$30 Dinner Party is a Monthly Column that lays out a detailed 3-course meal (appetizer, entree and dessert) for a dinner party of four for under $30. With a detailed listing of ingredients (and their cost) and super easy recipes, along with budget wine pairings, you’ll never have to put off socializing due to budget restrictions again. Recession be damned!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with all of the dinner invites and family gatherings, you’ve got to come up with a quick and easy dish to bring over because you can’t show up empty handed. So for those of you who are a bit domestically challenged, like us, we’ve got you covered with some simple and inexpensive Thanksgiving worthy side dishes. Keep on reading for our Top 5 sure-to-please recipes.

Think Ramen is just for broke co-eds scraping a few quarters together for a week’s dinner? True, it is one large consumer group. But those Marachun noodles can come in handy with a quite a few other meals, too. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite hearty meal ideas with our dirt cheap ingredient of choice: Ramen.