The Consummate Hostess Blog

boiler-panWhether you're a fast food junkie, a novice cook or a seasoned chef, join me in my kitchen as I share my secrets and those of others I've picked up along the way. With a little planning, some experimentation and fun, you can makee veryone think you're hiding a caterer!  Here I'll post MY favorite recipes and rich, warm memories shared around the family table or you can check out our Special Features page, full of recipe databases, video how-tos and much more!

Secrets of a Consummate Hostess

Kitchen DivaPink

No matter what the season, you're bound to be up for fun, frolic and entertainment.  Besides that well planned party, you never know when someone is going to drop in or who the family will drag home for dinner. In fact, as you fine tune your talents at making meals an "event," you may be turning down droves of volunteers  on a nightly basis.  Don't laugh.  It happens!  And what better way to test your kitchen concoctions?  But where do you start?

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My Beloved Taco Pizza

Ok, I hate to share this with the world, as only a small group of friends have ever wrapped their taste buds around it. It's a recipe I discovered 15 years ago in some nostalgic 60's magazine.   It took me 6 years to perfect it, but it's so simple (and fairly frugal) that making it will be a breeze for the most amateur of cooks.

The original recipe is nothing like my own rendition, and almost all the ingredients have changed. I even changed the name to personalize it and make it my own.  I know you will love it, and I'm sure those who have tasted my specialty will inspire you with nothing but ooo's and aaah's of delight.

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Girls' Night In Pairing Party

(ARA) - You can always find a good reason to organize a girls' night in with your best friends. But why not spice up the theme of the gathering this time and host a "pairing party" featuring everyone's favorite ingredient: dark chocolate?

Pairing parties are great social events designed around the education and sampling of two ingredient themes. A pairing party combining the delicious varieties of dark chocolate with food and drinks will be a huge hit with your friends. Imagine the girls laughing over the different combinations of dark chocolate with drinks and food, making notes of their favorites and discussing the intricacies of all the flavor combinations.

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MORE RECIPES

Here's a few more recipes that update automatically. If you see something you like, copy and/or print it because it probably won't be there long.

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