This is the book my mother lived by when it came to cooking for the family "army" when all 30 of them showed up for the Christmas Eve Party at our house. Her two sisters had this book as well, so they did some of the cooking and baking to keep Mom from having to do all the cooking in her tiny kitchen. And, as for entertaining, this book still has it all when it comes to table settings and where the water and wine glasses have to go