This recipe requires only a few ingredients, takes five minutes to put together, and cooks up in about about 40 minutes. It's the definition of a fast and easy meal, and also incredibly satisfying and comforting without being heavy.
Chicken breasts with the bone in and skin on are actually cheaper than boneless, skinless breasts at the grocery store (there was a $2 difference at the store!), and this recipe actually requires the skin to hold in the goat cheese and basil. The result is a moist, tender piece of meat, packed with flavor. Even if you're not the biggest fan of goat cheese on its own, know that once it's been cooked with the basil and chicken, it takes on a whole new flavor.
For this super simple recipe, keep reading!
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? 
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.
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. 
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.
Quick, hurry now: before grilling season is over, you must make these scrumptious grilled clams! I've enjoyed them several times in the past few months, but kept forgetting to snap a photo. Luckily, I finally remembered, because with these clams, you're in for a real treat. Even a self-proclaimed clam-hater (my mother) expressed her genuine love for these breadcrumb-filled, finger-licking good, garlicky clams. If you want to serve them to a crowd, I recommend combining the breadcrumb stuffing ingredients ahead of time, then after you've put the clams on the grill, toss the opened ones with the mixture and serve piping hot. What are you waiting for?! 