Jerri, We had cake & punch and pop (plus coffee--forgot the tea, but I don't drink either). I went to the grocery store and ordered ready-made trays of fruit and vegies with dip. Skipped cheese & crackers because it cost too much to have it sliced and put together for me (and *I* ran out of time!). I cooked nothing! We put bowls of candy, nuts & pretzels (bought in bulk at Sam's Club) on the tables between the decorations. The ingredients were supposed to be kept separate but one of my "helpers" decided to dump them all in together. YUCK. We did NOT get the frozen fruit from Sams; we tried it ahead of time and it definitely lacked flavor and texture. If I had to do it over I would do it the same. Nobody really pays much attention to the food since it's just a cake and punch reception, and the table decorations made it LOOK festive even it if wasn't anything special. If it had been a "girl thing" I would have bought the circle netting and tied up wrapped chocolates with a ribbon or something. Depending on your budget a variety of cakes (including my all-time favorite cheesecake) might make a nice addition. You'll need more than one sheet cake for that many people anyway. Best of luck to you! Julie

Here are some that I freeze often. Touch of Lemon Sugar Cookies Source: Pillsbury "Cookies, Cookies & More Cookies" 1980 2 c sugar 1 c butter, softened 1T grated lemon peel c lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 3-1/4 c AP flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp soda 1 tsp cream of tartar Sugar Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, lemon peel, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs. Cream until smooth. Lightly spoon floour into measuring cup and level off. Stir in flour, salt, soda and cream of tartar until well blended. Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar and place two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. (Cookies will be soft in center). Makes 4-5 dozen cookies Basic Shortbreads 1 1/4 c AP flour 3 T sugar 1/2 c butter Mix sugar and flour, cut in butter until fine crumbs and it starts to stick to itself. For Elfin Bites, stir in 2 T of Candy Ball Sprinkles. Pat dough out on a non greased cookie sheet into a 8x5" rectangle. Cut into 1/2 cubes and seperate. Bake at 325F for about 8\-10 minutes or until bottoms just start to brown. Cool on wire rack that has a sheet of wax paper over it.(Just in case they thought about falling through the "cracks".) For Cherry Shortbread, (pictured above) stir in a 1/2 c of drained well finely chopped Maraschino cherries. Once additives are in, knead until a dough is formed. Roll dough out on floured surface to 1/2" thick, cut out with 1 1/2\-2" heart cutter. Bake at 325F for 20\-25 minutes or until bottoms just turn light brown. Cool. Melt together 1 c semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 t sortening. Dip half of the cookie or drizzle. let set on wax paper to firm. Posted 12/06 by Terri\_pacnw Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars 1 c butter, softened 2 c all purpose flour ½ c granulated sugar ¼ tsp salt 2 c Nestle semi sweet chocolate chips, divided 1-1/4 c (14 oz can) Sweetened Condensed milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 c walnuts, chopped Beat butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With floured fingers, press 2 cups of crumb mixture into greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Reserve remaining crumb mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350F or until edges are browned. Warm 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and milk in small, heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla, spread over hot crust. Stir walnuts and remaining chips into reserved crumb mixture, sprinkle over chocolate filling. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350F or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen bars Holiday Biscotti Source: Giada DeLaurentis 2 cups all\-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped 2/3 cup dried cranberries 12 ounces good\-quality white chocolate, chopped Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries. Form the dough into a 13\-inch long, 3\-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4\-inch\-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks. Linda

Have any of you tried Oreo Cookie Balls yet? My husband brought me one home that someone at his office made. It was so good! I plan to make them for our holiday party this year. They sound very easy to make. Only three ingredients and no baking. If any of you are familiar with chocolate wafer ice box cake these work on the same principle. 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups) 4 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended. SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Here is a link that might be useful: Oreo cookie balls

Coming out of lurkdom to tell you how to make your own thin mints and pb patties. Super easy.. Thin mints Take a block of almond bark melting chocolate (doesn't contain almonds, just the name). Melt in the top of a double boiler. You can add a tbs or so of shortening to thin it if you'd like. Add a few drops peppermint oil (not extract). Stir. Dip ritz crackers in one at a time and let dry on parchment paper (or wax, or quick release foil). Instant girl scout cookies. PB patties: (Easiest way): Put a bunch of smooth peanut butter into a heavy duty zip loc bag. Snip a corner of the bag. Put a splat between two ritz crackers. Refrigerate cookies for an hour or so. Melt almond bark (again, you can add shortening if needed). Stir til smooth. Dip sandwich cookies into it. Dry on parchment paper... These are MUCH better than the gs variety. My dh cannot be trusted when I make these. Enjoy. Jo