Making a meal for a large crowd can be daunting. I enjoy preparing a nice meal, setting out some yummy appetizers and finishing with a great dessert. But you can’t always make every single thing from scratch. A good place to cut corners with an easy recipe is the dessert course.

Being a big fan of the food network, I often watch to get ideas for dinner parties and such. Recently while watching Sandra Lee’s Semi-homemade I saw her make what has to be one of the easiest desserts ever, the Apple Raisin Betty. You can find the recipe here. It is like a labor free apple crisp, fantastic! Can’t wait to try it out on a crowd.

Another good source of easy and quick inspiration is Rachael Ray. I must admit her perkiness does get to me at times but from what I have seen, her 30 minute meals do live up to their name. I recently borrowed her 30 minute Veggie Meals cookbook from a friend. So far I have only tried out the tomato basil soup, but it was quick and it was definitely easy. Serve with some cheesy garlic bread and you have a hearty and fast meal that could easily feed four.

Cooking and entertaining should be fun so find ways to take some of the stress out of it and save yourself some time. I like to experiment with new recipes before I serve them to friends and family. Sometimes it takes a trial run to get the kinks out of a more complicated dish.

Whenever I am in need of some practical recipe inspiration (that I cannot find on the food network) I head over to Pillsbury or Kraft Foods. These two sites often have coupons and contests that any cook would appreciate.

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