STRESS TO IMPRESS? NO WAY; STAR CATERER SHARES EASY, ELEGANT ENTERTAINING.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer

Dinner for a few friends - how hard can that be? A few containers of Chinese takeout, a six-pack of beer, and everybody has a great time. No muss, no fuss, no big bucks. But here come the holidays, with the (mostly self-imposed) pressure to be especially festive, to decorate, to offer enormous spreads of home-cooked food, to invite small armies of people - some of whom you haven't seen since last winter - to your spotless home. Demands like that can send the most social creature looking for a place to hide until after New Year's Day.

Of course, those who can afford party planning starting at $100,000 a pop can place a call to international caterer, party planner and lifestyle artist-to-the-stars Colin Cowie, who has designed lavish events ranging from Hugh Hefner's wedding to parties for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, from corporate to-do's for Fortune 500 companies to elaborate balls for megabucks charities.

But most folks, who live paycheck to paycheck, can have just as good a time taking Cowie's free advice on how to make a home a welcoming haven for family and friends on a budget of both time and money.

``Style has got nothing to do with money,'' declares Cowie, who has homes and offices in both Los Angeles and New York. ``You can take a great casserole and some wine and make a great evening out of it. I sometimes entertain five evenings a week, and that's how I do it.''

The trick to successful entertaining, Cowie is convinced, is planning and thought - and an unofficial motto: ``Keep it simple; keep it easy; do it early; keep it organized.''

``When you leave everything to the last minute, ... it becomes an effort rather than a pleasure to have friends over,'' said Cowie, who has written two books on entertaining and has another on the way.

``You'll be frazzled and exhausted when your guests arrive, and when the host or hostess spends the evening in the kitchen, nobody has a good time.

``You've got to plan every detail well in advance so when your guests arrive, everything is taken care of. Then all you've got to do is open the door and smile.''

Planning for a holiday event includes picking a date for your party, deciding what kind of event to have (a casual dinner, formal dinner party, open house, tree-trimming party), figuring out how many guests you can comfortably host, and compiling a guest list. Issue invitations, then plan the menu and make shopping and to-do lists: one for perishable items; one for nonperishable items and staples; one for wine or liquor; one for flowers or other niceties; one for needed serving pieces, chairs and other items you may need to rent or borrow.

Shop early, leaving only truly last-minute items until the last minute, Cowie advises. And take care of housecleaning chores several days in advance so all that's needed on party day is a quick swipe with a sponge, a dust cloth and the vacuum.

You can buy a centerpiece for your dinner or buffet table, but it's almost always cheaper to make it yourself using fresh flowers, fresh fruits, nuts, candles and other items you may have stashed around the house, Cowie says.

To demonstrate, he quickly lined a trumpet-shaped glass dish with moss, piled in a half-dozen pomegranates covered in glued-on copper leaf from an art store, then filled the bowl with red pears and apples. As a finishing touch, he tucked in a few brick-colored roses, kept fresh in tiny water-filled vials hidden among the fruit, and sprinkled copper-painted unshelled walnuts over the top and spilling onto the table.

``Now then, that wasn't rocket science, was it?'' Cowie inquired with a grin. ``That took 10 minutes, and it's beautiful. Anybody could do that. It cost probably not over $20. And it'll last for weeks.''

The table setting was completed with simple placemats, chocolate-brown and gold china, silverware and brick-colored cloth napkins folded atop the plates, each topped with a single copper-painted walnut as a kind of visual exclamation point. A small army of votive candleholders, each ringed at the top with a glued-on strip of copper leaf, marched down the center of the table, the flickering of the candles reflected in a giant wall mirror.

The effect, in just a few minutes, was warm, welcoming, not too fussy and perfect for a fall dinner - maybe Thanksgiving.

``It's all about presentation,'' Cowie said. ``I think the key is to make it look effortless. You should never look like you're trying too hard, because that makes people uncomfortable.''

Starting point 

Cowie has become expert in making people feel at ease. Born in Zambia and raised in South Africa, with no television and few outlets for entertainment, ``we learned to entertain ourselves, and we did that by giving dinner parties,'' he said. ``My parents entertained a lot, and I learned from them.''

He was style-conscious from an early age, a precociousness his parents indulged.

``While the other kids were out playing, I was rearranging the furniture,'' he said with a laugh. ``That was fun for me.''

Grown up, he worked as general manager of a hotel and spa in South Africa, and as food consultant for a variety of restaurants in the United Kingdom and Holland. He created his catering business, Colin Cowie Lifestyle, and moved its headquarters in 1984 to Los Angeles, his base of operations for planning parties, weddings and other celebrations thrown for Kenny G, Lisa Kudrow, Charlie Sheen, Placido Domingo, Bloomingdale's, Champagne Veuve Clicquot and A&M Arista Records. He also produced the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards presentation in 1997 and the last two Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar parties.

In between parties, he has served as a style consultant to the Regent Hotel Group's Australian properties and to the private island resort of Wakaya in Fiji. In his spare time, he appeared on ``The Oprah Winfrey Show,'' ``48 Hours'' and other shows, hawking his laid-back attitude toward style and entertaining.

And in July, the man many term ``the male Martha Stewart'' began appearing in a half-hour television show - ``Everyday Elegance With Colin Cowie'' - on AMC's Romance Classics (10 p.m. Thursdays), showing reluctant hosts and hostesses that entertaining at home isn't that hard to do.

Many people don't entertain because they fear it'll cost too much, they don't have time and they don't have any special cooking or decorating ability, Cowie said.

``What people want is a formula for entertaining, and that's what I give them,'' he said. ``I just love entertaining. It's fun to create and make people feel special in your home.''

For the holidays, that might mean picking a color scheme or theme and carrying it out in your decorations, which you can make yourself with scraps of fabric, spray paint, glitter, greenery and even burnt-out light bulbs; baking special cookies or traditional family dishes; putting special thought into buying personal, but less-than-lavish gifts; using a special flair in wrapping packages; and sharing your skills - and your holiday spirit - with friends and family.

As for worrying that whatever you do won't be perfect, forget it, Cowie counsels.

``Entertaining's not about being perfect,'' declares Cowie. ``Perfect sets too-high expectations and takes away the fun. You always try to do your best, and that's enough. Remember, entertaining your friends isn't about impressing anybody. It's about having a ball.''

IT'S YOUR PARTY

Some tips on entertaining and on enjoying your own parties from style-setter Colin Cowie:

``Anything we collect, we should use. Nothing should be kept for special. Use your grandmother's china. It'll get two or three chips, but you'll have years of pleasure out of it.''

``Don't run out and buy something new when you've got a perfectly good substitute at home. Decorating and entertaining are all about being resourceful.''

Light lots of candles. They offer instant glamour ... and they take 10 years off your face.''

``Get a stack of great CDs that you want to play, to set the mood. You don't want your home to just look good; you want it to feel good.''

``Pick a drink and make it in bulk rather than offering red or white wine or a choice of liquor. Maybe make margaritas or brandy Alexanders.

``You get no medals for preparing everything yourself. If the baker down the road bakes a better lemon tart than you, you should buy his.''

``If you have a buffet, you should be at the buffet table to serve your guests. It makes them feel well taken care of. And you get to talk to everybody.''

``Never answer the door wearing an apron. Take some time before your guests arrive to relax, enjoy the setting. Then you can enjoy the evening, too.''

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) DECORATING ON A DIME

Celebrity caterer Colin Cowie knows how to plan the perfect holiday party on a budget

(2--Color) ``Style has got nothing to do with money,'' says caterer Colin Cowie, who whipped up this holiday table setting in minutes.

(3--4--Color) The trick to successful entertaining, says Cowie, is planning and thought - and an unofficial motto: ``Keep it simple; keep it easy; do it early; keep it organized. ``Above: Cowie begins his centerpiece with a simple bed of moss. Left: Fruit, roses, nuts and gold spray paint embellish the finished product.

(5--Color) no caption (Colin Cowie)

Tina Gerson/Daily News

Box: IT'S YOUR PARTY (See Text)