Of course, your superb coffee must be accompanied by something that might include a wedge of your sinfully rich cheesecake, or a fresh, just from oven cherry pie. Even doughnuts are a great “come together” with coffee.

If you really want to get elegant, try demitasse and Petits Four - sure fire elegance in a tiny way. You can serve your coffee any time of day. In morning delight your uests with a French flair such as Cafe-au-lait. Just pass around some freshly baked sweet rolls, croissants, or hot brioche. But what about evening coffee? Cocoa Coffee Brazilian or smooth, flavorful Vanilla Cream are suitable to everyone’s taste buds. You can also try more exotic flavors, such as Hawaiian or Spiced Rum.

In hot weather try serving iced coffee or a layered coffee Cooler. If you don’t want to server flavored coffee, try regular coffee with flavored creamers in a variety of flavors for guests to pick and choose. A really elegant touch is serving flavored “spoons.” These special spoons are your ordinary spoons with flavored chocolates on bowl part of spoon. When your guests stir their coffee, they are adding a subtle touch of flavor, such as mint, or caramel. They are easy to make and are a wonderful surprise for your guests. Just melt your favorite chocolate, even white chocolate. Dip your spoons into melted chocolate, cool on waxed paper, and server with your coffee. Now, that entertaining!

Here are a few recipes for adding a touch of “different” when you serve coffee. Iced Coffee: Make your usual coffee, but double strength. Pour 3/4 cup of hot, steaming coffee over your ice cubes. Add additional ice cubes if desired. Serve with confectioner’s sugar and whipped cream. Try adding a little maple syrup to your whipped topping. You can dust with cinnamon, if you like. Now this is almost as good as an ice cream sundae.

When planning a social gathering, it is your best bet to use recipes that you have tried, tested, and were delicious. Because of tension and anxiety surrounding any gathering, trying out new recipes ant taking risk that they will turn out perfectly just adds more stress to situation. When nothing else but perfection will do, you can impress your friends and reinforce your reputation as a great cook and a very competent social planner by little time-savers. Sticking to dishes and recipes that you have actually used before, and found them delightful and appetizing, is just one way. Food can be garnished and decorated for more elaborate affairs. You can let your artistic side go wild and presentation will be well worth trouble.

Of course, you could test a new-found recipe several weeks before your event. Try it once, and then try it again. Take note of time involved, and if same results are achieved each time you prepare it. Did you get same expected end product or was there a deviation from what you thought final result would be?

If there is a major difference, forego item until you have mastered details that will insure a uniform presentation each and every time you serve it. This way you insure success with your efforts, as well as eliminating one less detail to worry about. Using recipes that you know are good and that others enjoy, gives you that extra boost of confidence.