[.ca] Barefoot Contessa Parties!: Ideas and Recipes for Easy ... (ISBN 0609606441)

From Amazon.com:
"A good party is not about the food," says Ina Garten, "it's about the people." That may be true, but her Barefoot Contessa Parties! will ensure that your next party is a fabulous one, regardless of your guest list. Garten, author of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and a monthly column in Martha Stewart Living, has been catering since 1978. So who better to put together a collection of entertaining theme parties? She's included everything from drinks and hors d'oeuvres to dessert and coffee, as well as notes about what "surprises," atmospheres, venues, and table decorations lend themselves to each. Because she likes to attend her own parties (and who doesn't?), almost every recipe is make-ahead and remarkably uncomplicated. From casual get-togethers, such as the Pizza Party--which includes recipes for Caesar Salad with Pancetta, California Pizzas that your guests can assemble themselves, and Ice-Cream Sodas--to the elegant Academy Awards dinner--where your guests will enjoy Raspberry Vodka, Rori's Potato Chips with Caviar Dip, Smoked Salmon with Mesclun, Filet of Beef with Gorgonzola Sauce, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic Roasted Potatoes, and Chocolate Ganache Cake--Garten's parties are well thought out and well organized. Divided by season, you'll look forward to Summer's Outdoor Grill, which starts with Real Margaritas, followed by Endive and Avocado Salad, Grilled Herb Shrimp with Mango Salsa, Spaghettoni al Pesto, Tomato Fennel Salad, and Peach Raspberry Shortcakes for dessert. Autumn brings beautiful menus like the one where you cook with your guests and end up with a feast of Potato Pancakes with Caviar, Salad with Warm Goat Cheese, Rack of Lamb, Orzo with Roasted Vegetables, and Apple Crostata. Winter's menus bring soul-warming food, such as Seafood Chowder, Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, and a recipe for possibly the world's best Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Spring offers menus such as the Sunday Breakfast, with a main course of Roasted Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs, and the Jewish Holiday Party, with Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls. Filled with funny party anecdotes, a bit of Ina Garten history, and clever hints and tips to help guarantee the success of these recipes, this collection, subtitled "Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun," delivers on every count. --Leora Y. Bloom

More of a lifestyle than a cookbook, but fun to look through:
This book has gorgeous photos and is fun, but it's not really designed for a regular person's life. Garten's idea of parties, which she writes in the introduction, are mostly small gatherings. This means that the book isn't very helpful for larger groups. There are some tips on organizing the party, but not as much I would have liked, such as a timeline of how when to prepare things. Of course, when you are only doing a small party this isn't as important, but even for the tea for 25 she doesn't tell you how you should store things or what you should make first and last. My major complaint would probably be the cost of the recipes. Wow. This book is about how we might like to entertain our closest and dearest friends if we had a vacation house in the Hamptons and a BMW (oh wait...). So, really the book is about an ideal lifestyle most of us just wish we had. It's a fun read and has some interesting recipe ideas, but is not all that practical.

In Ina's words...FABULOUS and What's not to like?:
This volume is typical Ina: easy, delicious, wonderful, and guaranteed success. Although this book is not for catering to large crowds, the recipes can be easily multiplied. Her themed menus help anybody who is planning an event, yet doesn't know exactly want to serve. On the other hand, you can mix and match, and still be guaranteed success. This book is a must have for any Ina fan, as well as the beginner, intermediate, and experienced cook, as well as anybody who caters. There is something for everybody in this book, even the picky. One of the biggest draws of this book is that Ina preaches that just because you are the host or hostess of the party, that doesn't mean you have to spend all the time in the kitchen. Most recipes are easily made ahead of time, and just prepped when guests arive or at serving time. This book allows you to throw a hugely successful party, while allowing you to be a "guest" at your own party. Fabulous...what's not to like?

wonderful!:
All of Ina Garten's books are great. Recipes are easy to follow, ingredients readily available, and dishes always get rave reviews. I use her recipes on an almost daily basis. Many great ideas for enteretaining also. All 3 books are must haves.

great book:
This cookbook is great to have in the kitchen. I've cooked several of the recipes and they've always turned out successfully! Most of the recipes are easy to follow and taste great.In the same category of book I book Simple and Simply Delicious by Sylvie Rocher. Both of those book are great

Great Basic to Have:
This cookbook is great to have in your collection. I've cooked from numerous recipes and they've always turned out successfully! The recipes are easy to follow and you are guaranteed results each time!