In this exquisite and very personal book, Martha Stewart welcomes you into her world, where she entertains in the expressive and beautiful style that she has made so famous. Whether a simple blueberry breakfast on a Sunday morning in Maine or a more lavish holiday dinner at Bedford, each of the gatherings is equally memorable, for what Martha cherishes above all is spending time and sharing delicious food with her family and friends.
 
“A meal of substantial finger foods with ingenious cocktails, a sit-down formal dinner, a buffet supper, or something more relaxed such as a backyard barbecue—each is a welcome and inviting way to entertain,” writes Martha. Featuring elegant and casual affairs held throughout the year and a diverse collection of enticing recipes, Martha’s Entertaining shows us—in the broadest and most lovely fashion—what it really means to entertain and host today. From an afternoon Easter egg hunt for children to a festive Halloween dinner held inside her horse stable; from a sophisticated cocktail party on a friend’s yacht in New York Harbor to a spring garden fête amid the most glorious beds of peonies, Martha’s parties offer a glimpse inside her beautiful homes. Each is unforgettable and endlessly inspiring.
 
All of the events feature menus and stories for dreaming and planning, as well as delicious yet approachable recipes: Tomato and Gruyère Toasts, Mini Crab Cakes with Tarragon Tartar Sauce, Tiny Tuna Burgers, Leek and Porcini Risotto, Wild-Mushroom Lasagna, Braised Short Ribs, Roast Turkey Breast with Sage Butter, Rhubarb Crumbles, Blueberry Jam Tartlets, and Chocolate Honey Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce, plus some of Martha’s favorite drinks, including Pomegranate Cosmopolitans and Honeydew Mojitos. Mix and match the recipes to create your own distinctive occasion.
 
Set among Martha’s dining rooms, kitchens, gardens, and patios, this is her most intimate book yet, a new classic for hosts and home cooks of every generation.

Whether it's Roman Punch for The Age of Innocence, or Sabzi Challow (spinach and rice) with Lamb for The Kite Runner, or Swedish Meatballs and Glögg for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, nothing spices up a book club meeting like great eats. Featuring recipes and discussion ideas from bestselling authors and book clubs across the country, this fully revised and updated edition of the classic book guides readers in selecting and preparing culinary masterpieces that blend perfectly with the literary masterpieces their club is reading. This edition features new contributions from a host of today's bestselling authors including:

• Kathryn Stockett, The Help (Demetrie's Chocolate Pie and Caramel Cake)
• Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants (Oyster Brie Soup)
• Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper (Brian Fitzgerald's Firehouse Marinara Sauce)
• Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone (Almaz's Ethiopian Doro Wot and Sister Mary Joseph Praise's Cari de Dal)
• Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Annie Barrows's Potato Peel Pie and Non-Occupied Potato Peel Pie)
• Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See's Deep-Fried Sugared Taro)

  The Book Club Cookbook will add real flavor to your book club meetings! (20120110)

How do you throw a party without stressing out? Plan ahead and do-ahead. This entertaining guide from Diane Phillips, the Diva of Do-Ahead, with help you get out of the kitchen and into your own party. She presents nearly 500 recipes that can all be made ahead of time--some days and even weeks--that taste delicious, and are designed to be served buffet style. Handy icons show which recipes are just right for a backyard barbecue, an elegant cocktail party, or an all-night blow-out bash. Dozens of menu suggestions, templates for figuring out the menu range and quantities, easy decorating tips, and guidelines for stocking a bar complete this essential guide to entertaining.

Our eminent founding father Ben Franklin once famously compared guests to stinking fish. While this assessment may seem a trifle harsh, the truth remains that social intercourse is a most risky endeavor. Who better to address this concern than the inimitable pundit Russell Lynes—a man renowned for his unparalleled expertise on the social graces and the many personality types who regularly abuse them? In this classic guide to "guesting," Lynes provides an indispensable overview of the rituals of behavior that make it possible to visit and be visited, and the necessary safeguards that protect us from our friends and our friends from us. It is a book that demands to be read by every potential guest and host, stinker and stinkee alike.

Author Domenica Marchetti had wonderful memories of her childhood, when her Italian-born mother often cooked up homemade ravioli, lasagne, roasts, invited everyone over, and always made them feel at home with her warm and open personality. Domenica recreated those days for her own family and friends by creating over 100 simple, delicious, Italian-inspired recipes that are comforting, delicious, and perfect for any size gathering whether an intimate dinner party or a huge crowd of hungry relatives.

Imagine a big glass bowl of fruity, frosty, thirst-quenching elixir. In Punch, dozens of simple, delicious recipes are ready and waiting to add a lively dash of fun or a classic touch of sophistication to any get together. From a traditional summer's-here refreshing strawberry lemonade to innovative twists on Champagne punch for the holidays, liquid inspiration is close at hand. Add to that variations with or sans alcohol, and there’s something for everyone to enjoy, from the citrus kick of a glass of Margarita Madness to a tasty mug of Coffee on the Cubes (complete with decadent dark chocolate shavings). Helpful advice on selecting the appropriate liquor and which punch bowl to use, and ideas for decorative ice rings and shapely cubes give punch added punch. For every season, every gathering, may your cup runneth over.

This volume contributes to the burgeoning dialogue on the "Reggio Emilia" approach, and features the work of scholars, policy-makers, researchers, administrators and practising teachers who have created and directed the infant-toddler care systems in four cities in Italy. Joined by American educators and researchers (including Ron Lally, Rebecca New and Jeanne Goldhaber), their work builds upon and extends inclusionary and family-centred philosophies. It combines missions of care and education, and produces innovations in space and environments. The collection contains examples from dynamic, open systems of organization that support emotional and cognitive development of infants and toddlers, and respect the delicate relationship between parents and their young.

Don't Be Scared - Be Prepared How will your family stay warm, fed, and sheltered during a power outage? Do you have an evacuation plan if you are forced to leave your home? Disaster can strike at any time. Be one of the prepared few by following Kathy Harrison's practical plan for emergency self-sufficiency. Learn how to evaluate, organize, and rotate your food supply; pack an evacuation kit; portect important documents from fire; develop a communications system; make nutritious soup with canned and dried pantry items; and entertain the kids for several television-fee days. Everything you need to know to survice when public services fail is covered in this essential guide to family preparedness.