Christopher Lowell, the Hassle-Free Host: Super-Simple Tablescapes and Recipes for Stunning Parties

by Christopher Lowell

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.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400047269
• ISBN13: 9781400047260
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.4" x 10.4"

Customer Reviews

Little effort + creativity = FABULOUS!

I'm a fabulous cook,taken many professional cooking courses, & know many professional chefs. ALL of us have short-cuts--tricks--fast ways of throwing together an awesome party for good friends and family gatherings. So many reviewers harp on the pea soup he proposes. I've made it with both fresh and frozen peas and my chef friend (BEST cook I've ever encountered) couldn't tell the difference. So if your wish is for a book with convoluted recipes, this ain't it. If you are unsure of yourself for entertaining ideas and a big stainless bowl of Jiffy Pop isn't cutting edge enough,Christopher is your MAN. I've used most of these ideas either directly or adapted for my own taste and style, and everyone is wowed. Why not just slap a tablecloth on and a grocery bouquet and pass the mashed potatoes? Taking a little time, and his creations don't take that much time, makes your guests feel special, and that's the whole reason you invited them in the first place, isn't it? Christopher shows loads of ideas that you can adapt, copy verbatim, or use as a springboard for your own imagination. Go on, you CAN do it! Great book with loads of great ideas for both novice and experienced entertainer.

Great Idea Book

This is a fantasitic, "how to" book on setting a colorful, creative and imaginative table. Not only do you see the end results of the tables, but then step by step instruction on how it was created. The focus is on creativity, and does not how lavish the china.

GREAT recipes, "tablescapes" overdone....

I liked both the recipes and his "party notes" at the beginning of the book--a lot of useful information. The recipes are a good compromise between cooking gourmet and just bringing something from the Costco Deli Section style of entertaining. The tablescapes--I can see going to all that effort for something very special, like a wedding (if you're doing that in lieu of a gift), but for normal get-togethers they're too much work. For sit-down dinners, I don't know about you, but I like to see the people I'm talking and eating with, not look through a virtual forest, or glassware, or whatever. For a buffet, they might be nice, if you took what he put on ONE table and spread it out over THREE tables--yes, that is how much stuff is on the table.... Even the table ideas I did like looked like they were all geared towards parties where you were being served by waitstaff. There was no room on his tables to pass anything around "family style", which is a concern if that is how most of your dinners are. Bottom line: It really depends on the type of people you have at your parties/get togethers. If you have Martha-types, they will ooh and aahh and you might get something out of all that work on the tablescapes. If the people you entertain are more practical and down-to-earth, get this book for the recipes.

Entertaining for REAL people

Christopher Lowell's appeal is that he reduces great design to simple pieces that non-designers can understand. He's done this again with a very approachable book on entertaining. Instead of just showing glossy photos of incredible tablescapes, he breaks it down and speaks in everyday language, encouraging the reader to create the same look with everyday pieces. As far as the recipes are concerned, he says in his book that if you feel you must impress the people you're inviting, you're inviting the wrong people. I know my way around a kitchen but I really enjoyed his easy ways to simplify entertainment cooking. He has a great idea for gourmet pizzas on phyllo as well as a simple but delicious macaroni and cheese. If you're looking for 5-star gourmet recipes, buy a cookbook. This wonderful book is for everyday people who want to take a try at having FUN when they entertain. You'll enjoy reading it and you'll truly feel that you CAN do it!