Think you don’t have time to put together a Kentucky Derby party this weekend before they call “Riders up”?

“The Half-Hour Hostess” (Oxmoor House, $24.95) by Rebecca Kracke Gordon shows you how to do it in 30 minutes, with some advance prep the day before. Gordon shares 35 menus for all kinds of get-togethers, from a guys’ game night to a spring celebration brunch, a summer grill get-together or a catfish fry.

Each chapter includes a “Hostess Hit List,” a game plan for each event that details which tasks to do a day ahead, 30 minutes ahead, etc. Some chapters include decorating ideas called “Fast Flourishes,” and there are also tips in the guise of “Hip Tips,” “Quick Finds” and “Hostess Helpers.” A typical “Hip Tip” suggests using a rubber stamp with your mom’s initials to personalize cocktail napkins for a Mother’s Day luncheon.

The menu for the Kentucky Derby party includes a fresh basil julep, derby cheese hat, mini crab cakes with garlic-chive sauce, tomato-basil grit cakes and fudge-frosted brownie cookies.

Decorations? Roses. Lots and lots of roses.

 

 

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