Erika Lenkert

Editor's note:This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.这些花哨的坚果口味需要几乎没有努力. Prepare 'em in advance, store 'em in a well-sealed container, and when the time is right, let your salads, desserts, and cheese plates go nuts with sugar or spice or both. To only "caramelize" the nuts, skip the cayenne and black pepper, which make them "spiced."

Editor's note:This recipe was created by Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining.For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.I adore this cocktail recipe because it's refreshing, pretty, and has subtly mint and cucumber flavors that will keep everyone guessing at exactly what's in it. You can dress it up for an evening fete by straining it and serving it up with edible gold or silver flecks as it is done here, or dress it down by throwing everything — mint, cucumber slices, and all — into a serving pitcher. Best of all, you can skip squeezing limes all day by using limeade concentrate. Shhhh. It'll be our secret.

Editor's note:Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining, learned this recipe from Chef Hiro Sone. For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.One holiday I hosted a potluck dinner party in Napa with some of my favorite food friends, including one of my very favorite chefs on earth — Hiro Sone — accompanied by his talented pastry chef wife and dear friend Lissa. Hiro anted up this soup, which I forced him to teach me how to make. It offers truly luxurious results with minimal effort. Kept covered and warm in a double boiler on the stove, its velvety texture and creamy flavor should last the length of any party.

Editor's note:This recipe was created by Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining.For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.When it comes to entertaining I'm a selective cheapskate. I thrive on figuring out how to get the most bang out of minimal bucks for things like decor, so that I can splurge on a few fantastic ingredients, like high-quality American caviar for this dish. When throwing a party I love doing something really easy that looks and tastes fabulous. This is one such example — a hearty scoop of American caviar atop a bite of petite potato salad inside a shot or martini glass. If using shot glasses, serve it with mini plastic spoons, which can be found at ice cream stores. For martini glasses, go with teaspoons or demitasse spoons.

Editor's note:This recipe was created by Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining. I adore this recipe because with it cooking truly can't get any simpler, its presentation is attractive, and since you use so little meat for each skewer you can afford to splurge on a great cut of meat — even for large crowds. Since you're using a great cut of beef, there's no need to embellish its flavor, though you're certainly welcome to use your favorite marinade. For added flair, buy decorative bamboo skewers — they're available on Amazon.com.

Editor's note:This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.A dessert secret that you should always keep in your back pocket, this recipe can be your last-minute savior provided you've got pastry dough in the freezer and a piece of fruit or two on hand. It takes no time or talent and is glamorous enough for the most special occasions.

Editor's note:This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple EntertainingAdd a little yummy-sexy luxury to your cocktail party by serving this velvety salmon spread, which is ridiculously simple to make and perfectly paired with baguette slices and people you enjoy.

Editor's note:This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.A luscious combination of salty and sweet, these pop-in-your-mouth morsels look especially pretty when arranged on a platter and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Editor's note:This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party,click here.This is about as easy as entertaining gets, with big bonus points for its refined presentation and luscious flavors. Hand-feed one — or 10 — to someone you want to seduce or friends you want to impress.