Home Recipes Meal Types Dinner
Ellie Martin CliffeUpdated: Jan. 05, 2022
Turn on the bossa nova and fire up your fondue pot. A menu filled with these retro dinner party recipes will put you on par with Don and Betty Draper. Now, if only they'd show up.
Salmon Mousse Cups
Go to Recipe
I make these tempting little tarts frequently for parties. They disappear at an astonishing speed, so I usually double or triple the recipe. The salmon-cream cheese filling and flaky crust will melt in your mouth. —Fran Rowland, Phoenix, Arizona
Contest-Winning Chicken Cacciatore
Go to Recipe
My husband and I own and operate a busy farm. There are days when there's just no time left for cooking! It's really nice to be able to come into the house at night and smell this wonderful slow cooker chicken cacciatore. —Aggie Arnold-Norman, Liberty, Pennsylvania
Cucumber Canapes
Go to Recipe
I always get requests for the recipe for these canapes whenever I serve them. They're delicate finger sandwiches with a creamy herb spread and festive red and green garnishes. —Nadine Whittaker, South Plymouth, Massachusetts
Mocha Baked Alaskas
Go to Recipe
Make these baked Alaskas ahead of time—you can torch the completed desserts and freeze them up to 24 hours before serving. —Kerry Dingwall, Ponte Vedra, Florida
Seafood Bisque
Go to Recipe
We live on the Gulf Coast, where fresh seafood is plentiful. I adapted several recipes to come up with this rich bisque. It's great as a first course or an entree, and it can be made with just shrimp or crabmeat. —Pat Edwards, Dauphin Island, Alabama
Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet
Go to Recipe
The concept of an old-fashioned dates back to the early 1800s and includes whiskey, bitters, cherry juice, sugar and water. This old-fashioned recipe, which is extremely popular in Wisconsin, uses brandy in place of whiskey and lemon-lime soda instead of water for a milder co*cktail. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Skillet Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Go to Recipe
For a change of pace, you can substitute fresh or frozen peach slices for the pineapple in this old-fashioned recipe. —Bernardine Melton, Paola, Kansas
Mexican Shrimp co*cktail
Go to Recipe
It's up to you how to enjoy this co*cktail—eat it with a spoon as a chilled soup, or use tortilla chips or crackers for scooping. —Erin Moreno, Arcadia, Wisconsin
Pina Colada Molded Salad
Go to Recipe
My gelatin ring gets a tropical twist from coconut, pineapple and macadamia nuts. It's a wonderful anytime treat. Now that I'm retired from teaching, I have more time for kitchen experiments. —Carol Gillespie, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Tuna Crescent Ring
Go to Recipe
This is really easy to throw together, and I often use it when I am too tired to fix anything else. —Julia Bivens, Martinsburg, West Virginia
Marmalade-Glazed Carrots
Go to Recipe
This side dish is ideal when you’d like to serve your vegetables in a different way for a special dinner. Cinnamon and nutmeg season baby carrots that are simmered with orange marmalade and brown sugar. —Barb Rudyk, Vermilion, Alberta
Go to Recipe
On holidays, a friend serves these creamy, cheesy potatoes when we gather together to celebrate with lifelong friends and grown children. —Carol Blue, Barnesville, Pennsylvania
Go to Recipe
A touch more lemon helped me trim the calories in our favorite shrimp scampi recipe. For those who want to indulge, pass around the Parmesan. —Ann Sheehy, Lawrence, Massachusetts
Classic Cobb Salad
Go to Recipe
Making this ham cobb salad is a lot like putting in a garden. I plant everything in nice, neat sections, just as I do with seedlings. —Patricia Kile, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Moist Lemon Angel Cake Roll
Go to Recipe
Tart and delicious, this pretty cake roll will tickle any lemon lover's fancy. Its feathery, angel food texture enhances its guilt-free goodness. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Go to Recipe
Growing my own vegetables and herbs helps keep things fresh in the kitchen, but frozen peas make this side is a breeze to prepare. —Tanna Richard, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Martini
Go to Recipe
Martinis recipes can be made with either vodka or gin. Our taste panel's preference was for the gin, but try them both and decide for yourself. Be warned, this is a strong and serious drink. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Bacon and Garlic Green Beans
Go to Recipe
Adding white wine, lemon juice and garlic gives a little kick to green beans. It was enough to turn our old, traditional holiday side into a year-round favorite. —Shannon Reynoso, Bakersfield, California
Garlic-Herb Mini Quiches
Go to Recipe
Looking for a wonderful way to impress guests? You’ve got it—and you need only five ingredients to make these tasty apps! —Josephine Piro, Easton, Pennsylvania
Puff Pastry Chicken Potpie
Go to Recipe
When my wife is craving comfort food, I whip up this chicken pot pie with puff pastry. It's easy to make, sticks to your ribs and delivers soul-satisfying flavor. —Nick Iverson, Denver, Colorado
Deviled Egg Spread
Go to Recipe
I tried this egg salad at a luncheon and had to have it. I punched it up with pickled banana peppers. It’s a hit with my kids and picky mother. —Lisa Easley, Longview, Texas
Caramelized Onion Dip
Go to Recipe
Once you taste this fabulous caramelized onion dip, you'll never go back to store-bought french onion dip. While it takes a little longer to make, I promise it's worth every minute. —Kelly Gardner, Alton, Illinois
Sage Chicken Cordon Bleu
Go to Recipe
It's nice to surprise the family with special meals like this during the week. I usually double the recipe so we can enjoy leftovers the next day. —Martha Stine, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Italian Pineapple Trifle
Go to Recipe
My grandmother made this rich, tempting trifle every year for our family’s Christmas Eve celebrations. Now I make it to carry on her special tradition. It’s an easy, delicious no-bake dessert everyone will love. —Ann-Marie Milano, Milton, Massachusetts
Lobster alla Diavola
Go to Recipe
I’ve cooked lobster alla diavola (devil’s style) since I was first married. We serve lobster at family celebrations, usually with linguine or capellini. —Marcia Whitney, Gainesville, Florida
Pickled Green Beans with Smoked Salmon Dip
Go to Recipe
I came up with this appetizer for my son, who's big on delicious but healthy food. The lighter beans-and-dip combo has won over even finicky eaters. —Dinah Halterman, Harmony, North Carolina
Marinated Almond-Stuffed Olives
Go to Recipe
Marinated stuffed olives go over so well with company that I try to keep a batch of them in the fridge at all times. —Larissa Delk, Columbia, Tennessee
Ring of Piggies
Go to Recipe
This charming plate of piggies looks like a holiday wreath when I drape fresh rosemary in the center. It’s a cute display for merry get-togethers. —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland
Originally Published: December 05, 2018
Ellie Martin Cliffe
Ellie has spent almost 20 years writing and editing food and lifestyle content for several well-known publishers. As Taste of Home's content director, she leads the team of editors sharing tasty recipes, cooking tips and entertaining ideas. Since joining Taste of Home 13 years ago, she has held roles in digital and print, editing cookbooks, curating special interest publications, running magazines, starring in cooking and cleaning videos, working with the Community Cooks and even handing out cookies and cocoa at local holiday events. Gluten- and dairy-free since 2017, she’s a staff go-to on allergy-friendly foods that actually taste good.If she's not in her plant-filled office, find Ellie in her family’s urban veggie garden, in the kitchen trying new GF/DF recipes or at a local hockey rink, cheering on her spouse or third grader.