Soft Rock Country Standards TALK Dr. I try to plan a menu with food that's fun to eat and in a place that's fun to be. No one is particularly excited about eating a baked potato, but making potato pancakes together is a blast. I could never argue that it's especially fun to eat in the dining room, but a clambake at the beach with a big, roaring fire is always terrific. The same goes for Saturday night, when we all feel that we must get serious and do drinks and nibbles, appetizers and a dinner with lots of courses.
Lunch can be bowls of soup, baked ham, a big green salad and apple crisp for dessert.
I also love to invite my friends to come and cook with me. Sometimes I'll make a big batch of dough and everyone can assemble their own pizza, or I make all the fillings for pita bread and everyone makes sandwiches. There are lots of parties to give besides the traditional dinner on Saturday night, and it takes only a little inventiveness to think of them. I can't say enough about assembling food rather than cooking. I keep telling myself that my friends won't have more fun if I spend two days making a daquoise for dessert than if I find a delicious pound cake at a bakery and serve it with store-bought lemon curd and fresh raspberries.