Feeding a Crowd

EASY ENTERTAINING

We love company and we love food, so entertaining is a big part of our life and something we do year-round. There’s our annual Christmas white elephant party, a holiday cookie exchange, the Super Bowl/my birthday celebration (go Pats!), the Golden Globes and the Oscars, March Madness (a big deal in our house), Cinco de Mayo, NBA playoffs (go Golden State Warriors!), the neighborhood Fourth of July breakfast, the boys’ birthdays, National Ice Cream Day (ice cream sundae bar!), anything involving the University of Utah (go Utes!) or college football, and pretty much any other reason to get people together.

Our ultimate goal is to create memories—as well as to show people that they can absolutely do it themselves. When our friends see how easy and seamless hosting a big gathering can be, they think, I could do that! We want you to feel the same! My advice is that you stick to things that you know will feed a lot of people and are easy to pull together yet still taste good. We also always make sure to have something for everyone to eat—because I know firsthand what it’s like to be stuck not having anything to eat—whether it’s because of eating vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, or other dietary reasons.

These recipes are particularly great for when you’ve invited over a crowd and are pulling out all the stops—like big trays of DIY nachos, a make-your-own pasta bar, or a mix-and-match ice cream sandwich party. But whether we’re feeding 10 or 100, the philosophy stays the same: We want everyone to come in, relax, have a good time, and feel comfortable enough to help themselves to seconds.