It was brought to my attention by @CatholicTravel that TrenItalia now posts their strike schedules online. How 2.0, Italy.  Problem:  we didn’t know this until after we stranded ourselves at a train station right in the middle of a big annoying strike. Solution:  take inventory of the situation and make the best of it with a bag of cookies and a digital camera.  Here’s how:

Stranded at the station

First Hour: Eat cookies until you’re high on sugar

cookieeeeeeees

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White Night

I love cooking, especially Italian.  So when our cast was given a self-catering apartment with seating for 20, I knew a dinner party was in order.  But with a budget the size of a pea, planning the meal proved challenging but not impossible. Here’s some tips on how to pull off a wicked dinner party on the cheap:

1. Make it a Theme: Just because you have a small budget doesn’t mean your party should be boring.  Making a theme for your dinner will create added ambiance without you having to do anything.  We chose a white theme, mainly to distract everyone from our plastic plates and cutlery.  It worked!

White Dress:  $20 in Sag Harbor, NY

Plastic plates match our white linen perfectly!

2. Cook Risotto: Arborio rice triples in size when you cook it so risotto is one of the best meals you can make for a large group.  Be forewarned, you WILL sacrifice your cocktail hour with guests to be in the kitchen stirring…and stirring…and stirring.  If you party is in summer, go with frutti di mare risotto like I did.  In Italy the mussels, octopus, clams and shrimp come pre-mixed and pre-packaged in the frozen foods aisle.  Ready to serve in a risotto in 8 minutes!

Box of Arborio Rice:  $4 (serves 50!)
Frutti di Mare seafood:  $4/box (buy at least 2)
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