How to enjoy your own party with easy entertaining recipes

When you throw a party, do you end up feeling worn out before the guests ever arrive? Of course, you want your guests to enjoy good food and have a good time. What you might not realize is that your guests also want to enjoy your company and conversation as well. If you spend all your time in the kitchen, continuing to fuss with this or that last-minute dish, you're robbing your guests of your company and it's not much fun for you either! Here are some tips for throwing a party you can enjoy too. The secret? Easy entertaining recipes!

Recipes for easy entertaining are designed to make the day of your party a relaxed affair. Main dishes that you prepare ahead of time may be gourmet concoctions you can prepare at your leisure anywhere from one to three days prior to party day and which benefit from waiting in the frig before being served. Every gourmet cook knows that the flavors of almost any complex meat dish improve when the meat, seasonings and sauce 'marry' for a day or two sitting in the frig. Some examples include Cajun-style gumbos, chicken and lamb currys, osso bucho and French ragouts. These easy entertaining recipes make stunning entrees with exotic taste results you wouldn't get if you cooked and served on the same day.

Luscious desserts, such as cheesecake or four-layer cakes can be baked and frozen a week ahead of time. Cheesecake may be made, ready to serve, before freezing. Just remove it from the freezer a few hours before dinner and top each serving with a dollop of glazed fresh strawberries. Your cake requires just a few minutes time to assemble the layers with fruit filling and whipped cream, topping it off with chocolate frosting. Cakes assembled while frozen are easier to work with and make impressive desserts.

Easy entertaining recipes for side dishes include roasted potatoes, rice pilaf and cold pasta salads. Roasted potatoes require little more than popping them in the oven. You can cut the potato wedges the night before and store them, covered in water with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. This makes for a crisper potato when roasted. Rice and pasta salads are usually better the next day.

A visit to the deli counter can supply a sumptuous selection of appetizers, from cold cuts and cheeses to antipasto platters and crab cakes. Large cooked shrimp on a platter with a choice of a couple of  dips and gourmet crackers are wonderful munchies, as are Nicoise or Kalamata olives and marinated mushrooms.

Base your choices on the occasion. Casual or fancy, easy entertaining recipes allow you to attend your party and have as much fun as your guests. By party day, all you need to do is choose a nice outfit, greet your guests and mingle!

Yahoo! News Search Results for Entertaining Recipes
Yahoo! News Search Results for Entertaining Recipes

Simple recipes inspired by Julia Child (Galveston County Daily News)
The new movie "Julie & Julia" focuses on the daunting elements of Julia Child?s teachings, but there are just as many simple recipes.
Party books add to your entertaining library (The Montana Standard)
Kettle corn, chocolate-covered pretzels or salted caramels? Yes, please!
It?s not too late to put together a party menu (Galveston County Daily News)
Brian Robertson, executive resort chef for the San Luis Hotel, shares three easy recipes you can serve up on New Year?s Eve.
Recipes+ to lift ACP mag ad share (The Australian)
PBL Media's ACP Magazines will lift its share of food magazine ad pages to almost 36 per cent if its proposed purchase of Recipes+ goes ahead.
Flavours of Home: Curry pea soup (recipe and video) (Otago Daily Times)
Flavours of home is a series of recipes from around the world cooked by people at home in Otago.
Author of gluten-free cookbook introduces mixes (The Wenatchee World)
WENATCHEE ? Quincy food writer Susan Gauen, author of ?Celebrating Food: 121 Gluten-Free Recipes for a Healthier You,? introduces a line of GF baking mixes in a March 17 appearance at Wenatchee Natural Foods, 222 N. Wenatchee Ave. Gauen will be at the store from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Diet and nutrition are key to cancer prevention (Galveston County Daily News)
With hundreds of healthy recipes available, cancer prevention can be on the menu year round.
Chicken puts a new spin on stroganoff (The Buffalo News)
Family Sunday For a new take (and taste) on stroganoff, try this chicken tenders stroganoff (see recipe). Serve it with no-yolk noodles, along with green beans and multigrain rolls. For dessert, make it a light one with a scoop of lemon sherbet.
Kitchen memories: Writing a cookbook gave Lee Clayton Roper a way to bond wit...
Although she couldn't remember the day of the week or who the president was, Denver hostess, cook and mother Sally Clayton knew exactly where to find her apple cake recipe. Seeing her mom's active life ? and mind ? begin to deteriorate gave her daughter, Lee Clayton Roper, an idea.
Cookbook Showcase (Omaha World-Herald)
This book puts pearls and lipstick on your slow cooker and dresses it up for dinner with company.