hosting any party are 1) confirm the guest list and 2) plan the menu. My menu at this meal must account for one vegetarian at the table. Here's what I've got down:

• Sparkling Wine Cocktails
• Hors D'Oeuvres/Munchies TBD
• Beef Brisket
• Cauliflower-Leek Kugel
• Sweet Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
• Challah Bread
• Apple & Honey Toffee Trifle or mini Apple & Honey Tarts (Still deciding; Look for a Nosh Off on Pickled this week.)

I plan to cook as much as possible in advance so come Wednesday I just have to reheat and served. My current to do list:

1. Call my butcher to order the 3-4 lb brisket
   
2. Finalize my menu choices
3. Research where in my neighborhood I can find a fresh round challah
   

For those of you joining me in your kitchens, this would be the time to invite your guests, assess your baking pans (cheapie disposables can be bought at the grocery store), and make sure you have enough dishes and silverware to go around. Any questions? That’s what I’m here for.

Monday is Labor Day. Much of New York will leave town. Best Friend and I toyed with the idea of joining the exodus of crazies to the Hamptons to see DJ Tiesto in concert. That idea was quickly overcast by logistical considerations. Traffic? No thanks. Train to avoid traffic? Shoot us now. Designated driving to/from the show? Not it.

So we decided to spend the weekend planning a small gathering at our sixth floor Manhattan walk-up (which we've dubbed the Palace). I believe any good party has a theme. A themed party is always more fun than a non-themed party: It gives you and your guests a sense of purpose. All the better if that sense of purpose is kind of silly or just plain ridiculous: If you take it seriously enough it will become serious and you and your guests will laugh till it hurts.

Here's how our thinking went in devising a theme for Monday: I began by researching Labor Day. It was apparently created in 1882 as a day off for the common man. BORING. No fodder for theme ideas.

Justin Timberlake: Bringing his sexy to our house.However Monday marks another very special occasion worthy of having our closest friends over: Justin Timberlake, HBO, 9 p.m. Since 9 p.m. is a bit late to start a Monday night party, we thought we'd tell people to stop by at 7:30 for a music video warm up. Since we're not seeing Tiesto we'll get our electronic music fix with a screening of our favorite techno music videos on DVD. Which comprise some of the cheesiest, most hilarious music videos ever made.

So now we've got incentive (Not everyone has HBO, but the Palace does!); a date and start time (Monday, 7:30 p.m.); and a theme (Guilty Pleasures and JT).

We're calling it our "Fuck the Hamptons Guilty Pleasures Labor Day Soiree." Stay tuned for the menu...