Entertaining

Football is back on TV, and that means many Saturday (college) and Sunday (professional) afternoons will be spent in front of the big screen watching with friends and family.

A good old-fashioned potluck can eliminate a lot of stress, but even a bring-your-favorite-dish get-together takes a little foresight to pull off, says Judy Toth, a cooking instructor in Mesa who’s a fan of potlucks.

Translated from Italian, antipasto means “before the pasta” and is traditionally an appetizer. A hearty arrangement of good cheese, marinated vegetables and cured meats can be used in lieu of main course on a hot summer night.

Every year about this time, I’m hit with a raging case of spring fever. And one of the overarching symptoms is an incurable itch to fill my date book with parties. Whether it’s throwing a wedding shower, hosting a graduation reception or honoring Mom with a Mother’s Day luncheon, there are millions of excuses to gather with friends and celebrate life’s big events.

Many fruits, particularly tropical varieties, are at the height of their season and it’s tempting to snatch up a bunch of them while they’re on sale at your favorite market or ripe on the trees in your garden.

Once you crunch through the crispy toasted bread and taste the gooey melted cheese, you know you’re not eating just any sandwich. This is a panini. From the Italian word for roll, ordering a panini in Italy will get you a variety of sandwiches, but in the U.S. the word has come to be associated with a grilled sandwich filled with cheese, salted meats, and sautéed or roasted vegetables.

Brunch is nice. So is dinner. But a leisurely afternoon tea is the perfect way to spend some time catching up with your mother this Mother’s Day, May 13.

When it gets really hot in the East Valley, the last thing most people want to do is turn on the oven to create a great meal for guests. Cooking instructor Judy Toth of Simply Impressive in Mesa says you don’t have to.

Whether it’s raspberry infused or served with a wedge of lemon, the perfect pitcher of iced tea takes three things: quality water, proper brew time and the right water temperature.

Gather around the table, pick your favorite color skewer and start dipping, because fondue is back in a big way. The popular tradition of the 1960s and '70s has been rediscovered as the latest trend in home entertaining.

Citrus smells great and tastes refreshing, but this year’s crop is so abundant even one tree often produces too much fruit for a single family. To use that citrus, Valley chef and culinary teacher Barbara Pool Fenzl suggests her light, somewhat unusual and very Southwestern Jicama, Orange and Nopalitos Salad.

Few drinks embody classic cocktails like the martini. Three ounces of stone-cold gin or vodka, a mere drop of dry vermouth, poured straight up with an olive in a martini-style glass. It’s one part simple goodness and another swank styling. Sammy, Dean and The Chairman seared the martini into pop culture, and we never let go.