Betty Crocker's Entertaining Basics: Learning to Entertain with Confidence (Hardcover)

~ Betty Crocker Editors (Author) "Basically, if you make your guests feel welcome and comfortable in your home and serve them yummy food, they'll enjoy themselves..." (more)
Key Phrases: quick rocking motion, bell pepper lengthwise, stringy end, Daily Value, Dietary Fiber, Essential Equipment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A complete guide to the basics of entertaining at home with confidence and ease -- filled with 100 of the best recipe choices for entertaining and lots of tips to make it all look perfect.

The four elements of a great party are the Entertaining Equation: Good Company + Good Food + Good Setting + Good Planning = Great Time! Betty Crocker's Entertaining Basics: Learning to Entertain with Confidence details all the steps to take to guarantee that a party adds up just right.

One hundred of the best recipes to prepare for a party are here, from appetizers to desserts (all photographed) in an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow format. Plus, you'll find more than 25 easy Set the Scene" decorating ideas (all photographed) for making festive additions to the table such as: a picture frame serving tray; illustrated menu-, buffet-, or placecards; rustic cast-iron candleholders; iced decorated wine bottle.And, there are more than 80 how-to's (all photographed) explaining basic and slightly more advanced cooking techniques such as: pressing out pizza crust dough; layering lasagna ingredients; cutting and seeding a jalapeno chili."

From the Back Cover

With Betty Crocker's Entertaining Basics, you can cook delicious food and be relaxed and organized when your guests arrive. Your home and table will look gorgeous, and best of all, you'll have a great time at your own party!

Betty's Entertaining Equation:

Good Company + Good Food + Good Planning = Great Time!

Each piece of the equation helps you make the right decisions for your party and we'll walk you through every step. Here are some of the reasons your parties are sure to be terrific:

• 100 great recipes for entertaining, from casual to elegant
• 10 great menus for fantastic get-togethers, with meal preparation planners that cover every detail
• Holiday menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, including meal preparation planner and decorating ideas
• Special decorating projects that make your table look great
• How-to photos that take the mystery out of cooking
• Helpful tips and hints that make you the expert on easy substitutions, make-ahead information, simple serving suggestions and great presentation ideas
• Other essential information such as how much food to make for a crowd, quick-to-fix party foods, dealing with guests with special diets, stocking a bar, pairing food with wine, and much more.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Betty Crocker (August 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764564250
• ISBN-13: 978-0764564253
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #452,530 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ease of use, December 31, 2001

By A Customer

I received this as a gift and was going to give it to my son. Then I looked at it and decided I could not give it away so am ordering one for him. Very easy to use, clear cut..shows what you need and then the recipe in a clear, concise format. Many helpful tips throughout the book. Don't be fooled by the title. I do not entertain much anymore but am enjoying the recipes. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Menus and Meals, May 21, 2003

By	Flame_926 "flame_926" (United States) - See all my reviews

First off, if you haven't bought "Betty Crocker Cooking Basics" buy that one first. It has much simpler all-American meals in it than this one. You will probably find this book to be the most useful if you are putting on a party because it breaks down complete menus, prep-time timelines (ex: 2 days before the party do ____), entertaining tips, and decorating tips. It also has a fantastic section on estimating the food requirements of large groups of people.

I do think that this is a good guide for any kitchen (especially beginning cooks) because it has one of the most easy-to-read formats that I have found; it is full of lovely pictures, techniques, and nutritional info. The best plus, however, was probably the fact that you don't need to have 50 million ingredients to do the recipes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Up late at night worrying about that next dinner party?, August 9, 2006

By	J. Arnett "Bound to Books" (Southern Ohio Hills) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Never do that again! This book will calm your troubled seas. From how to plan and organize to how to fold that napkin, it is all in here! No more white knuckles for me! Thanks Betty Crocker!