But having a crowd over should be about bringing loved ones together, not freaking out about whether you have enough stuffing for everyone, says Eric Ziebold, chef at CityZen (1330 Maryland Ave. SW; 202-787-6006). "When you welcome people for a family-style meal, everyone wants to be in the spirit of eating, not stressing."

Whether you're hosting a holiday feast for Kate Gosselin and kids or a spirited Sunday supper for 45, the recipe for success is the same: Balance the workload so you make something delicious and still see guests. The goal: you sitting down at the table, not slaving over a tray of Beef Wellingtons for 200.

» EXPRESS: Tell us about "Fix."
» WILDE: I like to describe the film as a dark comedy, a road movie and a story about a family. It's about two brothers, one of whom has 12 hours to get his brother to rehab, or else he'll have to go to jail for seven or eight years. It involves this wild odyssey through Los Angeles, where they encounter all these different characters.

» EXPRESS: Was it difficult to work alongside your husband?
» WILDE: It was fun! The great thing about working with someone that you're involved with romantically and whom you respect and admire is that you trust them. I really felt very safe in Tao's hands and very free to take risks. I think that's when actors can really thrive.

Manolo says, The Manolo is sorry, but whenever he hears the words "kinfolk" and "Kentucky," he thinks of the movie entitled "Next of Kin," in which Bill Paxton, Liam Neeson and the late Patrick Swayze play three hillbilly brothers from deepest Appalachia. (Even the Manolo, whose English is not so good, could tell that everybody was faking the accent.)

Take care not to overwork the pastry dough; keep it cold and resist the temptation to make the finished pastry dough perfectly smooth and homogeneous — when you roll it out it should look a little ragged, with pieces of butter suspended throughout.

This recipe gives full instructions for a variety of mixing methods — by hand, in a stand mixer, and with a food processor. The stages look similar whether you mix by hand in a bowl or on a surface, or use a stand mixer or food processor.

Makes one 9- to 10-inch pie

» The Main Event: A semiformal, traditional ceremony in Washington on Dec. 5 with 100 guests in attendance.

» Honeymoon: St. Maarten, where Michael's grandmother has a condo.

» How They Met: They started working at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the same day in 2006.

Nancy, 28, is a collections manager at the International Spy Museum. Curtis, 26, is a collections manager at the IBEW Museum. They live in Alexandria and will marry Oct. 10, 2010, in Leesburg, Va.

Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman

» The Main Event: On Oct. 10, 2010, they'll wed in Baltimore in front of 150 or so guests. Their wedding planner's husband will officiate.

» How They Met: In college, when he called a foul on her intramural basketball team. "My team was all athletes, and we were playing a sorority team," she says. "We needed two points to win by default, and he called a technical foul on me!"

1) (Pictured at right) The Scottish plaid and exaggerated collar of Liquid's car coat suit casual weekends on the moors or the Mall ($350, Sugar, 1633 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-333-5331).
2) An elegant cascade of airy, abstract rosettes adds evening-worthy flash to a classic coat ($325, Ann Taylor, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-659-0120).

Serves four. Time: 10 minutes preparation, 10 minutes cooking.
Serve these beans with Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin and Skirt Steak With Parsley Sauce, and you have a well-rounded, knockout menu that takes only an hour to prepare.