Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others

"A decade after her debut cookbook, The New Midwestern Table, ex-Food Network host Amy Thielen has produced a sequel. Company’s calling, and the result is menu after menu of plates serving six to 20. A veteran eschewer of fuss and fine china, Thielen tirelessly conjures good flavor ideas – Crispy Smashed Chicken Breasts with Gin-and-Sage Jus, Crispy Curried Cauliflower with Mustard Seeds, Spiced Meatballs with Cream Gravy. If you’re like me, you’ll ignore the menus, the project recipes (handmade strudel? No!), even the guests, and just pick and choose any Thielen recipe you want for dinner; even downscaled, they overdeliver."