The fall entertaining season kicked into first gear on Saturday, with nearly 35,000 spectators attending the 70th running of the International Gold Cup at Great Meadow. With amazing weather – temperatures hovering perfectly in the mid-70s – and the colors of the season beginning to show on the trees, thousands of people enjoyed the races while tailgating with their families and friends. I had the honor of being one of three judges of the tailgating competition, in which attendees wow their guests with delicious food, beautiful decorations and tongue-tickling alcoholic concoctions. Although we had to pick one winner, everyone who competed had some excellent advice for successful tailgating. These rules don't only apply to horse racing – keep them in mind for football games, NASCAR races, and, well, any time you have a group over to enjoy a day of food, friends and fun!

1. Plan ahead. There's a lot to think about when planning a tailgate: how many people will attend (always plan for drop-ins); will you send out formal invitations; what will be on the menu; what rules of the facility must you keep in mind (i.e., can you bring in glass bottles or do they allow grills). The winning tailgate competitors at Gold Cup began their planning two months in advance, while some of the other competitors threw their menus and food together the night before. Try to choose menu items that you can make in advance, such as pasta salads, soups, or dips for veggies or chips. Most of these you can make up to five days before an event, and some of them taste better with some time in the fridge to meld flavors.

2. Be practical. Watch the weather: will you have to deal with 30 mile an hour winds that will have napkins flying or will your cheese platter be melting in the 95 degree heat? Make sure you have a plan for trash or recycling receptacles (don't count on the facility to provide them) and for dirty dishes if you're using wine glasses or china. Just don't go over the top – keep things simple (this is one area where I'm a fan of paper or plastic plates) and everyone will enjoy themselves.

3. Keep food safety in mind. The last thing you want to do is sicken your guests! Having an idea of the weather conditions will help, but no matter the temperature, try to keep food covered to discourage insects, place dishes in the shade when possible, and keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold. Check with the event facility, but chafing dishes or soup tureens heated with Sterno fuel might be an option for hot dishes, and placing serving dishes on ice in a larger container or in a cooler will help keep them cold. Ideally, hot food should be kept at a temperature of 140° or above and cold food below 41°. At the end of the day, throw out any food that has been unrefrigerated for more than 3 hours.

4. Make it a team effort. Get your family and friends involved in the planning, and especially in the cooking! If you're not too picky about specific menu items, include a food "assignment" in your invitations, asking people to bring a specific type of dish (meat, veggie, pasta, dessert), or have your family help design and prepare the menu. This is a great way to involve the kids; one of the competitor's daughters made her "signature dish" – a spicy chicken pasta salad with corn and black beans.

5. Give your set up a personal touch. Adorn your tables with season-specific décor (many people had pumpkins, gourds, mums, or fall flower arrangements), family photos from prior events, antique photos of jumping horses, or, even, a mounted and stuffed fox. Donna Creese, mid-Atlantic manager for St. Supéry vineyards and winery, included her childhood saddle perched against a pot of colorful mums as her centerpiece. The other option is to choose a theme. Sharon Galzarano of Haymarket and her husband used their antique bright red K/5 Blazer and yellow Mercedes convertible as "his and hers" centerpieces, color coordinating their napkins, plates, plastic cups and place card holders. Another group, led by Nancy Novak of Fairfax, had a fabulous '40s theme, dressed to the nines in period-specific clothing and served food from the era, including canned ham, white bread, Fritos and mom's meatloaf with beef or tomato gravy.

6. Stick to family favorites. Don't use your guests as guinea pigs! Even though the recipes you use might be old news to your family, your guests don't know any different. Call mom or grandma (or the cooking men of the family) to get the recipes for their favorite party dishes. You may find that these old family favorites become tailgating traditions that your guests will ask for year after year!

7. Go for variety and color. Beside your décor, consider diversity among your fare. The winners of the Gold Cup tailgating competition, led by Katherine Sandhoff of Fort Washington, Md., served dishes from different cultures, including a traditional Lebanese potato salad and ensalada de choclo, a cold Peruvian corn salad. Pasta salads with red tomatoes, green basil, black olives; antipasti platters of grilled vegetables, meats and cheeses; roasted beef tenderloin with a caramelized crust and pink center; or a whole poached salmon surrounded by chopped hard-boiled eggs, capers, and red onion add a range of tastes and textures and create a foodstuff rainbow. Believe me, mouths will water!

8. Don't forget about drinks. While wine and beer are the traditional tailgating libations, consider creating a stocked bar in the back of the SUV or serving a special cocktail. Novak's group created the "Gold Cup" cocktail, a combination of Grand Marnier, Midori and orange juice. They also served a non-alcoholic drink consisting of blended bananas, orange juice and lemonade, which was then frozen and dropped into a punch bowl of ginger ale. Winner Sandhoff's group offered three different specialty drinks: a white sangria of white wine, peach schnapps, triple sec, a splash of bourbon and sliced strawberries, peaches, oranges and lemons; the "Apple Cobbler," a cocktail created by former bartender and Penn State graduate Kathryn Cornelius (see her recipe below); and a "gin bucket" – a Penn State tailgating tradition – consisting of gin, Fresca, lemon and lime, from which you take a shot out of a turkey baster! Whether it's Bloody Marys, G & Ts, Mimosas, or products from a local microbrewery or winery, everyone will be smiling by the end of the night! (Drink responsibly and make sure everyone has a safe ride home.)

9. Delight them with desserts. Top off the savory dishes with delectable desserts. Place all of the food out at the same time, as some people may have already eaten, or (like me), go for the sweets first. Create height in your display with a three-tiered dessert stand and think bite size. Make your favorite cookies half-sized, bake your cheesecake recipe in muffin or mini-muffin cups instead of a big springform pan, or cut brownies smaller than normal. Some popular desserts at Saturday's event were mini pumpkin cheesecakes topped with candied nuts, dates stuffed with cream cheese frosting and rolled in sugar, and lemony sweet cornbread mini-muffins. With the smaller size, guests can try more than one dessert without feeling guilty!

10. HAVE FUN! Relax and enjoy the day. Whether you're entertaining 10 or 50, take a laissez faire attitude and go with the flow. Expect that the usual mishaps will happen (dishes dropped, drinks spilled, something forgotten), and if they don't, the day will have exceeded your expectations and your guests will no doubt have had a memorable time!