Cafe Dining Sans Cafe Cost

Tis the season for rebirth. Flora is waking up from her winter slumber, runners are trading in their sweatshirts for tank tops and all your friends are running to their favorite outdoor pub and patio for cocktails.  If this season also brings a resurrection of your budget, don't stress, you can still enjoy mother nature and all she has to offer without worrying about your overdraft protection.

If you're like my friends and I, Spring is all about people-watching, great apps and fresh cocktails. But with a down economy we all had to tighten our belts this year. That meant our favorite outdoor cafe shifted from our "usual" place to a "special event" place. Ready to baske in the sunset and enjoy the latest scandal, we had to find a new plan. And we had criteria.  It had to be a place where we could eat and drink outside. A place with lots of people traffic. And, most importantly, a place where we could scope out the hot runners. Jenkys, Scooby! We had the pefect location, the park.

So, we had a free outdoor hot spot that met all our criteria, but what to do about the cheap food and drinks? While none of us could make it onto Top Chef, we all knew how to use a microwave or an oven and were very familiar with Trader Joe's. With these skills in our pockets each of us prepared a dish for an inexpensive sunset happy hour in the park. Here's a sampling from our menu:

Hummus and pita chips

Bruschetta - Slice a baquette into one-inch rounds, brush with olive oil (extra virgin is best) and bake at 450 until slightly the tops of the bread turn golden. While the bread is baking dice tomatos (I prefer Roma, but plum work as well) into 1/2-inch pieces and slice fresh basil into strips and . Mix the tomatos and basil in a plastic bowl with salt, pepper and grated parmesean (to taste). Cover this mixture with a lid.  Once the baquette rounds are finished toasting put them in ziplock bags.  When you get to the park, your friends can add the tomato-basic mixture as liberally as they like to their baquette rounds.

Edamame - Buy pre-cooked from Trader Joe's. Place in a microwaveable bowl for three minutes.  When finished toss with sea salt (regular table salt will also work)

Marinated fresh mozarella - Pick up a marinated fresh mozarella twist from Trader Joe's and cut into bite-size cubes.

Chocolate-dipped pretzels - Make your own or pick up some at Trader Joe's.  If you make your own. Purchase milk chocolate or white chocolate chips, long pretzel sticks, wax paper and shortening. Melt the chocolate chips and shortenting (the measurement will be on the back of the bag of chocolate chips) in the microwave. While the chips are melting, cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. When the chips are well melted, dip the pretzel sticks in the mix and lay to dry on the wax paper. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to go to the park. Want to get a little chi-chi? Sprinkle the pretzels with candy sprinkles or crushed almonds before putting in the refrigerator.

Pair your tapas with a refreshing white wine that has a bit of fizz. I recommend New Age or a nice Vinho Verde like Famega, Gazela or Aveleda Fonte.  Any of these will run you $12 or less. If you want to spice it up a bit, I'd suggest purchasing the Famega adding a few fresh raspberries or blackberries to your glass.

This park happy hour will require a little prep time beforehand, but when you compare the cost per head - $10 picnic happy hour versus $20 plus at a cafe - you'll happily invest in a reusable grocery bag and Gladware. It's the perfect reason to raise your glass to Spring. What are you waiting for? Grab a blanket, your friends, head to the park and enjoy the view.