Everybody Eats: Planning for a party can be both stressful, fun

A friend of mine recently spent a week in Spain after another friend texted her to say he found airline tickets for less than $300 - if they left the next day.

I love that story. It also terrifies me. I don't have it in me to be that impulsive. The last time we had a party, my kitchen table was covered with paper and cookbooks for days as I figured out what food to serve.

Over the years I've hosted Thanksgivings, a wine tasting, Memorial Day cookouts and Super Bowl parties. I had a get-together for the Olympic Games opening ceremony and presented an awesome spread for a Halloween party.

(The pumpkin cheesecake was made to look like a Jack-o'-lantern. It looked, and tasted, amazing.)

Before each event, my husband asks me not to go overboard. Former Gazette food editor Cecelia Hanley has been known to text an hour before a party with two words: stop cleaning. They both like to remind me about the time I baked 96 miniature cupcakes for a friend's baby shower.

They mean well, but I know myself. I decide on an idea and I go with it - after ample prep time.

And, yes, I usually go overboard, but it's a great way to try new recipes. Most of my parties end up with everyone in the kitchen, sitting around the table and munching on olive and rosemary focaccia, red-eye deviled eggs or miniature fried tacos.

Bonus: my family dines on leftovers for days.

My oldest child will be a senior in high school next year. He's visiting colleges, studying for the ACT and filling out scholarship applications. I'm wondering if it's too soon to think about his graduation party.

I recently made these Baby BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches for game night. Roasted peanuts added to the coleslaw give the sandwiches an added crunch. As of now, this recipe is on the graduation party menu short list.

BABY BBQ PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Makes 12 sandwiches

Pulled pork

1 2-pound pork butt or shoulder

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup root beer

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon mustard seeds, lightly crushed

Fixings

1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts

About 2 cups BBQ sauce

12 Hawaiian rolls, sliced in half

About 1 cup coleslaw

Put pork, broth, root beer, onion, bay leaves and mustard seed in a slow cooker on low heat for about 6 hours or until the pork is tender.

Remove meat and discard liquid. Use two forks to shred the meat. Return shredded meat to the slow cooker and keep on low heat for 10 minutes or until you're ready to serve.

Toss pork, peanuts and BBQ sauce together in a large bowl until combined. Fill each roll with about 1/4 cup pulled pork and 2 heaping tablespoons of slaw.

Source: 'Tiny Food Party!: Bite-sized Recipes for Miniature Meals” by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park (Quirk Books; Oct. 9, 2012)