I have Sharon's(chase) classic cheese cake in the oven as I type. I think that would work. If ya want to go with chocolate this one from Carol(dishesdone) is killer and then some. It is fine without the ice cream... Posted by dishesdone (My Page) on Fri, Mar 10, 06 at 21:26 This was also in this month's Chocolatier magazine and looked sinful! The recipe sounds long but if like to bake it really isn't that time consuming. Just lots of steps. LOL I served store bought Ice Cream so can't comment on the Frozen Milk recipe. Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake with Frozen Milk Frozen Milk: 3 1/2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Chocolate cake: 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons alkalized cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona), sifted 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup canola oil 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water Ganache: 1 pound milk chocolate (preferably Valrhona Jivara or Guittard) 1 1/2 cups heavy cream Dacquoise layer: 1/3 cup sliced almonds 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped Peanut butter crunch: 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup Skippy creamy peanut butter 3 ounces milk chocolate (preferably Valrhona Jivara or Guittard) 1 cup Rice Krispies Make the Frozen Milk: Combine all ingredients except vanilla extract. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and set bowl in large bowl filled one-third of way with ice water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled, about 20 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Process in ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions. (Frozen Milk is best when served the same day.) Make chocolate cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9" x 13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together all wet ingredients except water; pour into dry ingredients. Stir until well combined. Add boiling water and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan and bake until cake springs back when touched in middle, about 30-40 minutes. Cool cake in pan set on wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely. Make ganache: Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. In small saucepan, bring cream to a gentle boil and gradually whisk into melted chocolate. Set aside. Make dacquoise: Position rack in the center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Using 13" x 9" baking pan as a guide, trace a rectangle onto a piece of parchment paper. Turn paper over and place on a large baking sheet. Combine sliced almonds and confectioners' sugar in food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks, gradually adding granulated sugar while whipping. Once stiff and shiny, fold in almond flour mixture. Spread into 9" x 13" rectangle on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle top with chopped peanuts and bake until browned, 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool on wire rack. Make peanut butter crunch: In medium bowl, combine butter, peanut butter and chocolate. Place bowl over saucepan filled one-third of way with simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in Rice Krispies. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over dacquoise. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut chocolate cake in half horizontally for form 2 layers. Spread one-third of ganache on top of bottom half. Remove dacquoise from freezer and peel off parchment paper. Place dacquoise, peanut butter crunch-side up, on top of ganache covered cake; gently press to remove any air pockets. Spread half of remaining ganache over peanut butter crunch. Place second half of cake on top. Refrigerate until ganache is set, about 1 hour. Using serrated knife, carefully trim off rough edges of cake. Rewarm remaining ganache over a pot of simmering water, and spread over top of cake. Serve a square of cake with a scoop of frozen milk. Recipe by Nancy Olson, Peacock Alley, Waldorf-Astoria, NYC from Chocolatier Magazine March 2006 Cheescake Supreme (Sharon) 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter melted 40 ounces cream cheese (5, 8 oz packages) 1 3/4 cups sugar 3 TBSP flour grated rind of 1 lemon grated rind of 1/2 orange 5 eggs 2 egg yolks 1/4 cup whipping cream Fruit and glaze (Directions follow) Mix graham cracker crumbs sugar and melted butter. Butter a 10 inch springform pan. Press crumb mix into the bottom of the pan. Let the remainingg ingredients except cream come to room temp. Beat cheese until fluffy. Mix sugar and flour together and gradually mix into the cheese, beating mixture smooth. Mix in grated rinds. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time beating well after each. Stir in cream. Pour over crust. Cook in preheated 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 and cook for 1 hour ( NOTE: I always seem to have to cook it longer than this to get it to set properly, usually 1 1/2 hours) Remove from oven, place on rack away from drafts and cool. When cool refrigerate in pan until cold. Remove from pan and place on serving plate. Top with fruit and glaze and refrigerate until serving time.~ Fruit and Glaze.... working from the centre out to the edge. Arrange 4 or 5 canned apricot halves around centre of cake(reserve juice) Circle the apricots with canned pineapple wedges, (4 rings quartered) reserve juice. Alternate fresh starwberry halves and green grapes to form outer circle. Mound about 1/3 cup blueberries in the very centre , inside the ring of apricots. To make glaze combine the apricot and pineapple syrups to make 3/4 of a cup. Add 1 TBSP of lemon juice. Combine 1 TBSP cornstarch with 2 TBSP cold water. Add to juices and cook stirring until thickened. Add a drop of yellow food colouring if desired. Spoon over fruit. Hope you have a great evening!! David

Lynn, I purchased my china at the Flemington outlets in Flemington, NJ but looking at the store locator, it appears the Flemington outlet is now closed. However, there are two outlets in NY and CT. Here is the information: CT: Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton Clinton Crossings Premium Outlet 20-A Killingworth Turnpike Suite 430 Clinton, CT 06413 NY: Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton Woodbury Common Premium Outlets 161 Marigold Court Central Valley, NY 10917 Hopefully you are close to one of these outlets. Awm03, there were close to 50 people and my course was soup and sandwiches. I must say that I was a bit nervous about serving soup to so many people but I didn't choose the menu. So I set up three serving stations, one for beverages, one for the sandwiches and a third for the soup. You can enter my kitchen from two different openings so I directed flow from the breakfast area starting with the beverages and then the guests were able to move on to sandwiches and then finally the soup. Here is a couple of pics of the serving stations (before food and platters). My friend gave me the good idea of covering bowls with tablecloths so that the heights of the platters of food would be elevated. I removed all of my usual counter stuff to accomodate the stations. I also kept the island and the area where my hubby was standing clear so that people could talk to each other and have another area to congregate. In the end, the house actually works well for large crowds. Finally, I also added extra chairs to the great room and the breakfast room. My ottomans came in handy as extra seating. One thing I had to do during the festivities was to tell the history of my family (me, hubby and DS) and the background on all the ornaments on the tree. That was fun and I was surprised that I had to hold back tears while doing it. During my presentation, I showed pics of our first tree, the first tree we had after my DS was born and pics of my DS's first christmas. So that was really special! So here is what my kitchen typically looks like. Warning this is an old picture but wanted you to get the feel of the kitchen. The counter on the back wall close to the DR was the soup station: Serving Stations: I lucked out and found the soup tureen for $12 at Homegoods!

Yes, lol, and a maid, LOL! After the Bistro and then Papashon, he returned to being his own boss catering. Half Moon Bay "Red Ginger" (exceptionally beautiful space still available if you're interested) chef was a favorite and last I heard, he is now a private chef for a movie mogul traveling the world. Devils Slide closing Hwy 1 destroyed the perfection they had created, Huge loss for us, I still cry, but hope he's happier than ever. Crab Landing just opened with a two story view of Pillar Point Princeton in the Harbor Village Mall. I'm most eager to dine there, I'm hearing good reports so far. www.Oceanohalfmoonbay.com have a delightful chef in their lounge. Nothing quite like upscale room service, lol. Most people have no idea how hard the work is behind the scenes. Thank you so much for La Tienda, one taste of the white anchovies and I was addicted. Do you serve them? I first tried them showcased as a salad and I'm so glad I did! Haven't been in your neck of the woods for a long time and would love to stop down to explore next trip to Indiana.

I don't believe that an open bar is part of the plan at all....and it needn't be. But I do think that it adds a festive touch to have something alcoholic. Orchid, only you and your husband know the "politics" of his workplace. I wouldn't pay much heed to the naysayers. A party like this is an excellent way to meet the spouses of the co-workers...sounds like a great idea to me. Some may live in an environment of 'eye rollers' and treacherous office politics. Most of us don't. After we moved into our new home some years ago, we hosted a holiday party for many of the people who work with Robert (including the boss) , plus our new neighbors, and some very close friends. I was a new comer (we were newly married) to the area and wanted very much to meet people AND welcome people into our new home. It was a rousing success and a great opportunity for these people to truly associate with each other outside of work. It was more of a party than an open house. I'm so glad that we invited people outside the workplace......they added some new blood to the mix. Have a fun time! I hope that we get to see pictures of the decorations when you put them up!