Product Description

For would-be hosts and hostesses, entertainer extraordinaire Christopher Lowell shares his secret for unforgettable parties: the perfect marriage of sumptuous, quickly prepared food and festive decor. Using experience culled from his eclectic career as an entertainer, which has included stints in theater, the art world, and classical music, in addition to his critically acclaimed interior design and lifestyle television programs, Christopher Lowell shows anyone how to turn an impromptu get-together, a cozy dinner, or a wedding reception into an absolutely fabulous soirée. With detailed how-to instructions for creating dramatic tablescapes and recipes for super-simple and tasty meals, Christopher Lowell channels his you-can-do-it approach to party planning.

Peppered throughout the book, invaluable entertaining tips and essential shortcuts transform even the most harried person into a party-planning savant. By creating a simple tablescape such as Asian Zen Squared or Crystal Blue Persuasion, you can turn an ordinary meal of Chinese takeout into an extraordinary evening. Christopher Lowell, the Hassle-Free Host is brimming with countless ideas to turn common household objects into sensational party props. For more ambitious hosts who dare to dabble in the kitchen, dozens of delicious recipes, including Chilled Avocado Soup, Grilled Beef Salad, and Frozen Key Lim Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust are perfect for the fussiest guests and are organized into convenient menu options. Made from mostly on-hand ingredients and time-saving convenience foods, the recipes are fast, adaptable for any number of guests, and completely foolproof. Mix and match them with any of the tablescapes, for any kind of party, in any room of the home, for an endless number of combinations.

Christopher Lowell’s expert advice will keep even the most hesitant host hassle-free and make any party fun, relaxing, and festive, no matter what the occasion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #589241 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-28
• Released on: 2004-09-28
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 2.26 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Lowell is an excellent host. You can tell by the way he invites readers into his book, engaging directly with them, encouraging them to try new things: "See? Now you really can do this!" as if they're watching one of his Discovery Channel shows. Part decorating manual, part cookbook, with etiquette tips for entertaining sprinkled throughout, Lowell's book promotes his philosophy of entertaining: the goal is to create an environment in which everyone's comfortable, including the host. Lowell advocates easy table decorations and recipes that only look hard to create. He includes tips for thematic decorative tablescapes ("[I]t's not about the table, love, it's about what you do on it") and "Ridiculously Easy Recipes" that require more organizing and assembling than cooking, combining prepared foods with fresh ingredients. Recipes often complement tabletop displays, like the terracotta flower pot centerpieces that mesh with the menu for "Lunch on the Sundeck" (Chilled Avocado Soup, Grilled Beef Salad, Frozen Key Lime Pie). Serious cooks might balk at Lowell's suggested shortcuts, but those pressed for time will lap them up. 150 color photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Television's ever upbeat designer and decorator Lowell shows in pictures and text how to throw a memorable party. In this volume, he expands his horizons to include food as well as decoration. He wants to make a party fun, freeing the host from exhausting pre-event preparation but still making the scene one that guests are unlikely to forget. For a simple design concept, Lowell places flowers, vegetables, and fruits around a table, noting, "There are no mistakes in nature." Even apples make good place-card holders. Painted dowels glued to candle holders make elegantly tall rose holders for a more formal look. Lowell's recipes call for ready-made foods and mixes that gain individuality and creativity by addition of a few extra ingredients. Frozen macaroni-and-cheese stirred with some roasted red peppers and added cheeses easily fools guests. Frozen peas whipped with dill and cream make a simple starter. But some dishes require fresh ingredients, so Lowell does a veal stew from fresh meat and then simplifies it with frozen pearl onions and some canned white beans. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Christopher Lowell is the author of three books and host of The Christopher Lowell Show, one of the most popular Discovery Channel daytime shows. His eclectic background as an actor, artist, classical pianist, creative director, and teacher of interior design has given him both the skills and the authority of someone who has truly paid his creative dues. On his show, Christopher brings his practical experience and talent to people looking for problem-solving ideas. He has launched the Christopher Lowell Collection at Office Depot, an expanding line of linens and tableware at Burlington Coat Factory, furniture with Flexsteel, lighting with Catalina, his own line of paints, and is frequently featured in many Home Shopping Network events. He lives in Los Angeles.

Television personality, author, speaker, stylist, and hostess extraordinaire Frances Schultz is on-air host of the Emmy Award–winning Southern Living Presents on Turner South network and a frequent guest on The Christopher Lowell Show and other programs. Former New York editor of Veranda magazine, author of Atlanta at Home and Atlanta at Table, and coauthor of Ryan Gainey’s The Well Set Table, she is a frequent contributor to Veranda and writes also for Town & Country, Town & Country Travel, and New York’s Quest magazine. A native of North Carolina and distinguished graduate of the University of Virginia, Frances currently resides in Manhattan.