This doable, do-ahead, stress-free entertaining guide will help get you out of the kitchen in time to enjoy your party. Diva of Do-Ahead Diane Phillips gives you nearly 500 recipes, from appetizers to desserts, and loads of advice so you can pull it all together ahead of time so most of the work is done before the party begins, allowing hosts to relax and enjoy the party along with their guests. Perfect Party Food is the ultimate resource for throwing every kind of party imaginable, from casual, last-minute get-togethers with friends to intimate and elegant holiday soirees to overflowing, festive bashes. Her philosophy is that preparing food for a crowd should be fun - after all, it's not like having a root canal. Each recipe comes complete with ''Diva Do-Ahead'' tips for preparing a day, a week, or even months ahead, and has been developed in most cases to taste delicious whether served hot or at room temperature. The 4-color design clearly shows where in each recipe cooks can stop and refrigerate or freeze something and for how long. There are recipes to fit anyone's schedule, budget, and level of ambition, and scattered throughout the book are sidebars with serving and decorating ideas, menu suggestions, recipe shortcuts and variations, money-saving tips, ideas for using a slow cooker to simplify food preparation, and plenty of other strategies to help home entertainers host the best parties they've ever thrown with the least amount of pre-party fretting. Perfect Party Food is the only entertaining book you'll ever need! Perfect for kitchen novices and seasoned entertainers alike, this book provides what anyone who has even thought about entertaining wants - a foolproof plan for organizing ahead of time so hosts have time to actually enjoy their own party.