(NAPSI)—Party hosting duties can be rewarding and exhilarating, yet daunting when confronted by the level of cleaning and preparation that goes into even a casual get-together. Food Network star Sandra Lee has a few hints for time-starved hosts and an easy, tasty recipe to help decrease time and money spent on entertaining, as well as increase fun.

Chef Sandra Lee’s Party-Planning Tips

Prepare smartly. Eliminate multiple shopping trips by planning storage space ahead of time. You can be all set for a crowd of just about any size with the help of a fridge that holds enough to feed everyone at your party. For instance, the largest French-door model available, LG’s Mega-Capacity Refrigerator, offers state-of-the-art storage space, keeping all your dishes fresh until festivities begin, leaving you more time to mingle.

Keep it simple and casual. Serve food buffet style and allow guests to help themselves. Just make sure the buffet station is close to the kitchen, so it’s easy to replenish trays without walking through the crowd.

Every party has a few guests who arrive early. Provide small snacks such as nuts, olives and cheese for them to nibble while you finish setting up.

When you’re cooking for all age groups, from young cousins to grandparents, try serving comfort food favorites that work well for everyone, such as Stuffed Mushrooms, Personal Chicken Potpies or these BLT Sirloin Sliders.

Size Up, Size Down Sliders

Makes 24 sliders

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 16 minutes

3½ pounds ground sirloin

3 tablespoons Montreal steak seasoning, McCormick Grill Mates

24 slider buns

12 slices bacon, cooked and cut in half crosswise

24 small lettuce leaves

24 tomato slices

¾ cup mayonnaise

¾ cup mustard

24 dill pickle slices

In a large bowl, gently combine sirloin and seasoning. Using hands, form into 24 patties. Spray a large nonstick grill pan with nonstick nonflammable cooking spray. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat patties with spray. Add half of patties to pan and cook 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove from pan; repeat procedure with remaining patties. Serve on buns with bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard and pickles.

When it comes to parties, planning pays off-with a fabulous gathering, delicious food and a stress-free hostess. Planning lets you put all the elements together at a comfortable pace. Start a month ahead for a formal party and two weeks ahead for a casual gathering.

Feed a crowd and still be cost conscious. To save money, shop smart. Keep track of sale items and buy staple items in bulk. Top name-brand items often go on sale the first of the month, when many people have more money in their pockets. At the end of the month, when people have less money, the store brand or tier-two name brands go on sale. Buy things in season when you can. When items are out of season, the price more than doubles because of all the shipping and handling involved.

When you fill your pantry with great food, there’s no end to the possibilities for great (and spontaneous) parties. Some items-such as cheeses and precooked shrimp—you have to buy fresh but there are many items you can store in your cupboards for months at a time. Stock up on salted roasted nuts, wines and spirits, flatbreads and crackers and olives, and you’ve got a great head start to a gathering you can enjoy along with your guests.

Food should be fun. When you’re getting ready to host a dinner party, plan your appetizers, desserts and drinks accordingly. Assume each guest will have at least three appetizers and two drinks.

Hungry for more?

You can find further facts and tips at www.lg.com/us/kitchen/refrigerators.jsp.

Editor’s Note: LG’s Mega-Capacity Refrigerator is the largest-capacity, standard-width, French-door refrigerator; excludes other LG-manufactured products.

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)