hee hee - must be a big change from the frenzied maniac of last night! They'll be here in less than an hour and the wellingtons are put together ready for oven so are the mushrooms, cheese nips...I stil lhave to do hollandaise and cook asparagus. Fruit and stuff is cut up for the fondue - and kids pizzas are prebaked - just need warming up. Oh and soup is done - cheese is grated for tops, and bread is toasted. Here I am feeling quite proud - watch - I'll self destruct - lol. Only thing to do is fix ME up. good lord, if i answered the door like this they'd wonder what the "real" theme is... Stacy

Love the retro idea Stacy..... Stuffed mushrooms are perfect as an appetizer before dinner so are bacon wrapped water chestnuts or ...are you ready...Wendy's olive cheddar nipples! Pate is great too and should be very easy to find. We like the herbed pate or the peppered pate. Cheese ball is also perfect. Oh and don;t foregt chips and dip...using sour cream and French onion soup mix with a shot of Worcestershire's as the dip! As a first course escargot is very retro and perfect with your entree. Then again and old fashioned shrimp cocktail would be perfect too. Hang the shrimp off a glass filled with the shrimp sauce! French Onion soup is very retro too but may be too filling....but sooooo good with something like Wellington! Make small bowls! Bonus you get to use your brown sauce! LOL One of the sides with Wellington would have to be twice baked potatoes. I'd do asparagus as the other. PS: for real fun have Harvey Wallbangers or Singapore Slings for drinks before! LOL Here is my recipe for stuffed mushrooms. Can't recall if I served them to you. Stuffed Mushrooms 20 large white mushrooms 1/3 Cup butter (maybe a bit more) 4 or 5 green onions chopped fine 2-2 1/2 cups grated cheddar 1/3 Cup bread crumbs salt Clean mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Chop stems finely (I use the food processor). Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute mushroom stems and onions over medium heat until soft but not browned and the stems have given up their juices. Mixture should be quite moist. Add the bread crumbs, only enough to absorb the liquid. Add the grated cheese and stir just until it has melted. Don't worry if the oil separates from the cheese.Stuff the mixture into the caps and sprinkle with a bit of salt (or you can salt after they come out of the oven...which is what I usually do). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until the caps are nice and soft.

Here's the way I made mine one New Year's Eve: For two Wellingtons: 1/3 lb mushrooms (150 grams) cleaned and chopped very finely scant 1/4 cup minced onion or shallots 2 TBS sherry 2 TBS butter 2 TBS finely chopped parsley 2 TBS fine herb paté ( or other good quality liver paté ) salt and fresh ground pepper puff pastry - fresh or frozen - 1 large or 2 small sheets 2 filet mignon few drops oil 1 egg well beaten 1). Sauté first 5 ingredients with some salt & pepper in pan until all moisture is absorbed and it resembles a paste. Take off stove and blend with paté, mixing well. 2). Sear filets in hot pan in oil a minute on each side to seal. Let cool a minute or two. (This is optional - leave out if you like the meat quite rare.) 3) Spread paté/mushroom Duxelle mixture on topside of each filet. 4). Divide puff pastry in two and roll out until you have a round or oval shape large enough to cover top and sides of each filet. Cover each filet with pastry and tuck edges well under until nearly meeting on bottomside. Use extra pastry bits to form leaves or pastry decorative designs for top. Brush pastry with beaten egg and press designs onto top, also brushing them with egg. 5) Bake in preheated oven 375 F for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden. Note: I definitely wouldn't pre-cook them in a pan for those who like them rare. SharonCb

lol at suzieque licking the plate, too funny. I'd have the dessert brought first every single meal. I want to do an Alaskan cruise, hopefully someday I will. Love all your pics Glenda, so happy for you and your family.