Q: My birthday is coming up and I'd like to throw a party for my college friends. Trouble is, it's very easy for small gatherings in college to quickly become a larger group, so I'm thinking a buffet will be best. Do you have any springtime meal ideas that will feed a crowd?

Sent by Anna

A: Some buffet tips I've learned over the years:

- Chances are good that your buffet will be laid out on the table where you usually eat. Pull the chairs away and group them in clusters around the edge of the room for 2 reasons. 1 - There are never enough places to sit, eat, and chat at a party. 2 - There's also always that awkward guy who will obliviously sit right in front of the buffet and block the other guests if there are chairs there :)

- It helps traffic flow if you set up the food and drink stations in different areas

- When it's a large group and it's not a sit-down dinner, people tend to arrive and eat at different times. If you don't have warming plates or chafing dishes, it's great to pick foods that are still tasty at room temp. A good suggestion is tacos. Quiches, cold Asian noodle salads, and flatbread pizzas are all great, too.

- You probably don't have warming plates in college, but you might have a crock pot. You can keep all kinds of things warm in one: shredded pork or Italian beef for sandwiches, meatballs, chili, meat for tacos, falafel...borrow crock pots from your friends, they would be happy to share with you.

- Have plenty of finger foods. You have to sit and put your drink down to eat with a fork, but people will continue to nosh on the food all night if they can eat it while standing.

And Happy Birthday!!