Devin Connell used to take hosting seriously. "I wanted to put on a show and not involve anyone," says the owner of Toronto's Delica Kitchen. But after setting up two locations of the restaurant, launching Paulette's Original Donuts, writing a book and having a child, the 32-year-old has changed her attitude toward having company. "Now I make entertaining a way more collaborative experience," she says. "When people step into your kitchen with a glass of wine, they instantly relax. You don't have to slave away and present something. That's what a restaurant is for." Instead of multiple-course dinners, Connell is more likely to serve drinks and nibbles or something kid-friendly, like brunch. And she always recruits help. "I'll ask one of my friend's husbands to come in and make the hollandaise or get the kids to try something." For example, Connell's one-and-a-half-year-old son is obsessed with egg shells, so she might set up a supervised egg-cracking station for her little guy and his friends. "Of course, your house will be demolished but that happens anyway. You just have to roll with it," says the reformed perfectionist. The recipe below is a good way to start.