A Special Night

 Prom night is a teenage ritual, a rite of passage, and a major expense. (One senior told me her mom spent $700 on the night!) To help make the night special without breaking the bank, Jeff and I hosted our son and his date at Chez Jenny for a fabulous dinner. Our efforts earned us kudos from the kids, as well as oohs and ahhs of admiration from several students who wanted the same kind of treatment. (This may have even elevated us to "coolest parents at the school" status!)



The savings began with a home made wrist corsage. After checking prices on line we learned that these babies run $35 and up. So, Jade and I conferenced about the flowers and the color (the ribbon matches his shirt) and I looked up directions for the ornament. At first, I'll admit, I had some trouble because the instructions all say to "tie" everything together with the ribbon and use glue to hold the flowers, etc. steady. Once I gave up that notion and just used florist wire, the corsage went together in no time at all. In addition, the wire made it easy to attach the whole contraption to a wristlet from the craft store. All in all, this cost about $8 to make.

Next, we set a nice table for two with a freshly pressed spring-themed linen cloth, chargers, and glassware.

Jeff dressed up like a maitre'd to seat the couple (after we took about 20 photos to save on ordering prom pics which were really pricey.) Though, I was disappointed that we didn't get any of the outdoor photos I had planned because of a glitch in the schedule. (The kids ended up being just in time for dinner - when it was getting dark - rather than early enough for a photo shoot.) Next year, though, I already have a nearby spot scoped out where a neighborhood entrance has a small waterfall, pond, and lovely plantings surrounding it.)

Once the couple was seated, dinner began in earnest.

Jeff shed his jacket and started waiting on the table. He began with presenting a small bell to Jade which he could ring for service. Next, of course, came the sparkling cider in champagne flutes and filled water goblets.

While Jeff took care of the drinks, I fried up the appetizers I had prepped ahead of time - mozzarella sticks and breaded stuffed mushrooms. While I made these from scratch and stored them in the fridge until dinner, no one would know the difference if you purchased a couple of small packages of frozen appetizers and popped them in the oven.

The main course was manicotti with garlic toast and zucchini boats. The manicotti was a good choice because I could prep it early in the day and just put it in the oven about an hour before dinner started. While the kids enjoyed their appetizers, I pulled out the manicotti and put the frozen bread and zucchini boats in to bake.

The zucchini boats were super easy. I halved several pieces of zucchini and used a spoon to scoop out most of the flesh. Then I sauteed that with some bottled, fire-roasted red bell peppers and green onions. After refilling the boats with this mixture, I added a little lemon pepper and crumbled feta cheese. These went into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, and they were great.

For dessert I made a red velvet cake (from a mix) in a large rectangular pan. I cut the cake into squares and used canned cream cheese icing between the layers. (I also torted each layer to give it extra height and sweetness.) Next, I used rolled fondant to cover each piece of cake and a tube of black icing (The prom theme was "a black tie affair.") to decorate the pieces. This made the cake seem really upscale. I only wish I had cut the pieces a little smaller since they were really rich.

To finish off the meal, Jeff presented Jade with a bill, which he paid with hugs and thanks before whisking his date off to prom. Of course, the up side to all of this - besides how much money we didn't spend - was that we also enjoyed the same meal (in the kitchen) while the kids were eating. In addition, we had the pleasure of listening to the pair giggle over the whole thing. Once we cleaned up the dishes and put away the leftovers (another plus), I had to wipe away a few tears of astonishment at how grown up my boy has become.