MIKE RICCETTI
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    • Chinese
    • Cocktails
    • Fajitas
    • Hamburgers
    • The Heights
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    • Indian / Pakistani
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
    • Pizzerias
    • Sandwiches
    • Splurge-Worthy
    • Steakhouses
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    • Tacos
    • Tex-Mex
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  • Musings on Houston Dining
    • The best new restaurants to open in 2023
    • Houston's Italian restaurant history
    • Restaurants open for lunch (or brunch) on Saturday
    • Restaurants open for Sunday dinner
    • Restaurants open for lunch on Monday
    • Restaurants open for dinner on Monday
    • The top 10 new restaurants of 2022
    • The top 10 new restaurants of 2021
  • The margherita pizza project
  • The martini project
  • Italian restaurant history
  • Italian & Italian-American
  • Entertaining tips
    • Booze basics
    • Styles of Cheeses
    • Handling Those Disruptive Guests
  • Wine
  • Beer
  • Cocktails and Spirits
  • Miscellaneous
  • Blog
  • The best of Houston dining
    • Best Values
    • Breakfast
    • Chinese
    • Cocktails
    • Fajitas
    • Hamburgers
    • The Heights
    • Italian
    • Indian / Pakistani
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
    • Pizzerias
    • Sandwiches
    • Splurge-Worthy
    • Steakhouses
    • Sushi
    • Tacos
    • Tex-Mex
    • To Take Visitors
  • Musings on Houston Dining
    • The best new restaurants to open in 2023
    • Houston's Italian restaurant history
    • Restaurants open for lunch (or brunch) on Saturday
    • Restaurants open for Sunday dinner
    • Restaurants open for lunch on Monday
    • Restaurants open for dinner on Monday
    • The top 10 new restaurants of 2022
    • The top 10 new restaurants of 2021
  • The margherita pizza project
  • The martini project
  • Italian restaurant history
  • Italian & Italian-American
  • Entertaining tips
    • Booze basics
    • Styles of Cheeses
    • Handling Those Disruptive Guests
  • Wine
  • Beer
  • Cocktails and Spirits
  • Miscellaneous
  • Blog
MIKE RICCETTI

The Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining

Tips from Marfreless


This Book is ​A terrific resource for planning a party

Below is a grab-bag of sections from the very useful handbook that was published a few years ago, The Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining - Tips from Marfreless.  The book is just what the title indicates: help in the basics of entertaining.  It includes guidelines about how much alcohol to get and what kind, the necessary steps to plan any event, information about cheeses, wines, beers and spirits, and even what to do with your friends and acquaintances who can turn into one or more of a variety of annoying guest-types.  It is the type of information that is missing in most books about entertaining, which are often far prettier than they are useful.  Conversely, The Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining - Tips from Marfreless might be the ugly step-child of books on entertaining, but a very smart, ugly step-child.

Here are a few of the comments it garnered soon after it was published:
  • "In a tone that is informative and reassuring...explains everything you need to know to throw a great bash...." - New York Daily News
  • "...bulging with advice on party-giving...there's plenty of sensible, less obvious information here that hosts will find handy." -- Houston Chronicle
  • "When I throw a party at my home, this is my play book for a successful event." - Johnny Carrabba, co-founder of the Carrabba’s Italian Grill Restaurants

It can be purchased in book or electronic form on Amazon and Barnes & Noble's sites and elsewhere.  The outline of the book is shown below. 

Introduction
Part I – The Party Plan
These are six steps that you’ll need to follow when putting together most events:

Step 1 – Initial Planning – Understanding what you’ll need to do to make the event a reality.
  • Initial Planning of Your Event – A little planning helps....
  • Suggestions for Social Events – Beyond the obvious ones we have a number of ideas, including Birthdays of Famous People.
Step 2 – Hiring Help - Deciding whether or not you need to hire help and, if so, going about doing it.
Step 3 – Invitations
Step 4 – Accessories & Supplies - Buying (and maybe also renting) the boring stuff you need for your event, and the items that you should have on hand for this and future events.
  • Accessories for Your Event (and Future Events), including what is  Necessary for Most Events at Home  and Drink-Related Equipment
  • Supplies for Your Event
Step 5 – Setting Up – Putting it all together, which includes decorating, general setup, selecting the music, and preparing the food and all sorts of drinks, alcoholic, and otherwise.              
  • Decorating for Your Event
  • Getting Your Home Ready for Your Event
  • Creating the Proper Space
  • Music for Your Event
  • Wine for Your Event
  • Beer for Your Event
  • Liquor for Your Event
  • Accompaniments for Cocktails at Your Event
  • Entertaining non-Drinkers at Your Event
  • Food for Your Event
Step 6 – Hosting – Before the first guest arrives, you will need to finalize all the preparations, and be ready to act as host; plus, you should be cognizant of the potential adversities and how to overcome these.
  • Personal Readiness for Your Event
  • During Your Event at Home
  • Disaster Relief at Your
Step 7 – After the Event – The guests have left, the drinks have stopped flowing, and all that remains for certain is a mess and memories, and possibly a headache.                                      

Part II – Background
These are topics related to entertaining that are good to know, information on specific types of events, and  food and drink recipes that you might want to employ.
  • Dinner Parties 
  • Wine Tasting Parties
  • Hosting a Dinner Event at a Restaurant
  • Business or Work-Related Events
  • Hosting an Event at a Bar
  • How to be a Good Guest
  • Some More about Spirits
  • The Basic of Hard Liquors
  • The Basics of Cheese - The major styles of cheese and the most popular types of cheeses
About the Recipes
The Recipes:
  • Appetizers
  • Entrées
  • Condiments / Sauces
  • Sides
  • Dessert Ideas         
  • Dessert Recipes
About the Drink Recipes
The Drink Recipes:
  • Pitcher-Sized Drinks
  • Frozen Drinks
  • Super-Sized Drinks
  • Vodka Infusions
  • Individual-Sized Drinks                                                                                             
  • Simple Drink Combinations
  • Shooters / Shots 

Part III – Glossary
These are mostly food and drink terms that you might want to become familiar with, as these are found in many cookbooks, menus, and among the shelves of food, wine, beer and liquor stores.  Or, maybe you just want to try to fit one into a conversation.                       
  • Wines & Wine Styles
  • Wine Characteristics
  • Other Wine-Related Terms
  • Beer                                                                      
  • Spirits & Cocktail Related Terms
  • Cheese                                                                             
  • Snacks, Appetizers, Entrées & Desserts 
  • Sauces & Condiments
  • Ingredients – Herbs & Spices
  • Ingredients – Vegetables, Fruits, Mushrooms, Etc.
  • Basic Cooking Terms
  • Miscellaneous – Non-Drink, non-Food Entertainment Terms

Part IV – References
This section includes more information on useful topics, plus quick reference guides.
  • Checklist for Hosting an Event at Home
  • A List of Major Holidays in North America
  • Basic Information Concerning Beef & Pork
  • Guidelines for Making a Toast
  • Kegs – Purchasing, Tapping & Pouring
  • Lists of Cocktail Mixers
  • Checklists for Supplying Different Events
  • Dealing with Hangovers
  • Weights and Measures for Cooking & Mixing Drinks
  • Handling Those Disruptive Guests
  • Suggested Reference & Resource Materials
  • Some Music Suggestions
  • Types of Glassware
  • Suggested On-Line Resources     
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