Take the guesswork out of planning your next cocktail soirée with these recipes for elegant cocktails, each perfectly flavor-paired with a small bite. Sip on a classic ice-cold Dry Martini whilst nibbling a Crostini with Green Olive and Anchovy Tapenade; try a fruity Strawberry Daiquiri with Strawberry, Mango, Basil, and Pine Nut Salsa on Baked Tortilla Chips; enjoy a sparkling Lavender French 75 with a Goat Cheese and Pink Peppercorn Ball or a Pisco Sour paired with a flavor-packed Pink Grapefruit Ceviche-Style Shrimp Skewer. For the holiday season, nothing will impress your guests more than a Clementine Caipirinha served with a melt-in-the-mouth Warm Brie and Cranberry Sauce Puff. From elegant classic drinks, to lip-smacking newer creations, tangy summer treats, and sparkling ideas for special occasions, here you’ll find all the inspiration and recipes you need to plan for every event from a stylish pre-dinner tipple with friends to a full-blown cocktail reception.

Your guide to throwing a great get-together, with fifty finger food recipes, plus drink-pairings and party theme ideas. With Cocktail Food, you can kiss those baby carrots and tired old bowls of chips good-bye. Instead, treat yourself to bit-sized delights from one of San Franicsco’s favorite catering teams, the bestselling authors of Smoothies and Wraps. Offering fifty fabulous finger foods, Cocktail Food spans the globe to find deliciously different hors d’oeuvres that will brighten any happy hour. From Puff the Magic Mushroom (puff pastry stuffed with cremini mushrooms) to Figs in a Blanket (fresh figs with Gorgonzola and prosciutto), these recipes are specifically designed to make the perfect cocktail even better. Each chapter pairs great party-planning ideas (how about a Martini Soiree? Or a Beer Tasting?) with a series of recipes made to match up with a particular style of drink. Whether your tastes run to Big and Bold or Light and Delicate, you’ll find plenty of ways to tease and tantalize taste buds while the cocktails flow. And using the authors’ helpful do-ahead tips, you might just find yourself having a blast at your very own party.

They’re fast. They’re flavorful. And they’re right at your fingertips. The 50 Best Pizza Recipes is an appetizing selection of delicious pies that put a new spin on an old favorite. From Classic Cheese to Shrimp and Artichoke Pizza, there’s plenty included so you can create your own signature pizza. Enjoy!

First impressions count, and nothing makes a better first impression on dinner guests than those delectable little nibbles that you set out before the main course. And you don’t have to limit yourself to serving appetizers at the beginning of a meal. Appetizers are first and foremost about entertaining. They set the tone and the mood of an occasion, whether it’s a formal dinner, an intimate get-together, or a big birthday bash. And, best of all, the cooking times are short, the ingredients are simple to find (mostly), and it’s easy to make a few different recipes at the same time so you can impress your guests with a festive assortment. In Appetizers For Dummies, celebrity chef, Dede Wilson shows you how to make foolproof recipes for 75 mouthwatering, bite-sized wonders—ranging from an Italian-inspired antipasto to a classic shrimp cocktail. Step-by-step, she fills you in on everything you need to know to: Impress your guests with delicious finger food and first courses Whip up everything from the classics to original, exotic, and offbeat appetizers Plan parties with theme menus that will get rave reviews from your guests Experiment with flavors and international cuisines Whether you’re looking for general ideas about designing appetizer menus or helpful lists of conventional ingredients, it’s all here. Among other things, you’ll discover: Helpful lists of pantry ingredients and how to use them to make appetizers almost instantly Ready-to-go menus for all occasions Recipes for munchies that can be eaten by the handful, as well as recipes for traditional favorites like deviled eggs and crab cakes How to expand your culinary horizons with tea sandwiches, quesadillas, puff pastries, tartlets, muffins, biscuits, and dozens of ethnic recipes Plated recipes for formal occasions, including artichokes with vinaigrette, smoked salmon, caviar, foie gras, and more Whether you’re new to the world of appetizers or you’ve been delighting guests with your famous finger foods and hors d’oeuvres for years, Appetizers For Dummies is the ultimate guide to spicing up any gathering with delicious mini culinary creations.

Meet the hostesses who have shaped cocktail history, and learn how to make the drinks they loved. Throughout American history, women have helped propel what we know as classic cocktails—the Martini, the Manhattan, the Old-Fashioned, and more—into popular culture. But, often excluded from private clubs, women exercised this influence from the home, in their cocktail parlors. In The Cocktail Parlor, Dr. Nicola Nice, sociologist and spirits entrepreneur, gives women their long-overdue spotlight in cocktail history and shows how they still impact cocktail culture today. Journeying through the decades, this book profiles a diverse array of influential hostesses. With each historic era comes iconic recipes, featuring a total of 40 main cocktails and more than 100 variations that readers can make at home. Whether its happy hour punch a la Martha Washington or a Harlem Renaissance–inspired Green Skirt, readers will find that many of the ingredients and drinks they’re familiar with today wouldn’t be here without the hostesses who served them first.

Maegan Brown (aka The BakerMama), the bestselling author of Beautiful Boards, continues her quest to share her tips for effortless, stress-free, and foolproof entertaining with 75 small bites that have big flavor for easy grazing. In Brilliant Bites, The BakerMama has created and curated appetizers that are visually exciting and deliciously enticing for family-friendly entertaining, for parties and special occasions, breakfast and brunch, snacks and meals, dessert, and her specialty, holiday-themed bites, including: Mini Manicotti Bites Ramen Bites Valentine's Day Love Bug Bites Jack-o'-Lantern Mac ‘n’ Cheese Bites Santa Hat Pancake Stacks Eggs Benedict Bites Frito Chili Pie Bites Coconut Key Lime Pie Bites Banana Split Bites And much more! Along with 11 Savvy Sips—creative cocktails and mocktails to pair with your finger foods—and a stunning photo accompanying every recipe, these easy-to-make bites can be enjoyed alone or mixed and matched for whatever your occasion requires, guaranteeing to make a big impression on your friends and family.

You've decided to host a cocktail party, and you need to start planning what food you will serve your guests. What turns your party from the average soiree into a fabulous fete? The food of Course! It's easier than you think. Here are some delicious and easy ideas that will impress even the most practiced party hopper.