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- Basic Crepes
- Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
- Homemade Meatloaf
- Baked Fontina with Garlic and Thyme
- Svelte Green Goddess Dip
- Sriracha Deviled Eggs
- Baked Seafood Imperial
- Bourbon Sloppy Joes
- Chicken Marbella
- Banana Bread by Cook’s illustrated
- Twinkie Bundt Cake
- Blue Cheese Balls
- Spaghetti Primavera Pie
- Carrot Cake
- White Russian
- Salmon Mousse Pinwheels
- Jamie Oliver’s Beef Bourguignon
- Beef Fajitas
- Green Bean and Pea Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Bow Tie Cheese Straws
- Creamy Piña Colada with Crushed Pineapple
- Classic Old-Fashioned Cocktail
Basic Crepes
These buttery basic crepes are easy to make with just milk, eggs, flour, salt, and butter, and can be served sweet or savory. And with this recipe, you can forget what you've heard about crêpes being difficult or tricky.
Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
This coq au vin recipe strays a little from the original but I don't think that's to its detriment. This updated version of the simple French chicken stew uses a robust brown chicken stock, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and red wine.
Homemade Meatloaf
This homemade meatloaf has the best comforting flavor and bread crumbs and easy sticky-sweet glaze that you remember from childhood but it feels all grown-up thanks to the addition of bacon and caramelized vegetables.
Baked Fontina with Garlic and Thyme
We dare you try this baked fontina and not grin from ear to ear. A bubbling, garlicky skillet-full of melted cheese is a magical thing, friends. A loaf of your favorite bread is all you’ll need to make it disappear.
Svelte Green Goddess Dip
Svelte Green Goddess dip takes the cool and creamy herbal classic and lightens it up a bit. Anchovies add a hit of umami, while low-fat sour cream keeps it velvety.
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
These Sriracha deviled eggs contain the requisite mustard and mayonnaise for classic deviled egg traditionalists and bacon drippings and Sriracha for the rebels in the rest of us. Perfect party food. And quite possibly the best deviled eggs ever.
Baked Seafood Imperial
Baked seafood imperial, a riff on crab imperial, is a mix of crab, shrimp, scallops, and calamari tossed with cream, Old Bay Seasoning, tarragon, and herbs. The imperial is then mounded into clams shells, breaded, and baked.
Bourbon Sloppy Joes
These bourbon sloppy joes are made with ground beef in a tomato and bourbon sauce and topped with tangy pickled red onions and Cheddar. A gussied-up riff on an American classic.
Chicken Marbella
More than any other recipe in Sheila Lukins's wildly successful The Silver Palate Cookbook, which she co-authored with Julee Rosso in 1979, Chicken Marbella became a standard at dinner parties — bold, sweet, and savory flavor made with lots of garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano, dried plums, and olives.
Banana Bread by Cook’s illustrated
This banana bread from Cook’s Illustrated includes yogurt and walnuts for a scrumptiously moist, easy, classic, nutty quick bread. We consider it the best we’ve ever had.
Twinkie Bundt Cake
This twinkie Bundt cake is essentially a giant, cream-filled twinkie. It’s made from scratch, and all of the ingredients are pronounceable, so you won’t be partaking of any weird chemical concoction here.
Blue Cheese Balls
Blue cheese balls are a party favorite and far easier than a cheese log for guests to navigate while juggling a glass of wine in their other hand.
Spaghetti Primavera Pie
This spaghetti pie is a cinch to put together. Cooked spaghetti is mixed with onion, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and then slid in the oven until it’s a gorgeous golden brown. And it’s like catnip for kids.
Carrot Cake
This carrot cake turns out moist and, yes, healthy. It’s made with puréed rather than grated carrots, coconut, canned pineapple, and a luscious cream cheese frosting.
White Russian
This white Russian cocktail, popularized by the is a tantalizing blend of vodka, Kahlua, and a splash of cream. Cheers!
Salmon Mousse Pinwheels
These salmon mousse pinwheels, made with pumpernickel bread, smoked salmon, and a creamy smoked salmon mousse are an elegant and impressive canapé or tea sandwich.
Jamie Oliver’s Beef Bourguignon
My sumptuous beef bourguignon is cozy and indulgent. If you can find beef cheeks, they are ideal for this tender beef stew that braises all afternoon.
Beef Fajitas
Let everyone customize their fajitas by setting out an assortment of toppings such as fresh cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Pick up a container of freshly sliced onions and jalapeños at the grocery store to save time (and tears) when preparing the fajitas.
Green Bean and Pea Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This green bean and pea salad is easy to make and the creamy buttermilk ranch dressing will likely become a staple in your fridge. It certainly is in ours.
Bow Tie Cheese Straws
These cheese straws, shaped like bow ties, call for two types of Cheddar cheese, Parmesan, and a kick of heat from cayenne. The perfect entertaining hors-d’oeuvre.
Creamy Piña Colada with Crushed Pineapple
With one of these in hand, you won’t even mind getting caught in the rain. The combination of both light and dark rum, coconut, crushed pineapple, and lots of ice is truly superb.
Classic Old-Fashioned Cocktail
This classic old-fashioned cocktail recipe, made of sugar, water, whiskey or bourbon, and a splash of bitters, is an American classic.
I am up there in years, and the 1970s were the years I did a lot of entertaining at cocktail parties and I loved all these recipes. Thank you for putting them together. One of my favorite entertaining dinner dishes was pounded flat chicken breasts covered with a Campbell cream soup, usually mushroom, with white wine added to thin down the canned soup and a can of drained mushrooms to punch up the soup and baked in a 350F oven until done. Pretty corny, I know.
You’re welcome, Judith. I’ll bet that you never had leftovers of that one.
Thank you! I’m throwing a 70’s costume party and all these great food ideas from the 70’s are perfect!
How fun, Rochelle! Do let us know what you end up making and how the party goes.