Desperation Entertaining!

Yes, you can be desperate and still be a great host No more harried get-togethers, dreary take-out, or dreading it being your turn to have friends and family over. The Desperaton Cooks solve the entertaining conundrum with the same brilliant approach they bring to everyday dinner dilemmas-by concocting delicious, crowd-pleasing dishes using timesaving techniques, shortcut ingredients, and tried-and-true planning. The desperate details 1. All recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less or in phases where actual hands-on work is 20 mintues or less. 2. Bottled chopped garlic, washed salad greens, precooked bacon, individually quick-frozen shrimp-wisely used convenience foods save time while boosting flavor. 3. The Crock-Pot-if you have one, dust it off. If not, think about investing in one. 4. The Desperate Pantry, easily stocked during weekly shopping trips, okays the spontaneous "Let's have dinner at my place" whim. 5. The plan-decide on the who, what, and where, then how to carve out simple blocks of time for preparation and cooking. 6. Relax. Desperate but have time to plan? Try phased and flexible. Roasted Garlic Artichoke Dip Mushroom Lasagna Alfredo Shrimp Creole agrave; la Beverly Pork Chops with Fruit Salsa Baked Party Paella Enchanting Chicken Enchiladas Rocky Road Brownie Sundaes Fast and fabulous for when you're really desperate Golden Curry Dip Chicken with Mustard Glazes Three-Bean and Meatball Chili Blue Jay Point Pasta Amazing Steaks Lemon Cake SandwichesBeverly Mills is the author of 'Desperation Entertaining!', published 2002 under ISBN 9780761127963 and ISBN 0761127968.