When planning a cocktail party, I always make sure to have one "straight-from-freezer-to-oven" recipe, and I make extra. You can keep refilling the tray as long as you need to, and any leftovers stay in the freezer for the next party. There's only one problem. With these cheddar olives, my favorite straight-from-freezer-to-oven recipe, there are never any leftovers. Ever. No matter how many I make. People just can't get enough of the warm, cheddary, slightly crumbly pastry enclosing a juicy olive. More

Who's feeling ready to throw a dinner party? I know I am after this past week, if only as an excuse to make these tasty-looking Herbed Polenta Bites. We also had a tutorial on how to make the softest dinner rolls, a cauliflower pasta dish with tomato-cream sauce, miso sweet potato bites, a tomato and goat cheese quiche, and a springtime orange-y margarita — all party-worthy dishes if I ever saw them!

Q: I am baking some cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and brownies for an event. This is a 2-day event and I need to start baking in advance. How can I store the products if I start baking three days prior to the event? How long will frosted cupcakes and cakes stay for? I will be using whipped cream and buttercream frosting. 

This week's 10-Minute Happy Hour is inspired purely by the long overdue dose of gorgeous weather here in the Northeast. My hubby had been outside shoveling mulch into our much-neglected gardens for about 5 hours now, so off I went in search of finding him the perfect cold drink to toast his hard day's work. A bright orange box that shouted Perfect Margarita was just too hard to pass up.

When I entertain, I almost always devise a menu of food and drinks that can be prepared hours, days or even weeks before. Not only does this mean less stress for me on the day of the party, it also fits better into my busy work and school schedule. This approach is especially helpful when hosting a morning party, since you have just a few short hours between waking up and the arrival of your first guest, and I was happy with how it all came together for the weekend brunch I hosted for my book club. 

Looking to host your own make-ahead brunch in the coming months? Here is the timeline that works for me:

Picturesque parties seen on TV and at the box office will have you believe that there is such a thing as a perfect dinner party. Having thrown many a get together, I'm convinced it just doesn't exist. 

Spring seems to be the season for moving — at least judging by the number of my friends who are packing up and moving homes right now! As soon as the books are on the shelves and the forks are back in a drawer, it's time to invite the masses over to check out your awesome new digs. A bag of chips and bowls of dip will not suffice for this housewarming, oh no! Let's make sure this party is the memorable first of many more to come.

You can never have too many chicken salad recipes in your arsenal, especially with engagement party and bridal shower season upon us — it's the quintessential dish for casual entertaining. I guarantee this version, with its delicious parsley walnut pesto, will be your favorite for years to come.

At dinner parties outside of your circle of colleagues, work tends to be fair game for conversation. In fact, it's often depended upon. "What do you do?" is about as common a conversation-starter as they come. But what about when you're hosting or attending a dinner party that's primarily made up of co-workers? To keep the conversation from turning into just another day at the office, there a few things that can be done.

When I decided to throw a weekend brunch for my book club, the one aspect of the party that was a big question mark was the coffee. Ever since I ditched my drip coffee maker for a Chemex, making coffee for more than four people has meant a lot of me standing around in the kitchen slowly pouring hot water over coffee grounds while everyone else is having fun in the other room. I didn't want that to happen at this party.

Instead I experimented with using a coffee concentrate — the same type I had used in the past to make stellar iced coffee — and discovered the process turns out a cup of hot coffee that is just as good: rich, flavorful and mellow. Even better, making a pot of coffee for a crowd of people with this method is literally as easy as boiling water.