Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You'll Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining from the Diva of Do-Ahead

If readers walk away with just one lesson from this hulking volume, it's that planning is essential when you're entertaining guests. Cooking teacher Phillips reinforces that point throughout this manual, in both her recipes and her miscellaneous advice on setting a table, arranging food and more. She includes more than 600 recipes, each one serving 10 to 12 guests, and each containing do-ahead components that can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen (many recipes can be completely cooked advance). The recipes are generally simple, though no less appealing, and include dips and spreads, "small bites" like Pigs in a Blanket and Prosciutto Pinwheels, salads, side dishes, main dishes, breads, beverages and desserts (there's also a chapter on breakfast and brunch). Phillips's advice on how much food readers will need is helpful, as are her "diva rescues" tips (e.g., what to do if extra people show up for the party; if your rice burns; if your layer cake "looks like Mt. Etna erupting"; etc.). Encompassing casual, "grazing," holiday, informal and elegant events, this book will be essential for novices and may also teach some old dogs new tricks. Illus. (Sept.)