I love dinners that stretch on into the night. Long after dessert is over and the plates have been cleared, when the candles are burning low but there's still another bottle or two of wine, when everyone's moved into the living room or out on the patio, when people are feeling tired, contented, but not quite ready to go home yet... that's when you put on this playlist. 

If you've ever hosted a multi-generational gathering, you know the question of what music to play is a tough one. You don't want to see Grandma huddled in the corner covering her ears, or your friend's teenage cousin rolling her eyes all night. So I turned to a professional for help — my pal Ian Gotler, wedding DJ extraordinaire, who knows how to make a playlist that appeals to people of all ages. (And if you're in the mood for dancing, be sure to check out his bonus dance mix!)

I had so much fun putting together my cooking and party playlists a few weeks ago, but I'm just an amateur mix-maker. When it comes to professional party music, I always turn to my friends Tony Liebetrau and Ian Gotler of the DJ company RedShoe, who know how to set just the right mood with music. Today I'm sharing three playlists from Tony: one to get you chopping to the beat while you cook, another to put on when the guests arrive, and a final, low-key mix to make cleaning up at the end of the night a little easier.

In college, my roommates and I had spontaneous dance parties where we'd all bust a move (and bust out laughing), but nowadays my dance moves are limited to shimmying slowly to the couch to avoid spilling my glass of wine. To that end, my dinner party playlist is a mostly laid-back affair — mellow enough that everyone can easily talk over it, but not too chill that you feel like falling asleep. But to keep things interesting, I do like a little pep in the midst of my male indie crooners. Give me a syncopated violin line, please, a jazz riff, maybe even a scratchy classic before we go back to Sigur Rose and M. Ward.

As the host of NPR's All Songs Considered, Bob Boilen knows music. So when it comes to creating the perfect dinner party playlist, who better to ask than the man who listens to thousands of songs every year? His playlist, as told to House Beautiful, is pretty great — a terrific mix of artists (Jeff Buckley! Jónsi! LCD Soundsystem!) and styles to keep the party going.

We're sharing our kitchen playlists with you this week and here's mine:  Usually silence unless it's Led Zeppelin.  Let me explain.

I'm not ashamed to admit it: the dream of the '90s is alive in my kitchen. But when I'm done cooking and guests start to arrive, I play it a little cooler with a mix of current indie favorites and older R&B, soul and funk music. Want to hear for yourself?

We've all thought about pairing wine with various cheeses or small bites, and maybe you've even thought of doing the same with craft beers. Rye pretzels, good cheese, and salty nuts are wonderful with beer. But when it comes to pairings, how about music? More

Love music? Love food? Looking for an engaging new podcast? Then we think you're going to love "Food is the New Rock," a fantastic new weekly podcast from Zach Brooks (of the blog Midtown Lunch) featuring chefs talking about music and bands talking about food. Two worlds collide and awesomeness results. Sign us up. More