Sunday, 4 p.m. That is, hands down, my favorite day of the week and time to invite people over for dinner. Not for a “dinner party,” per se, but for a come-when-you-want, leave-when-you-want, eat-some-food-and-drink-some-drinks kind of late-afternoon kickback. No elaborate food that takes days to prepare. No place settings. No “showering” or “changing out of sweatpants.” The idea here is that, in an effort to fight the Sunday Blues, you convince your friends to come to you with the promise of food—and at an early enough time so you can get many long, lazy, tipsy hours of hanging-out in and still be in bed by 10:30 p.m. This menu will do just that, for around 10 friends and under $40.

LE MENU

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Fried Bread and Salsa Verde

Hand Salad with Yogurt-Lemon Dressing

Chocolate Ice Cream with Crushed Gingersnaps

Photo by Alex Lau

LE SHOPPING LIST

1 pound hot Italian sausage ($4.96)

1 head garlic ($0.63)

2 medium onions ($2.10)

1 head celery ($1.99)

2 bunches curly kale ($1.27)

3 romaine hearts ($3.69)

1 pound dried black-eyed peas ($1.99)

1 8-oz. wedge Parmesan ($5.99)

1 quart plain full-fat yogurt ($2.99)

2 lemons ($1.34)

1 bunch parsley ($1.29)

1 loaf country or sourdough bread (surprise: you’ll need at least 10 slices) ($3.99)

½ gallon chocolate ice cream ($3.99)

1 box gingersnaps ($1.50)

GRAND TOTAL: $37.42

(You’ll also need at least 1 cup of olive oil, plenty of kosher salt, and black pepper, so if you don’t have any of those things, you’ll need to pick some up. A little crushed red pepper wouldn’t hurt, either.)

Photo by Alex Lau

POWER-SOAK THE BLACK-EYED PEAS

If you’re Martha Stewart, you probably would have let your beans soak in water overnight so that they were ready to go on Sunday. But if you were Martha Stewart, you’d also probably have a dog that was so well trained that it could stand on its hind legs and prepare this whole meal for you, and then tell all of your guests jokes while you relax in the bathtub. Instead, since I’m me and you’re you, you should power-soak those legumes, which is almost as effective as soaking them overnight. Put 1 pound dried black-eyed peas in a pot, cover them with water, and bring the whole thing up to a boil. Then turn it off, cover the pot, and set it aside while you get everything else ready for the stew.