Guests Without Stress: A Cookbook : Great Recipes and Menus to Make Ahead

By Martha Starr, Elizabeth Hill, Ann Upton

Book Overview

This cookbook promises harried hostesses memorable dinner parties that are as relaxed for them as for their guests, and it delivers on that promise with recipes for 80 make-ahead dishes that come... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1889324019
• ISBN13: 9781889324012
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Howell Press
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Easy, No-Hassle Entertaining

Over the years, I have collected quite a few books on entertaining. My current "job" is to entertain foreign diplomats, and sometimes this lifestyle gets so hectic, I barely want to pick up a pencil and paper to plan a menu, much less prepare it! I now find myself coming back to this little gem of a book, even when I have time to plan an event from the start. So far, everything I have made has been great, and well-received. The menus are already planned (although I do not adhere to them all of the time--mixing and matching items in the cookbook with my own recipes), and although they are not typical "family dinners," (and I did not expect them to be) they are delicious nonetheless. Some of the foods a little unusual? Yes, but I find my guests really like that. The make-ahead aspect and the countdown menus are real life-savers for me because I can truly open the front door, relaxed and ready to enjoy the evening with my guests! I would definitely buy this book again, and recommend it to others.

A great roadmap for prepping a dinner party

I disagree with the premise of the earlier reviewer, who was looking for recipes she could make for her family (including 2 preschoolers)...this is a book for entertaining, so I wasn't looking for recipes that would appeal to kids, necessarily. I was looking for ease and interest, and in that respect, this book was a success. I used 2 of the recipes (Mushroom Bisque and Lamb Packets with Skordalia Sauce) for my first non-family dinner party since my 2 kids were born, and I was really pleased on 2 counts: guests liked the food so much they asked for the recipes, and I *actually could* relax and enjoy my own party. The secret lies in following the authors' "Countdowns" so you can get most of the cooking work done before the day of the party -- something that Gourmet and other food magazines now do. This is a good source of recipes for cooks who like to entertain, if (1) you don't feel the need to make a showy statement with food, and (2) want something a little more special than weeknight family fare.