how much to buy
When it comes to the amount of food to buy for specific numbers of people, I can only tell you, if you're completely at sea, that it's better to err on the side of getting too much than too little. This isn't necessarily wasteful. In The Party Cookbook you will find material on the use of leftover foods. They are inevitable after a well-planned party, and make some of the best dishes. And in any case you would rather serve your family the party food in different form two days later than bear the embarrassment of having hungry guests.

There are guides in deciding how much you need, however, so you needn't go too far wrong. The Party Cookbook, of course, gives you clear information; other cookbooks should, and generally do, tell you the quantities needed to make the dish you're interested in for a specific number of people. If you and your friends are hearty eaters, better add to the quantity suggested by most cookbooks. Your market men, too, will be of some help in judging quantity, but they are likely to suggest more than is necessary. Neither guide is inlallible, though, and know­ing your books and your merchants is, in the long run, safest. Even­tually, as you get experience, you will become expert at judging quan­tity yourself.

I hope that every housekeeper who reads this book will learn to like planning extemporaneous meals. But even the most practical of us can do with a bit of inspiration now and then, so I offer here a few meals planned by me largely in the hope that they will help you think up better onesl (Recipes for the dishes that appear here can be found in The Party Cookbook.)

breakfast parties
If, when you give a breakfast party, you have a helper in to cook, she will also probably serve, unless it's done buffet style. General rules for serving hold for any meal, and are given in some detail in the Dinner section of this chapter. Any of the breakfasts suggested here can just as well be done by you without help.

buffet
The British custom of having breakfast dishes on the buffet is a very good one. In order to do it properly, one should have containers which can be kept hot by an electric plate, radiant heat or an alcohol flame. Such arrangements are particularly fine for the cook-hostess, since she can prepare everything before the guests come and be sure it will be perfect when they're ready to eat. This is a real buffet meal, with the table set for eating, the fruit course on it. The guests serve themselves the main course.