Ina Garten

Like peanut butter and jelly, lamb and mint, or strawberry and rhubarb, tomato soup and grilled cheese were practically made to be paired with each other. Here, I've taken the combination one better and — inspired by the always charming and ingenious Ina Garten — melded two solid concepts (tomato soup with grilled cheese, and a crispy crouton garnish) to create a dish that really, truly may just blow your mind.

This combination is pretty darn hard to beat — like a comforting hug in a bowl — but is admittedly a bit indulgent. For days when you're looking for something a little less over the top, omit the grilled cheese croutons, and garnish per usual, adding a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, and an extra pinch of red pepper flakes if you can handle the heat. Either way, this classic tomato soup is a soul-soothing must make.

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I try to avoid overarching statements, but I'm confident that if you make these easy yet impressive cheese straws for your next soirée, you will fall hard for store-bought puff pastry. That is, if you're not already on best-friend terms with the genius ingredient. These gloriously flaky cheese straws might seem complex to construct, but really, it's just the butter-filled layers of puff pastry and a kiss of heat from the oven at work.

Little more than a brush of egg wash, a sprinkling of cheese and herbs, and a few deft (but easy) twirls of the puff pastry strips are required, all in all making for a very low effort-to-reward ratio. So what are you waiting for? Bake a handful of these treats, and your friends will be begging for the recipe!

If I could distill just one entertaining tip to y'all, it would be this: don't mess with what's not broken. Meaning: find a few can't-fail, easy-to-prepare recipes, and rely on those as the backbone for your party spread. Sure, you might change little things up from occasion to occasion, but knowing that at the very least a few things will turn out according to plan provides much-needed peace in the midst of frenzied party setup.

These piquant, herb-flecked crackers are my go-to entertaining appetizer. Not only do they make an appearance at nearly any get-together I host, they're also a go-to potluck contribution, and even make for an easy-to-transport hostess gift. Most importantly, they are universally crowd-pleasing, can be prepared ahead of time, and are almost always the first snack to go.

Make these savory shortbread crackers your go-to entertaining app.

In my fantasy world, I'd be the sort of put-together individual who plans things out far enough in advance to lovingly brine a heritage bird. Realistically, though, my actual Thanksgiving planning is more of a fly by the seat of my pants sort of endeavor.

Years of crunch-time prep (and admittedly a bit of unnecessary panic) have taught me that even when I only get down to business the morning of the big day, it can still lead to a juicy, flavorful bird that my family will devour with relish.

Keep reading for the recipe.

A word to the wise: if your boyfriend's mom makes you dinner, eat up, tasty or not. Luckily, I have no need to fake smiles through gummy pasta and dried-out pound cake; one of the best cooks I know just happens to have brought up my sweetie.

She introduced to me these robust feta-studded herbed biscuits, which I had no problem scarfing down (I may have eaten two, despite their large size). These biscuits have enough verve and spunk to enjoy unadorned, but I'd imagine that they'd make for a decadent breakfast sandwich, split in half and layered with fried egg, bacon, and a slice of gooey mild cheese like fontina.

Keep reading for the herb-flecked recipe.

I've never been a huge celery fan, often neglecting the crisp green stalks on crudite platters and the like, but these days, I am in the midst of a celery renaissance of sorts. While I'm still not enamored with the texture of whole raw stalks (too stringy), the flavor is another story, and I truly can't get enough of it when muddled in a cocktail, slowly braised, or, as in the case of this salad, sliced thinly across the grain.

I was immediately drawn to this salad when catching up on an episode of Barefoot Contessa, and, thankfully, Ina did not disappoint. Essentially, this is celery to the Nth degree, minus the stringy texture; razor-thin slivers of the stalk and delicate leaves are bolstered by a celery-seed-flecked dressing.

While I'm fearful of overselling any recipe, this one was one of the highlights of my week . . . celery salad, really! Make it the high point of yours when you keep reading.