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You've got enough on your mind this holiday season. Which is why you shouldn't worry about what to serve unexpected holiday visitors and party guests, much less worry about what it all looks like.

Food stylist Adele Hagan has secrets galore when it comes to entertaining to impress. Find out how to make your holiday offerings shine this year with her insider tips on food and table presentation, as well as recipe ideas.

She was online earlier to take your holiday entertaining questions.

Adele Hagan works primarily as a food stylist to artfully cook and arrange food for magazines, motion pictures, national supermarket chains, cookbooks, food packaging and promotional material. Food stylists are chefs whose cooking proficiency is displayed shaping and forming food with mouthwatering appeal for your eyes.

Ms. Hagan honed her chef skills at London's Le Cordon Bleu and graduated at the top of her class with a Grand Diplome in cuisine and patisserie. While living in England, one of her clients was the Royal Family

Ms. Hagan moved back to her hometown of Toronto to work as a culinary consultant specializing in food styling. She does anything and everything food related including recipe development, cooking seminars and acting as a spokesperson for select clients. Visit Ms. Hagan's web site www.foodstylist.ca for food that looks as great as it tastes.

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Samantha T from Canada writes: Hi Adele, do you have any simple suggestions for what to bring to dinner parties during this time? I'm thinking something food related that can either be enjoyed at the party or later by the hosts. Thank you

Adele Hagan: Hi Samantha, As a food stylist my friends and family have come to know me as their own personal "ask a chef" reference guide. For hostess gifts I generally bring something food related that I use and love in the kitchen. Some of the unique or uncommon kitchen gifts I have brought in the past are: julienne zester (under $10 and found in most grocery stores), wine vacuum pump and sealer (also very affordable and I think more people should use them on a daily basis) with a bottle of wine or a beautiful blown glass wine stopper if your budget allows. Homemade gifts I also highly endorse but they do mean you have to fit into your schedule advanced preparation time. I have been known to print out a favourite recipe, beautifully package up all the ingredients in an attractive manor (cellophane with ribbon, mason jars, cookie tins) and present it as a gift. Cookies and hot chocolate are an easy one but try something a little more unusual like dry rib rub or a winter soup. Uncommon ingredients are also a great hostess gift such as specialty salts like black salt, pomegranate molasses, artisan cheese, a brewing "stick" of tea. If they are a foodie they will appreciate a new and trendy food item to try out or even add to their repertoire

Pat Sullivan from Thornhill Canada writes: Hi Ms. Hagan, My wife and I are having a traditional Christmas dinner party with approx. 40 guests, 20 adults & 20 children. We are quite well known in our circles for our turkey and lasagna. We have a dinner table that sits 10 people, a kitchen table that sits 8. In the past, we would put a portable table at the end of the dinner table to create a sitting for 16-18 adults, add 2 extra portable tables in the kitchen & foyer to sit the rest. We are Christians and all of our guests are Christians as well, and we don't drink any alcohol or wine. So, we celebrate Christmas with the traditional dinner & desert, followed by carolling on our grand piano and games, and then just chat to catch up with one another until bed time. We live in a 4000 sq. ft home, with 2000 sq. ft on each floor and basement semi-finished for games & children plays. Our house is beautifully decorated with crystal chandeliers and oil paintings in an upscale neighbourhood. I have invited up to 100 guests in the past, but I find the sitting arrangements are too challenging. I would like to introduce 1 to 2 new dishes to our menu this year. Can you recommend something for us? How about the sitting arrangements and culinary settings? What are the proper etiquettes of manners for a house of our size, in terms of sitting arrangements and maximum number of guests that we should entertain? Many thanks in advance.

Adele Hagan: Hi Pat, It's so nice to hear you are enjoy hosting such a fabulous Christmas dinner and it's impressive it is for so many people That can certainly be a most daunting task. It sounds to me as though you have a very open space and like to have everyone in close proximity to each other instead of breaking up the meal into different rooms in your main floor. I would recommend very simple and elegant table settings. Perhaps a few small arrangements with a few large bold coloured flowers (such as red amaryllis) with a candle in the centre of each. You don't want to clutter up the table with more than necessary when there are already place setting for 40 people. I recommend adding a warm rich soup to your menu. They are very filling, easy to make in large quantities and can look stunning when presented with a little finesse. Try making two soups Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear along with Roasted Parsnip and Apple. Make them in separate pots then transfer to large jugs to pour simultaneously into each soup bowl. For another addition to your menu I would recommend a grain/ vegetable option to round out your meal such as Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables served on a bed of Arugula. The style of party is dictated by the number of people you invite. You can always opt for a "small plates" party if you would like people to mingle and not have designated seating. Which basically means cook small version of all of your recipes so that people can either use cocktail plates or eat simply with a napkin. This is very trendy not only in restaurants but it's making its way into weddings and private parties as it's a good way to feed a large number of people but still be upscale. Have a Merry Christmas

Allison Van Leeuwen from Victoria Canada writes: I am having a Christmas party next week and we've invited 80 people, but are assuming 40-50 will only come. I am planning on a cheese plate and a punch/apple cider, but I really need to come up with some appetizers that will accommodate this many people. Also, is there a good but inexpensive wine that would suit appetizers? What would a good selction of food look like? If I ask people to bring food, it normally ends up with chips and dip, so I try to provide as much as I can that is different. I like to cook and have a fairly large kitchen/buffet area for serving. Thanks for your help

Adele Hagan: Hi Allison, When I host parties and ask guests to contribute I am very specific with my guidelines of what to bring (as foodies are). If your guests are willing to bring food I would definitely take them up on it Ask people to bring: warm appetizers, cold appetizers, specify if they are vegetable based or meat based, hot dips, cold dips, cocktail ingredients, soup, etc. And I always offer my guests suggestions for easy and delicious options (eg. warm pear and stilton on focaccia). If you would like to cook more yourself a way to stretch your budget is by making traditional comfort food and serving them in small portions. Try macaroni and cheese perhaps using a special cheese or add some truffle oil at the end and serve it on small ceramic spoons. Speaking of truffle oil - a little goes a long way. Make regular popcorn and toss it with just a drop of truffle oil. Serve it in small paper cones and you have yourself another cheap treat. Or make "toad in the holes" in muffin tins. Toad in the hole is Yorkshire pudding with a sausage baked into it. Serve it with some caramelized onions and cranberry sauce warm or room temperature. There are never any left whenever I serve them. In terms of wine - I buy an inexpensive one and decant it. It makes all wine taste double what they are worth.

SS from Canada writes: Hi Adele, I want to have a totally non traditional christmas dinner this year but i still want it to feel special. Any ideas?

Adele Hagan: When I host a special function and want to infuse it with some originality, I think of a theme and choose recipes within that theme. Trends these days are leaning towards regional focus, whether it be Normandy (rather than the larger theme of France), or Basque (rather than Spanish food in general). Normandy, for instance, is famous for Calvados (an apple liqueur) as well as many types of seafood, while Chicken Basque (chicken with bell peppers in a tomato sauce) is representative of the Basque region of Spain. A little research into an area in which you're interested will definitely provide some inspiration. Your guests will be excited to try something new

JT from Toronto writes: Hi adele, Do you have any tips on feeding fussy kids dinner this Christmas?

Adele Hagan: Hi JT, Make the meal more exciting for your kids. Style your kids' plates with child-friendly flair and imagination. Regular food can become fun if it looks like a face, a castle or a clown. If that doesn't do the trick, try "hiding" vegetables in other dishes, like adding cauliflower to your mashed potatoes or finely diced peppers to your stuffing. Do your best to incorporate your kids' favourite foods into the meal as well. It's easier to negotiate if there's something on their plate that they'll enjoy. Good luck

Cinda from BC writes: Hi adele, I'm having about 20 people for a cocktail party. I don't want to feed them dinner but I would like to offer a few treats. How much food should I prepare and do you have any specific suggestions? Thank you

Adele Hagan: Hi Cinda, As a general rule, for a 2-3 hour drinks party, allow 10 pieces per guest and choose either 5 or 10 different appetizers. Make sure that your menu is a combination of both sweet and savory, vegetable and meat options, warm and cold, and most importantly make-ahead and last-minute recipes,. You don't want to be scrambling as your guests arrive For an easy and elegant vegetable option, try Cucumber Cups filled with Tomato, Olive and Feta (mini Greek salad). The Cucumber Cups can be made up to two days in advance. Since you're in BC, take advantage of fresh fish and seafood. Try Ceviche (Latin-American citrus-marinated seafood canape), which can be prepared up to one day in advance. Serve it on toasted flour tortilla wedges. As long as there's variety, everyone will be happy