Steele - Effortless entertaining cookbook: 80 recipes that will impress your guests without stress

founder of the blog SteeleHouseKitchen.com (formerly InSockMonkeySlippers.com)

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Without the constant love and support of my parents, the laughter of my daughter, my husbands mad wine skills and our friends who always give me a great excuse to throw a party, this book would never have happenedthank you.

Sweet smells of blueberry muffins baking fill the kitchen, and the sounds of the morning soap operas sordid affairs ring in my ears as Im snapping beans. This is where my love of cooking all begangrowing up in the kitchen with RoRo, my nanny. From collard greens to fried apricot pies, there was love and art in every dust of flour and stir of the pot and I always felt we were the only two that understood that. That passion for cooking and creating is shared by many, and, for some of us, that is how we show our love.

Ive been cooking for as long as I can remember. Both of my parents worked and when my father died and my mother had to work even longer hours to keep us going, it was either cook or succumb to the fate of a Hungry Man Dinner.

As a teenager, I had subscriptions to Gourmet, Living and Bon Apptitnot what you would usually expect from a fourteen-year-old. I was enthralled by the photography and ideas of grand parties, but instead of dreaming to be a chef, I wanted to be a graphic designer so I could create what I saw in the magazines. When it came time to go to college, I headed off to art school and immersed myself in communication design, marketing and photography. I worked at a few advertising agencies and small publications for a number of years as a designer and art director; then, when it came time to have a child, my world drastically and dramatically changed.

She came into the world on a cool October morning under a nearly full moon. She was 16 weeks early, weighed a little over a pound and was fighting for every breath. I knew everything would be different the moment I heard the helicopter take her away to a critical care hospital. In that moment, I left my career and never looked back. I was now a mom desperately fighting for a child that had a seven percent chance of making it through the night.

Fast forward a year, and my days were suddenly full of dirty diapers, mountains of laundry and trying to feed a perfectly healthy and precocious baby girl. However, I hadnt given up my dreams of getting into something of my own, away from motherhood. I started a blog (called In Sock Monkey Slippers at the time), publishing organic baby food recipes, and it wasnt long before I had my first freelance job photographing baby food products for packaging. It was like being back at work again, but on my own terms, and I quickly realized I could actually balance being a mother and this type of work.

Now, many years later, I have my own recipe development and food photography business called MBS Recipe Development, still have a blog (now called Steele House Kitchen) and juggle photoshoots and meetings in between carpooling and soccer games. I have worked for everyone imaginable from large corporations to small publications, my work has been featured in national magazines, my blog was a finalist for the Saveur magazine Blog Awards and Ive even worked for Jamie Oliver as a contributor for his website; Ive become a firm believer that everyone has a path to something great no matter how long and winding that path may be.

This leads me to why I am writing this book. As mentioned earlier, I show love by cooking. If you receive an invite to my house for anything from a simple come-on-over dinner to an extravagant party, this is why. (Oh, and because I really like to throw parties.) It helps that my husband is a sommelier with years of restaurant experience under his belt and a recent move into wine sales. When you combine the two of us, were an entertaining force to be reckoned with, and we can guarantee that a good time will be had by all.

I would love to invite you all over, but since that is not logistically possible, I hope you enjoy these simple pages filled with my recipes, a few cooking hacks, drink pairings and tips and tricks for a fabulous party that everyone can enjoy, including youthe host.

They say that the dinner party is dead, but I dont believe that for one secondfor whats more enjoyable than sitting around somewhere comfortable with good food and drinks with favorite friends? Maybe weve just simply forgotten the joy of it allor that just a little effort can create wonderful and memorable events in our own homes. My ideal gathering is a comfortable and inspiring one; it doesnt matter if were all dressed to the nines or kicking back in flip flops, we should all be having a good time!

The intention of this book is to create a collection of recipes that reflect my penchant for creative cuisine but are basic enough that you are not hovering over the stove and can enjoy the party too. The recipes are arranged by seasonal menus and gathered together so the flavors flow from one meal to the next. There are also plenty of wine and beer pairings so youre not stuck at a store staring cluelessly at a wall of wine with a tinge of panic.

I like to think of this book as a casual guide for events that come in all shapes and sizesgame day to holidayand are unique enough to set you apart from the crowd. Whether you use these menus in their entirety or are just inspired by a few recipes to help you pull together your own menu, I hope this cookbook leaves you inspired enough to open your doors to those you love to spend time with.

To get started, here are a few reliable tips for a successful, stress-free party:

Send out invites, whether as traditional as a card in the mail or as casual as an e-vite or a phone call, at least two weeks in advance. When planning your guest list, invite people you know have similar interests or you know will flow well together. At the same time that you send out invitations, start planning your menu.

Prepare and prepare again. Fill your menu mostly with recipes you can make or mostly prepare in advance. While cooking, clean as you go and always start with an empty dishwasher before guests arrive. Not only should you prep your food, but prepare your table the day before. Whether its a sit down meal or a buffet, having seats and place settings done in advance can help tremendously. I even go as far as to set out serving dishes with post-it notes to remind me what goes in each one. It doesnt matter if youve gone so far as to have full place settings or disposable tableware; prepare as much as you can ahead of time. All that planning and cooking in advance is completely worth it if all you have to do is lay out food and turn on some music when the party starts.