Peanuts or Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining

Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea

Author: Andrew F Smith

"Harmoniously paired with chocolate, as American as baseball games and after-school snacks, and, when ground into a creamy paste, quite possibly the best thing to happen to sliced bread - the peanut is one of the most versatile and beloved of American food icons. In this first culinary history of the protein-laden legume, Andrew F. Smith follows the peanut's rise from a lowly, messy snack food to its place in haute cuisine and on candy racks across the country." Shunned by southern aristocrats and the northern elite in antebellum America, peanuts were originally considered ungenteel and only fit for slaves and the poor to eat. But as Americans grew more keen on the portable, filling and inexpensive snack, peanuts became available at fairs, circuses, and theaters, whereupon street vendors first enticed consumers with offers for "Fresh, roasted peanuts!" Unlike other food fads, peanuts thrived, and by the turn of the century they were big business.

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Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining: Tips from Marfreless

Author: Mike Riccetti

"The Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining" is all about how people actually entertain today: conversing and enjoying the company of friends, family and other guests over good drink and food. Entertaining doesn't have to be difficult, but there can be a lot to know to do it properly and seamlessly. This resource will give you the knowledge, tools and confidence to do it well. All of the basics necessary for successful party planning are covered here, and a lot more. Chock full of food and drink-related information, this book will become a handy reference used over and over when planning events and even for visiting restaurants or strolling the aisles of the local wine, beer, liquor and food stores.

Written in a straightforward, entertaining and often humorous style, the book includes the specifics needed to plan and host an event from party suggestions to invitations to music to supplies to personal preparation and handling unexpected mishaps plus:
* Plentiful tips for hiring help for your event: the cooks, caterers, bartenders, bands, valet, etc.
* Guidelines for provisioning the proper types and amounts of liquor, wine, beer and food for your event.
* Interesting, easy-to-make and flavorful recipes that you'll actually use.
* Cocktails you will really concoct, and not just for a single glass, but also for pitchers and blenders for your party.
* Tips for preparing yourself for the party and on hosting.
* Handy checklists to use when planning and purchasing.
* Tons of information on subjects related to entertaining: wine, beer, liquor, cheese, and the ever-increasing variety and number of food terms that you will encounter on menus and in cookbooks that you might be embarrassed to admit that you don't know.

The authors bring a wealth of experience, both personal and professional, to the subject. Mike Riccetti is the author of the successful "Houston Dining on the Cheap" guidebooks, and contributes to several publications oncerning food, dining and drinking, and some less important topics. Co-author Michael Wells has been in the hospitality business for over twenty years and has managed restaurants, bars, and clubs, and has also organized and operated special events in Texas and Hawaii. He is currently the co-owner of the legendary Marfreless bar in Houston.