Sometimes it's nice to take a looser approach to entertaining during the holidays and let friends and family swing by all day, instead of throwing a sit-down dinner party.
Cookbook author Peggy Knickerbocker suggests succulent, aromatic spice- and seed-encrusted pork tenderloins, accompanied by an hors d'oeuvre of tender little bay shrimp on endive leaves, flavorful roasted vegetables, and an escarole salad that stays crunchy for hours.
On a side table, she sets out a couple of surprising desserts: sliced oranges sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and fizzed up with sparkling wine, and a moist, almost black gingerbread made with Guinness stout.
Click ahead to get her recipes.