Maria Menounos' 3 Rules for Hosting a Girls Night In

TV personality shares tips for entertaining gal pals at home

As much as Maria Menounos thrives in the spotlight, there's nothing she cherishes more than a good girls night in at her house.

We recently caught up with the gorgeous TV personality at a private event for California Pizza Kitchen, where she graciously offered her guests delicious pizzas, savory salads and custom cocktails for the leisurely evening.

With chick flicks rolling in the background and a cupcake station nearby, we were instantly relaxed among the estrogen-filled ambiance.

We asked the host her top rules for throwing a successful girls night in and this is what she shared with us:

"I learned from the greatest, Laura Shriftman, who wrote a book, Party Confidential, and she throws parties for a living. She taught me this a long time ago and it's made me very successful at my parties," Menounos confessed.

1. Greet Your Guests With a Cocktail. I always have a waitress—no matter whether it's like ten friends at my house or 300 or 800. I make sure there are cocktails at the front door waiting for them. It just sets the tone—it lets people know that this is going to be a fun night. 

2. Consider Your Menu. "Food is obviously really important. You want to make sure you have a good food for everybody," she told us. "I can't cook all the time. I tried, but it was really hard, so I'll do is these CPK dinner nights where we have all these different flavored pizzas, it's inexpensive—you get a bunch of them. You can make a little appetizer—like a dip, chips or celery, or cucumber with hummus. You can make a dip or something, and then have a little fun dessert! I'll make my pudding, which is a sugar-free, fat-free dessert, which is delicious and everyone dies for it and they feel no guilt. And then I'll make fun cocktails—I'll have a bartender come to my house."

3. Create a Playlist. "You can do a shared playlist where everyone's contributing a song to the music playlist for the night. So everyone feels like you're trying to do go out of your way to make it fun and special but you're not having to do a lot of work. I think really choosing your music carefully is important!" she says.

And there you have it—bring on the girl talk!