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

Baking with olive oil makes a delicate, sun-kissed cake (The Oregonian)
If you can't take a trip to the sunny Mediterranean, bring it to your table by baking a moist, luscious cake made with fruity olive oil. Two of Portland's best pastry chefs share their recipes, just in time for spring entertaining.
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.
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.
Aunt's 'Organ Recital' Drowns Out Dinner Table Conversation (Dear Abby via Ya...
DEAR ABBY: Last night, I attended an elegant dinner party at the home of a friend. She served a delicious meal on a table set with crystal, bone china, silver and a low centerpiece of fresh flowers. Everything was perfection -- with one exception. As soon as we were seated, our hostess's elderly Aunt "Ethel" began talking about her health, with graphic details of every symptom, every allergy and ...
All in Good Taste: You've come a long way, Berry (Pacific Sun)
Corned beef and cabbage for St. Paddy's Day? Forget it! Real Irish feasts are based on spring lamb and new potatoes. And a little Jameson's never hurts. by Pat Fusco
Taste of Home Cooking School comes to town (Jefferson City News Tribune)
The Taste of Home Cooking School "Simply Spring" program will be held May 6 at Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. A trade show with vendor booths will open at 5 p.m., and the cooking show will be from 7-9 p.m.
Taking Back the Kitchen: New Book Encourages Men to 'Have Her Over for Dinner...
Women love a man who can cook. With that in mind, Nashville based singer/songwriter Matt Moore presents the perfect solution for any guy looking to impress a woman in the kitchen. Released today, Have Her Over for Dinner: A Gentleman's Guide to Classic, Simple Meals is a book that emphasizes the basics, without requiring dozens of ingredients or expensive equipment to complete outstanding meals.
Free gardening seminars: Wedel's Spring Expo schedule (The Kalamazoo Gazette)
Wedel?s Spring Expo will take place 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Wedel?s Nursery, Florist and Garden Center.
Party books add to your entertaining library (The Montana Standard)
Kettle corn, chocolate-covered pretzels or salted caramels? Yes, please!
There?s no need to fear the phyllo (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Often, when home cooks hear the words phyllo dough, they shudder at the thought of trying to work with this paper-thin concoction made of flour and water. While it might be a tough ingredient to manipulate, once cooked, the texture and crunch that phyllo (aka filo or fillo) dough offers the palate (especially when it?s stuffed with feta or drizzled in honey) is nothing short of addictive.