European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A a Magazine by Charlyne Varkonyi Baltimore Sun the pressure is off. We done to have to make everything from scratch anymore. Now we can relax and entertain friends at the Spur of the moment with simple but Good food. We can supplement our own cooking with Quality takeout and nobody is going to think we re Lazy or inconsiderate. Even foodies a those folks who presented their Home cooked meals with the panache of a four Star restaurant during the 1980s a Are now taking More time to relax and smell the cappuccino. Entering the �?T90s, entertaining is becoming a guilt free experience. A i think one of the Best things that has happened in the past decade is we no longer feel the need to produce the a drop dead dinner party Quot says Ellen Brown of Washington d.c., author of the gourmet Gazelle Cookbook Bantam $19.95. Quot women became More actively involved in their careers and they were no longer Culina Rily competitive Quot she says. Quot they were now getting their fulfilment from jobs rather than  neither male nor female Cooks feel bound to the old rules anymore. And Many of the hot off the press cookbooks such As Jane Freiman s dinner party the new entertaining Harper amp Row $27.50have declared this change in attitude. Freiman writes that we have entered Quot a new Era of Home cooking that Calls for simpler but More sophisticated food served in a straightforward  she says that today s Best party meals Are relaxed Eclectic Well seasoned and perhaps a Little spicy. Quot i used to try to do All the cooking All the serving and All the cleanup myself Quot says Freiman a new York food writer and restaurant critic. Quot i used to end up in tears half the time. It was too much a too much food too much cooking and too much production. I am not saying that you should new wave entertaining fewer courses for dinner More fun at parties food throw things on the table. But even if the Boss is coming to dinner you can do something very Nice and very  another Factor in the new entertaining is the eat for health movement. When you invite guests to dinner chances Are Good that they will be watching their weight and Don t want to have to feel compelled to stuff themselves with three courses and a heavy dessert. More justification for doing less. The four Cookbook authors interviewed agree that the new entertaining Means serving fewer courses in a More casual Way a a style that allows us to have More fun at our dinner parties and to entertain More often. Yes the authors say the rules of entertaining have been rewritten. And that s Good news for those of us who used to get hysterical at the Quot routine Quot that started with searching All Over town for the right ingredients and ended with washing All the Good China by hand at 2 . Relax. Now in the Middle of the week we can utter those no longer scary words Quot come Over for dinner Quot without fear. Rule 1 takeout is no longer taboo. Quot it s such a Relief that we Don t have to show off anymore Quot says Susan Wyler former food editor of food amp wine Magazine and author of cooking fora crowd. Quot even real foodies have called me lately and said come Over for chinese takeout now people May ask you to come Over and watch a movie on the Var or play chess. The food is no longer always the  the authors agree that Good takeout can be anything from hours d oeuvres you have picked up at an ethnic grocery store to a barbecued Chicken from the supermarket and a dessert from your favorite bakery. Brown says that the takeout taboo was one of the first rules to break Down. Today it is of to make the main course and vegetable and buy the salad and dessert. Quot there s much More excellent gourmet to go in every major City than there was 10 years ago Quot she says. Quot let s face it 10 years ago takeout meant Deli platters and potato salad nothing terribly fancy. Today you can get anything from Goat cheese pizza and calzone to pre prepared dishes such As a shish Kebab that is already marinating and a Chicken breast that is already  Brown a self confessed entertain Holic says that she keeps her Freezer stocked with Frozen dim sum those tiny steamed dumplings with various fillings from asian markets and Span Kopita Flaky pastry pies filled with spinach and feta cheese from greek markets. Her planning allows her to present elegant hours d oeuvres at a moment s notice. Rule 2 real food is the Best food. Quot nobody is Ever insulted by Good Homey food a lasagna soup or roast Chicken Quot says Barbara Kafka a new York food writer and Cookbook author. She is the author of the 1984 Book food for friends and the recently released Quot microwave gourmet health style Cookbook Quot Morrow $22.95. Quot Homey food is infinitely preferable to something fancy from a restaurant Quot she continued on Page 14 Friday april 13, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13