My favorite part of any party is the food – more specifically, the hors d’oeuvres. They’re cute, easy to hold, and small enough that you can try a little bit of everything! So why not apply the concept to the rest of your meal and serve an array of finger food? Whether you’re hosting a potluck or a holiday party, they’re the perfect thing to dish out. Kids want to eat with their fingers anyway, and adults will be happy to try a variety of foods. Here are a few of my favorite finger food recipes:

Mama’s meatballs Spring the recipe!
Gingerbread mini-muffins Spring the recipe!
Vegan dosas Spring the recipe!
Toasted ravioli with a warm tomato dipping sauce Spring the recipe!
Sweet potato fries Spring the recipe!

Spring all the recipes!

What are your favorite entertaining tips?

Really, it’s possible! You too can plan & shop for your entire holiday meal in 45 minutes…

I was recently at BlogHer, talking to the lovely lady bloggers of the world about all of the merits of springpad. I found myself repeatedly telling the story about how I planned my Thanksgiving dinner last year – so I thought I should share!

Last year, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house, here’s how the planning went:
- I chose nine recipes from all over the web
- I added them to springpad using the clipper
- I used the meal planner to scan the full list of ingredients & made a shopping list of just those that I needed (with a few trips to the kitchen to be sure I had once-a-year things like nutmeg & canned pumpkin)
- I opened up Peapod.com in another window & added all of the things on my springpad list to my peapod list
- I placed the Peapod order to be delivered the next day

45 minutes – done & done!

Did using springpad to plan Thanksgiving dinner simplify my life? Heck yeah!

My meal plan for this week revolves around one thing: Thanksgiving.  And, of course, I used the springpad Thanksgiving Menu Planner to plan out my recipes, shopping lists & tasks for the week.

Monday-Wednesday: Frozen Pizza & Leftover Buffet
Thursday: Thanksgiving Meal, with recipes from all over the web
Friday-Sunday: Turkey Noodle Soup & Leftover Buffet

Appetizer:
Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Melted Blue Cheese from Epicurious Spring this recipe!

Main Course:
Roast Turkey with Oranges, Bay Leaves, Red Onions, and Pan Gravy from Epicurious Spring this recipe!
Rosemary and Sage Stuffing Balls from Coconut & Lime Spring this recipe!

Side Dishes:
Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe from 101 Cookbooks Spring this recipe!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe from Simply Recipes Spring this recipe!
Perfect Mashed Potatoes Recipe from Simply Recipes Spring this recipe!
Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows from Epicurious Spring this recipe!

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie Recipe from Paula Deen, Food Network Spring this recipe!
Pecan Pie Recipe from Simply Recipes Spring this recipe!

And of course, some bread, cool whip & wine to make the meal complete!

Whenever I plan to host a dinner party there are lots of things to do besides the basic grocery shopping & cooking. Here’s a simple list:

Four Weeks Before:
1. Invite guests & collect preliminary RSVP’s
2. Begin collecting recipes & decorating ideas

Two Weeks Before:
3. Inventory Dishware & Supplies
- Dishes, Silverware, Glassware, Napkins, Serving Utensils
- Pots, Pans, Thermometers

One Week Before:
4. Finalize menu
5. Confirm with guests & get final headcount
6. Create shopping lists, divided by store
7. Begin shopping throughout the week

Two Days Before:
8. Clean house
9. Finish grocery shopping

One Day Before:
10. Come up with cooking plan – sequence cooking & assign tasks to family members
11. Do as much prep-cooking as possible
12. Choose your outfit

Morning Of:
13. Pick up any final ingredients – anything that must be fresh or was forgotten (grab some flowers)
14. Straighten up the house
15. Set the table

Evening Of:
Enjoy the cooking, the eating & the good company!

Does this list simplify your life? I sure hope so.

Resources
Martha Stewart Living Party Planning Guide
Busy Cooks on About.com How To Plan a Dinner Party
thedinnerpartyplanningsite Thanksgiving Dinner
Food & Wine The $60 Dinner Party
Katie Brown Simple Recipes & Ideas (16 Menus 16 Occasions 16 Tables)