In Entertaining Simple, lifestyle and entertaining guru Matthew Mead shows you how to say goodbye to party jitters and say hello to stylish, easygoing gatherings. He gives you everything you need for parties that are wonderfully simple--and simply wonderful.

Packed with beautiful color photographs, this great guide gives you innovative ideas, tasty recipes, and complete game plans for all kinds of get-togethers. To demonstrate how to put his simple entertaining ideas into practice, Matthew gives you complete plans for eight fabulous get-togethers and he provides creative serving ideas and tempting menus for each party.

Complete with source listings and savvy tips on everything from setting up a bar to storing linens, Entertaining Simple is simply indispensable if you want to impress your guests with great food and creative table settings--without spending a lot of time or money.

Photos from Chapter 3: "Make It Your Own: Personalizing the Table" (Click on Image to Enlarge)

Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from Entertaining Simple

Shrimp with Fresh Tomato Salsa

Herb-Roasted Chicken

Roasted Vegetables

Apple Coffeecake

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Offers direction for various projects - from pumpkin treat holders and personalised candy boxes to black cat cupcakes and cutie-jack-o-lantern-pies to scary black duct tape stencils....

What makes an unforgettable birthday party? The cake! In this colorful, charming cookbook, Matthew Mead has created 35 whimsical cakes sure to be a hit at any party. Designed for the novice or expert, Cakes for Kids includes basic cake and frosting recipes as well as guidelines for baking, assembling, and decorating 3-D works of art. The chapters are divided into three levels of difficulty: easy cakes like Over the Rainbow (which uses multicolored candies to do the hard stuff), medium-level masterpieces like the Rockin' Guitar, and trickier designs like the Delicious Dinosaur. No matter what the level of expertise, step-by-step illustrated instructions make preparing of these confections a piece of cake!...