Entertaining Made Easy: 10 Ways to Throw a Successful Party

Disregard the Last Tip

If your party is small enough, try giving guests absolutely no options whatsoever. Amanda Hesser, a New York Times food writer and the author of The Cook and the Gardener (Norton), says people are creatures of habit, "and yet if introduced to something new, they will try it." Hesser likes to serve Kir Royales (add one or two teaspoons of crème de cassis to each glass of champagne), and eschews hors d'oeuvres. "I want my guests to be hungry for dinner," she says.