MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. Later in the broadcast, they've counted the votes in Haiti and in the presidential election with some 18 candidates. There are three front runners, but there are only two allowed to participate if there's a run off. We'll be discussing exactly how that may work out. But first, you're hosting a big party and you've got some decisions to make. Do you want to go all out, renting linens and hiring a caterer and wait staff?

MR. KOJO NNAMDIOr do your style and budget suggest a trip to the local supermarket for cheese and crudités platters? And the drinks, should you keep it simple with beer and wine or go with some serious mixology? From the number of people to the time of day to what to serve, there's a lot involved in throwing a party. The good news is that you can do a lot by yourself and planning ahead can save you money in the end. We've got ideas for keeping your guests happy without breaking your bank account.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIAnd here to help us tell you how to do that is Domenica Marchetti, food blogger and the author of several cookbooks, including "The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy," and "Big Night In: More than 100 Wonderful Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends Italian-Style." Domenica, thank you so much for joining us.

MS. DOMENICA MARCHETTIHi, Kojo.

NNAMDIAlso with us in studio is Chris Lowery. He is the store captain for the Trader Joe's, and Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. Chris, thank you for dropping in.

MR. CHRIS LOWERYAbsolutely, nice to be here.

NNAMDIAlso with us in studio is Meagan Hegenbarth, senior account executive at RSVP Catering. Meagan, thank you for joining us.

MS. MEAGAN HEGENBARTHThank you for having me.

NNAMDIWe know you're planning a party so you can start calling now, 800-433-8850. Do you do it yourself or do you get help from a caterer or your local supermarket? 800-433-8850 or you can go to our website, kojoshow.org, join the conversation there. Meagan, let's start with you. What would you advise people as the first step in planning a party at home?

HEGENBARTHWell, I think the first step is really to decide, you know, your guest count, who your guests are and really what you're trying to accomplish with your party. You know, if you want to have it more intimate, you just have to communicate that to us and say you're doing a sit down dinner for 10 and you want it to be several courses and just, you know, intimate great time with, you know, lots of wine and great food. But if you want a buffet spread for maybe some of the people that work in your office as an appreciation dinner, you know, just let us know that, too. And...

NNAMDIDomenica, can some people find it overwhelming to plan a big event? What do you recommend about starting to plan a party and how important is budget?

MARCHETTIBudget, of course, is very important, especially now. I think there are a lot of things you need to consider when you're planning a party and, yes, it is so easy to get overwhelmed. I am, unfortunately, not a plan-ahead type person. In fact, my house is the only one on our cul-de-sac that still doesn't have lights up. But when it comes to...

NNAMDIOh, you slacker, you.

MARCHETTIYeah, I know, I know. When it comes to food, though, I do like to plan ahead. And in the case of a party, the freezer is your friend. There are so many things that you can make in advance and just store away in the freezer for a couple weeks. I think it's important to, as Meagan said, know your party. Is it going to be a casual football, you know, get together or is it going to be a stand up holiday buffet with fancy clothing? So you need to know who you're going to have and you need to plan accordingly in terms of your menu. If, you know, if you're going to have a football you're probably going to have chili or something like that. Or if you're having a holiday buffet, the little canapé's and the crudités and the beautiful cheese platters are likely to be a part of it.

NNAMDIChris, when people come to the store to get what they need for a party, what kind of advice are they generally looking for?

LOWERYMostly, they're looking for ideas that they can do quickly and seeking out some of the value items and the items that would be a little bit intimidating for them to make on their own that we've then had made for them already that they can just take out of the freezer, put into the oven, 15, 20 minutes, have their appetizers ready to go for their guests. That's really always the biggest questions.

NNAMDIDo I have some of those items here in front of me?

LOWERYYou certainly do, Kojo.

NNAMDITell me about a few of them. This?

LOWERYThe first one you're looking at there is a mac and cheese bite. And what we've done is we've taken the traditional macaroni and cheese style with bread crumbs on it and turned it into an appetizer bite, which will be great for kids. It's still great for adults. So it kind of runs the gamut on anybody that you're going to have at your party 'cause they're absolutely delicious.

NNAMDIHow about this?

LOWERYThat is a scallop bite that is made specifically to Trader Joe's specifications. And they -- you get a dozen of them for $3.99. And it's got a little wasabi mayonnaise on the inside and that is a beef tenderloin wrapped in an uncured bacon.

NNAMDII got to stop doing these shows when I'm hungry. What is this?

LOWERYThat is a handmade cannoli that we have made specifically for us in Italy. It is -- instead of the traditional cannoli, we've then taken the shell and lined it with dark chocolate and then filled it with the traditional ricotta inside of it.

NNAMDIAll of these things are already prepared for you if you happen to be planning a party. Meagan, when you're thinking about the menu, some people do not take into account the time of day for the event and what that means for refreshments.

HEGENBARTHYeah, and that really -- if you choose to use a caterer, really listen to the advice and feedback that they're giving you. We ultimately want to do what you want, but, you know, if you're having a reception from 3:00 to 6:00, that's going to be heavy hors d'oeuvres. You know, you're hitting it right at, you know, the beginning of lunch or, I'm sorry, a late lunch, beginning of dinner. And people are going to be expected to be fed because then they have to drive home from that and then, you know, chances are they're not going to have a dinner for themselves at 8:00 o'clock at night.

HEGENBARTHSo if we're suggesting -- you know, you really should think about the time of day and you should up your quantities or supplement with something of your own. You know, we're happy to help with that and happy to give advice for that, but, you know, we try and make these events successful and make you look good and make us look good as well. So, you know, your guests don't leave hungry.

NNAMDIDomenica, can you talk a little bit about what's appropriate for different times of day? It's evening. I've been to bar mitzvah all evening long. It lasted three or four hours. What are we talking about for that kind of event?

MARCHETTIWell, I guess, it depends. I really like to entertain family style. I love to, you know. And in fact, my family will be coming for Christmas and so it's just going to be a lot of large platters of food. Pasta, roasts, rice, lots of fish on Christmas Eve, of course. So it really depends on the event. But, I think, family style, if you're doing it yourself, can be easier because you don't have to worry about arranging lots of little bite-size fancy hors d'oeuvres on platters. I like to have everybody sit down at the table and I like to bring a big platter of pasta out. I like people to help themselves. They can take as much or as little as they want.

HEGENBARTHI think it makes for a convivial atmosphere so I'm really into the family style dinners. You know, of course, people tend to think about holiday entertaining as an evening affair, but there's also brunch, you know, a Sunday brunch and those are always fun. You do eggs and put them in a chafing dish, put them out. Muffins, popovers, biscuits, so you really can -- I mean, the sky's the limit.

NNAMDII know, Chris, when I've had events in the past, you have in your head what you think you want. How important is it for you to consult with your caterer? Some people -- you get in your head, I want 50 pieces of this. I want 30 pieces of that. Caterers have a little more experience. What mistakes do we generally tend to make when we think we know how much of what we want?

LOWERYWell, at Trader Joe's, we've always got the, you know, if you buy too much and or if you're not satisfied with it, you bring it back. So we tend to push people over the edge sometimes with the, you know, how much should I get and I don't think that that's enough. We throw that option out there to them quite often and it ends up that they always come back and they're always like, I had just enough. I'm glad I took that extra little bit. So, you know, we don't -- not quite sure.

NNAMDIMeagan, do we tend to...

HEGENBARTHYeah.

NNAMDI...do we tend to overestimate or under estimate what we need?

HEGENBARTHI think sometimes people tend to under estimate. They'll say, oh, I want 50 pieces of that.

NNAMDIThat's me.

HEGENBARTHI want 50 pieces of this. I want 50 pieces of that. And then, in reality, you have to think that, you know, guest A will want three pieces of that one where you have 50 pieces and that's -- you only have one per person. So it's good to have -- if you have a variety, you know, one and a half bites per person is a good rule of thumb to go. If it's just a, you know, displayed hors d'oeuvres. But sometimes if it's just displayed, maybe two bites per person is not such a bad rule either to go by.

NNAMDIIn case you're just joining us on this food Wednesday, we're talking about parties. If you having them and you can get the assistance of caterer's, we're joined in the studio by Chris Lowery, store captain for the Trader Joe's and Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. Meagan Hegenbarth is a senior account executive at RSVP Catering and Domenica Marchetti is a food blogger and the author of several cookbooks including, "The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy," and "Big Night In: More than 100 Wonderful Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends Italian-style."

NNAMDIWe're looking for your calls at 800-433-8850. What are your favorite tips for party planning? 800-433-8850. Here is Julie in Springfield, Va. Julie, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

JULIEHi, thanks for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

JULIEI'm interested in the panel's opinion and sure you, too, Kojo, if you want to give me your opinion. I like theme parties. I think it makes it a little more festive. So I'm having a Cajun dinner party on Saturday. I'm taking the advice of doing a one dish meal that's family style. I'm doing gumbo and corn bread and I am at a loss for what to make for a fun cocktail. Because the sazerac which you would normally sort of do, from New Orleans, is revolting, I think, and a hurricane is too sweet. So I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a cocktail or even an appetizer?

NNAMDIBelieve you, me, Domenica Marchetti actually went to a party that was cocktail themed. So she has some experience with this.

NNAMDIYeah, I actually have been to a cocktail theme party that a friend of mine put on and people just kind of picked papers out of a big jar and it had a cocktail recipe on it and the host was kind enough to make whatever cocktail you choose. But in your case...

JULIEInteresting.

MARCHETTI...yeah. It was a lot of fun, as you might imagine. But...

JULIEDid everyone sleep over?

NNAMDIEveryone had a driver, a designated driver.

MARCHETTIYou know, I am -- I have to say I'm not a cocktail authority. But when you were talking, the first thing that popped into my mind was maybe a Cajun spiced Bloody Mary type drink.

JULIEThat's a good idea.

HEGENBARTHThat's what I wrote down.

MARCHETTIOr even...

NNAMDIGreat minds think alike. Go ahead.

MARCHETTIOr even, like, a Gin Martini with maybe something -- a little bit of spice around the rim. So those are two things...

JULIEOkay.

MARCHETTI...that just came to mind.

HEGENBARTHAnd with the Bloody Mary, you could even set it up as a Bloody Mary bar and have different toppings and, you know, different levels of spice sauces. And, you know, have the olbay and then other Cajun seasonings. So you could really make that fun...

JULIEThat's an interesting idea.

HEGENBARTH...and interactive.

JULIEOkay. I like that, too. I've had them, too, with skewers that have shrimp and olives and all kinds of things. So it sort of combines the appetizer.

NNAMDIHey, Julie...

JULIEOr the hors d'oeuvres thing.

NNAMDIJulie, thank you very much for you call. Good luck with your party.

JULIEThank you very much.

NNAMDIYou, too, can call us, 800-433-8850. Meagan, for a lot of people, budgets are tighter this year and they're scaling back in different ways. But you're seeing people still going all out for parties, for the holidays especially.

HEGENBARTHYeah, I mean, it just -- some people -- I have clients that this is the one big party that they throw every year and they just don't, you know, they might not serve tenderloin this year, but they're still -- let's do it all. Let's go to town. And they, you know, that's what they look forward to and that's what their friends and family look forward to. And they're still coming with their -- you know, and they want their linens and their centerpieces and, you know, their big buffet spreads and passed hors d'oeuvres so...

NNAMDIBut a lot of people don't realize that catering a party doesn't mean that everything has to be catered.

HEGENBARTHExactly. And we were talking about that kind of in the holding room. I have clients where maybe they'll provide, you know, a ham display or a turkey display and then they want us to bring in some of the sides or butler hors d'oeuvres. Come in with the beer and wine packages or they'll provide the alcohol and want me to give them a specialty drink recipe. So, I mean, we really try and work with the client as much as possible on what they have their -- what they're providing themselves and what they want us to provide.

NNAMDIYou can have a caterer prepare some of the food, but have, say, a deli platter from the market. Chris, it might be because of their budget or because they like to do it themselves, but that's when people come to you for help.

LOWERYExactly. And to her point here, you know, we've got on the plate over there for you is a fully trimmed, fully cooked prime rib that we've done all the work for you. All you have to do is heat it up or even serve it cold at a party. So that would be one of those things that she was talking about...

HEGENBARTHUm-hum.

LOWERY...that would be wonderful to come in and get and then compliment what else you're doing and what they're doing or, you know, what maybe Domenica has made, you know, on the side. And so you kind of put all those pieces together, you know, and put the three units together you can really come up with a fantastic party.

NNAMDIWe're having it cold in this party, that's why we have to take a break right now. We'll be right back after we have finished partying for the next few minutes.

NNAMDIBut you can still call us. And if you have already called, stay on the line, 800-4333-8850 is the number, if you have either tips for having a party or you're looking for tips for having a party. You can also send us a tweet at kojoshow or go to our website, kojoshow.org, join the conversation there. It's Food Wednesday. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWait, wait, I'm not done. I'm not done eating here. It's Food Wednesday and we're talking about catering with Domenica Marchetti, food blogger and author of several cookbooks. Meagan Hegenbarth is a senior account executive at RSVP Catering and Chris Lowery is the store captain for the Trader Joe's in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. Here is Shirley in Alexandria, Va. Shirley, your turn.

SHIRLEYHi. We're having a New Year's Day open house that we've done for a couple years and we're having trouble 'cause we never know exactly how many people are coming and sort of knowing what are some good foods to have out from, like, from 3:00 to 6:00. Any recommendations?

NNAMDIDomenica?

MARCHETTII'll take a crack at that. I had a party, like, a couple of years ago and I was looking for -- I didn't want to have, you know, like a tenderloin or a pork roast or ham. What I ended up doing was making a big pot of ham and corn chowder and I put it in my slow cooker and I put it up on the buffet and that was kind of my anchor. And I put out bowls and people were able to serve themselves to bowls of chowder. And then, I also had other things out, you know, like a couple of cheese platters and some biscuits and rolls and other little supplements, vegetables. Don't forget fruit, nice fall fruit, apples and pears. And so that was kind of a twist to the usual party centerpiece, which is maybe, like, a spiral ham.

SHIRLEYRight. That's great.

NNAMDIWorks for you, Shirley?

SHIRLEYThat sounds great.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call.

SHIRLEYThanks so much.

NNAMDIWe move on to Beth in Frederick, Md. Beth, it's your turn. You're on the air. Go ahead, please.

BETHHi. I kind of had the opposite question from the previous caller. We are part of a progressive party that involves a neighborhood, a community, a lot of people, but they're only here for a short amount of time. So I'm going to have 50 people in my house for an hour and a half. How much food do I need and are people really going to eat if they're eating all day?

MARCHETTIWell, what is the course that you're responsible for?

BETHThe main dish.

MARCHETTIMain dish.

HEGENBARTHAnd what time of day is that?

BETHIt's a weekend.

NNAMDIWhat time of the day is it?

HEGENBARTHNo, what time?

BETHDid you ask me what -- I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you.

NNAMDIWhat time of day is it?

BETHOh, what time of day. It's three o'clock. Main dish is here at three o'clock and we're splitting it up between three families. You know, so I'm kind of in charge of the kids 'cause there's kids involved as well. So I'm in charge of the kids, but if they just came from soup and appetizers, are they going to be hungry? Do we need a lot of food? Would it look bad if we didn't put out a full spread?

MARCHETTII don't think that you need to have, you know, a main dish quantity for everybody since it's a progressive party. You might want to have a main dish, but not serve it in, you know, large quantities. Like, if you were to do maybe roast pork tenderloin, you could just slice it up and put it on a platter and people could help themselves to a couple of slices. If you're going more casual, one thing I like to do is to do a -- I just did this for my family the other night and we've been eating it for the past three nights. Again, a slow cooker recipe. It was a beef -- barbecue beef brisket in the slow cooker and I put out little rolls.

HEGENBARTHUm-hum.

MARCHETTIAnd we made beef brisket sliders and so that's kind of a main dish, but in bite size quantity so people can have one or two sliders. So maybe something along those lines.

NNAMDIAny suggestions, Meagan?

HEGENBARTHYeah, I mean, the sliders are really huge right now, a big trend in the food catering world and those are great ideas. And you can have several different toppings and several different meat options. You could do, you know, roasted turkey, you could do even small burgers and, you know, just a couple of bites, you know, each item.

NNAMDIBeth, thank you for your call. Good luck to you. Here is Carolyn in Washington, D.C. Carolyn, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

CAROLYNHi Kojo. My husband and I have a Halloween party actually every year and we don't cater it. We pretty much prepare the food ourselves. But I'd say about 50 to 75 people come. And we have really found -- I think one of the best things that we did was to have on hand or to hire somebody who comes in and actually is responsible for making sure that the food is out on the table, that the food is refilled, the ice is refilled. We don't have a bartender. Everybody pretty much serves themselves on the bar. But -- and then to have -- and then to also clean up and make sure that paper napkins, paper plates that are used are picked up and thrown away. And we just find that it's a lot less wear and tear on ourselves for that.

NNAMDICaters are help in a number of ways, Meagan, with dishes to warm the food, dishes to serve the food, that kind of thing, right?

HEGENBARTHUm-hum. And like this caller said is -- with staff, we can -- we're more than happy to provide staff for your events and they really do take that stress off of you for -- they'll display everything where you want it and replenish and clean up and you really then can enjoy your guests and enjoy your own party.

NNAMDIAnd, Chris, it can be daunting to walk into a supermarket and try to figure out what you need. What are some of the questions you ask when someone tells you that they're planning a party?

LOWERYWell, the first question is always how many people are coming. And then, we just kind of go through some of the different options, how big of a party do they want, do they want to have, you know, a main course? How much cooking do they want to do, because we could do it all? We have, you know, stuff that they can cook completely from scratch or we can help them, you know, right at the end.

NNAMDIAnd in addition to the samples that I have in front of me here, Trader Joe stores often have easy recipe suggestions, do you not?

LOWERYAbsolutely, yeah. And the -- like the lady that called in about the corn bread, we have a fantastic corn bread mix. All you need is an egg and a little bit of oil and our box of corn bread and it's like homemade corn bread. So...

NNAMDIOn to Susan in Annapolis, Md. Susan, you're turn.

SUSANYes. Having lived on the gulf coast in Biloxi, Miss. and that area, when the shrimpers were out doing their shrimping, the lady that called in before with the Cajun party, we would go integrate -- we were Air Force people and we integrated into the community and met many of the local shrimpers and things. And the party that was to be had and to get invited to in February was the shrimper's catch party. And they always served the shrimp Creole with sangria. So that was my suggestion to one of your earlier callers.

NNAMDIThe earlier caller who was having her Cajun themed party?

SUSANYes. The sangria is absolutely a -- you know, a red sangria is absolutely fabulous. And go to two buck -- go to Trader Joe's and get the two-buck Chuck and make your sangria with the fresh fruits. It's wonderful.

NNAMDIDoes Trader Joe's also provide designated drivers?

LOWERYNo. But we do have a great sangria recipe at some of our stores that we make up in the summer that we'd be happy to share.

NNAMDISusan, thank you so much for your call.

SUSANYou're welcome.

HEGENBARTHUm-hum. Thank you.

NNAMDIYou, too, can call us at 800-433-8850. Here is Brooke in Silver Run, Md. Hi Brooke.

BROOKEHi. How are you today?

NNAMDII'm good.

BROOKEWonderful. I'm actually a restaurant -- I have a -- I'm the general manager of a restaurant.

NNAMDIYes.

BROOKEAnd we have a small catering business -- we have a small catering business as well. And one thing that we're finding with our catering this year is that we're doing a lot of early open houses, mid afternoon open houses, so that people are coming in, they're getting, you know, they're having their heavy appetizers and then they'll be on their way from there out to dinner. And what -- the other thing that we're finding is that some -- the smaller companies are actually doing private dinner parties in the restaurant where they're really going all out for their staff.

BROOKESo that's something, you know, that's another alternative for people who are looking -- that want to do something nice for their employees, but don't want to, you know, have a huge event. You come in in bits and pieces with smaller members of your staff so...

NNAMDIOkay. Good. Thank you very much for that, Brooke. On to desserts, Meagan. Desserts are big this time of year. People like to make their own.

HEGENBARTHYeah, they -- you know, everyone has their own family recipe of, you know, their pies and cakes and pastries. But, you know, one trend that's out there right now is small desserts. So, you know, you get a little taste of everything and you don't feel guilty for having three slices of pie because I know that's a big thing in my family. Everyone wants a piece of everyone else's pie. So, you know, doing the small desserts gives everyone an opportunity to have a taste, or two or three, of different flavors and, you know, different desserts.

NNAMDIChris, let's make them all drool with envy. What am I holding in this plate in my hand?

LOWERYThose are actually...

HEGENBARTHThose are actually from RSVP.

NNAMDIOh, that's from Meagan's.

HEGENBARTHYeah.

NNAMDIThat's RSVP.

HEGENBARTHYeah.

NNAMDII'm sorry.

HEGENBARTHThat's okay. The cupcakes that you have are chocolate cupcakes and they're topped with a chocolate ganache. And it actually has peppermint -- crushed peppermint on top so it's a peppermint, chocolate deliciousness.

NNAMDII'm drooling.

HEGENBARTHMini cupcake -- the mini cupcakes are really big also. The one in the center is a passion truffle -- passion fruit truffle and it has crushed candied violet on top. That's big in the catering -- in restaurant world, too, is using fresh herbs in cocktails and flowers on desserts. And then, the other thing is an apple crisp tartlet. So those are mini apple crisp tartlets and it's like a bite of mini apple pie, just in bite or two bites.

NNAMDIIt's all lovely...

HEGENBARTHYeah.

NNAMDI...and all delicious. Domenica, it's not only got to taste good, it's got to look good. There are a few simple tricks for making food look nice on a plate, aren't they? Talk about that.

MARCHETTIYes. I tend to, as I said before, serve family style. So I don't do fancy, fussy presentation. So I think taste, of course, is paramount to me, especially if you're making it homemade you want to make sure that it tastes good. But I keep a collection of attractive platters and bowls. And so when I'm putting out pasta or a salad, I'll take care to use a vessel that's going to be attractive. And, of course, you can always garnish. If you're doing a roast, maybe put it on a bed of radical (sp?) leaves.

MARCHETTIThey're beautiful bright red and white striped leaves and they are very festive because they are holiday colors and so it's something different than using basically lettuce, maybe garnish with rosemary sprigs. Look around your yard. I mean, you might have some herbs that are still out there that haven't gone in the hard frost and, you know, you can bring those inside and use them in your holiday display.

NNAMDIHow about decorating the house, Chris? Can that also help to change the atmosphere?

LOWERYOh, absolutely. We've got some things to decorate the house. Actually, we have gingerbread, this men. It's a nine-inch gingerbread man for kids. And it comes with all the things they need inside of it to decorate.

NNAMDIThank you.

LOWERYSo...

HEGENBARTHThat'll keep them busy for hours.

LOWERYIt will.

NNAMDILighting is important, but Domenica you advice against scented candles, why?

MARCHETTIYes. This is a pet peeve of mine. I mean, I love candlelight and, in fact, when I'm entertaining, I will usually turn the light off in my kitchen because it's a giant, garish fluorescent overhead light and I can't stand to have it on. So I will put hurricanes or candles out. But if you use scented candles you really are killing the wonderful aromas that are emanating from your kitchen and you don't want, you know, a wonderful veal stew or roast beef to clash with, you know, a peppermint vanilla candle.

MARCHETTISo make sure you use unscented candles.

HEGENBARTHThat also goes with flowers as well. If you're having a floral display on a buffet spread, you don't want something really overbearingly strong. You want flowers that look beautiful, but their scent is not overpowering.

NNAMDIYou don't want your guests eating your flowers.

HEGENBARTHYeah.

NNAMDIHere is Brook in Sperryville, Va. Brooke, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

BROOKHey. I have a question. My daughter's 18th birthday is a week from Friday and she is awesome. And she wants duck for dinner. And I've scored the duck breasts for that and I even know how to cook them. And she knows what she wants for dessert and I know how to make that. But what can I do to make the party really special without spending a whole lot of money 'cause I don't have any.

MARCHETTIAre you talking beyond food and menu?

BROOKWell, both really.

HEGENBARTHHow many people is it for?

BROOKThis will just be family so it'll just be, like, four.

HEGENBARTHFour...

BROOKAlthough we could do a surprise party for her, too, but she's, you know, she's at that age where she's sort of ambivalent about everyone, you know.

NNAMDIOh, yeah, 18.

MARCHETTII mean, one thing that I love to do and that I've really gotten into and I -- actually in high school, you know, I started loving to set the table and making it look just so over the top and beautiful. And, I mean, using my parents' china and their crystal and even though at 18 you can't enjoy a nice glass of wine, but you can get the sparkling apple cider and make it feel as though you're having...

BROOKRight.

MARCHETTI...this really elaborate, beautiful dinner party. And just really make it feel special and, you know, go out and get some flowers from the store and put it in a pretty vase. And just, you know, show her with the place -- sometimes it's the place setting that just gives that amazing wow factor. And I feel like that -- something like that would really just bring that to her and...

BROOKThat's a great idea. And I do have my grandmother's china and her silver so that would be really cool.

MARCHETTIYeah.

BROOKAnd we rarely bring it out so it would be really special.

MARCHETTIYeah.

NNAMDIOh, that would definitely be a special treat, Brook. Thank you so much for your call and good luck to you and your daughter on her 18th birthday.

BROOKThank you.

NNAMDIOn to Amy in Rockville, Md. Amy, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

AMYThanks so much for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

AMYI wanted to suggest Tastefully Simple gourmet food for people who are looking for something really easy and relatively inexpensive.

NNAMDIChris?

LOWERYWell, we've got plenty of them. We talked about a few of them here today. Are you looking for main courses or are you looking for bites...

AMYNo, I'm actually -- I'm suggesting to other people who are listening that Tastefully Simple offers all kinds of stuff to make appetizers. And I was thinking it pairs perfectly with Trader Joe's because I'll go to Trader Joe's and I'll get the mini meatballs and the veggie meatballs and then use a Tastefully Simple sauce, like the pomegranate chipotle sauce, and have amazing meatballs to serve.

LOWERYUm-hum. Yeah, and then we've got a pâté this year, a new pâté that is being made for us from a Portuguese born French maker that's completely pork free. It's a -- I believe, Kojo, you tried some a little while ago. But...

NNAMDII sure did.

LOWERYWasn't that delicious?

NNAMDIIt was.

LOWERYAnd cheese board would be great. We offer -- we have one that's already made up with a blue cheese and a brie on it that's ready to go. And you could keep that in the fridge whenever you're ready for your party to go for it. And then get a couple of extra wedges so that when -- if those run out, if you have too many people, you have two more to put out on the board. But...

NNAMDIAmy, thank -- you wanted to say something.

LOWERYGo ahead. No, that's fine.

NNAMDIAmy, thank you so much for your call. Because our previous caller mentioned that her daughter is 18 and cannot yet consume alcohol, it made me think, Meagan, that alcohol and other beverages -- or beverages are a big part of most parties and also can be one of the bigger expenses. Do a lot of people need advice on how much they need to order?

HEGENBARTHYes. And we're happy -- more than happy to give that out. And, you know, places like Total Wine, they'll let you buy -- they'll give you discounts on, you know, cases that you buy, and then anything that's unopened, they'll let you bring back even with the ABC store. So we can help you. And a lot of times sometimes to cut back on costs, they'll do just beer and wine, and then they'll look to us for a specialty drink, and we're more than happy to give that recipe so that you can have -- and quantities so you can have the right amount for your party.

NNAMDIA lot depends on what kind of party it is, what time of day. But Domenica, if someone wanted to keep a cocktail party simple, would you suggest a wine only event or some kind of signature cocktail?

MARCHETTIOh, I think a wine only event is a great idea because there are so many wonderful wines, not only imported, but also even in Virginia, we have some good wines. And so I think it's a great opportunity to introduce your friends to different types of wine. You could do a tasting and maybe pair various wines with some cheeses. That's the other thing. We have a wonderful variety of, our domestic and imported cheeses.

MARCHETTIAnd I think people tend to be a little bit timid when it comes to cheese. There are just hundreds and hundreds out there. So talk to your cheese monger or the person in the cheese department and don't be afraid to be a little bit adventurous. And the same in the wine department. You know, you can go beyond the chardonnay and the merlot.

NNAMDIChampagne is always festive, but it can get expensive. Do you have any suggestions for keeping within a budget?

HEGENBARTHWell, I love Prosecco. Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine and I think it's such a great alternative to the French champagne. I recently served it at my wedding and all the guests loved it. And it's just a great -- and it doesn't break your bank.

LOWERYAs well as (word?)

HEGENBARTHYeah.

NNAMDISome people who are doing party themselves worry that they don't have matching plates or enough silverware. What do you advise, Domenica?

MARCHETTII am one of those people, you know. I don't often have a set of matching -- especially serving platters. I have kind of an eclectic collection of Italian ceramics, and then also ceramics from a couple of places in northern Michigan that I've gotten pieces from. And they have a lot of sentimental value, so I love to use them. And to me, I don't think it has to necessarily match.

NNAMDIYou can mix and match.

HEGENBARTHYeah.

MARCHETTIYou can mix and match.

HEGENBARTHAnd that's actually a huge trend. I mean, I got married this summer, and when we registered for China...

NNAMDICongratulations.

HEGENBARTH...they were telling us, you know, maybe you mix and match. Like, you get a plate that has like some bright colors in it, and you can pair it with your, you know, more traditional plates. So that's, I mean, mixing and matching China and flatware is really huge right now.

NNAMDII'm afraid that's all the time we have. Meagan Hegenbarth is senior account executive at RSVP Catering. Meagan, thank you for joining us.

HEGENBARTHThank you.

NNAMDIChris Lowery is the store captain for the Trader's Joe's in Baileys Crossroads, Virginia. Chris, good to see you.

LOWERYThanks for having us, Kojo.

NNAMDII'm keeping that shirt. Domenica Marchetti is a food blogger and the author of several cookbooks, including "The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy," and "Big Night In: More Than 100 Wonderful Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends Italian Style." Domenica, good of you to drop by.

MARCHETTIThank you so much, Kojo, and happy holidays to you.

NNAMDIAnd happy holidays to all of you. We're going to take a short break. When we come back, an update on Haiti. The election results are in. The question is who is likely to be participating in a presidential runoff. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.