Martina McBride: The Happy Homemaker

The country's current economic situation is weighing heavily on everyone's mind, but being the consummate multi-tasker -- an in-demand entertainer and full-time mom -- Martina McBride has some practical advice, just in time for those summer parties.

In an interview with financial website Bankrate.com, Martina, who's as passionate about cooking and entertaining as she is about music, says that one of the keys to successful entertaining is preparation.

"I definitely plan what I'm going to serve," says the singer and mother of three. "Spontaneous things are fun too, but definitely, it's more relaxing if you plan ahead. Cocktail parties are a lot of fun because they're a little bit shorter, not so much cooking involved and less formal. I've got some good recipes like party sandwiches; a big pot of chicken gumbo where people can just help and serve themselves; dips like hummus that I might serve with cut-up pita bread; or chutney that you pour over cream cheese and things like that, nothing extravagant but really simple foods."

The Kansas-born singer says she spends many of her mornings reading cookbooks while drinking her coffee. And one cookbook in particular is a favorite -- the Junior League Cookbook from Wichita, Kansas, a gift from her mother-in-law when she was first married.