Update and thanks for the good suggestions I received here. I also did a bit of reading and taking everything into consideration, came up with the following: Mini Croissants, regular and five grain Boars Head tavern ham, shaved Boars Head maple honey turkey, thinly sliced Condiments: several kinds of mustards, regular mayo and mayo with pesto, blueberry and raspberry/cranberry jams Capers, small dill pickles and sweet gherkins Plain and Vanilla yoghurt with organic granolas (plain and dried cherry and almond) and blackberries, blueberries and raspberries as available add ins Tart cherry scones and almond biscotti Blueberry muffins (not very sweet) Scrambled eggs We had a variety of coffees, teas and hot chocolates for the kureig, and individual bottled juices in mango/banana, orange, blueberry blend, greens, etc., and fizzy and still water. One guy got up early and I took him to the local track for a run. The others slept in and they ate around 11:15. Everyone ate some of everything, and I packed up a basket of goodies for their car trip. No one wanted any mimosas or my favorite pink champagne, as they were off to South Carolina where they had another performance the next day. They were all lovely, all very accomplished operatic singers who attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory and absolutely delightful. They all wished they had known we had a tennis court because they all play, and we agreed the next time they come to town we will schedule a round robin tournament with local players. Thanks again for the helpful suggestions! What, oh what would we do without our invisible friends at GW?? Edited for grammar, and happy Mother's Day everyone! This post was edited by kswl on Sun, May 11, 14 at 10:57

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Chocolate - Pate Du Chocolate With Creme Anglaise ================================================= 4 Ounces semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup butter 5 egg yolks 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups whipping cream Creme Anglaise (recipe follows) Toasted sliced almonds . Melt chocolate with butter; let cool. In bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and pale in colour; beat in cocoa. Beat in cooled chocolated mixture Whip cream and fold into chocolate mixture. Turn into 8 X 4 inch loaf pan lined with plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. To serve unmould pate and remove plastic wrap. spoon Creme Anglaise onto dessert plates. Top each with 1/2 inch slice of chocolate pate. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Creme Anglaise 5 egg yolks 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 cups hot milk 1 tsp vanilla. In bowlw beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and pale in colour; gradually whisk in hot milk. Transfer to very heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly and sauce coats the back of a spoon. Be careful not to boil. Stir in vanilla. Strain through fine sieve into bowl. Let cool; cover and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 1 day. Makes about 2 cups. This one comes from Marilyn it's YUMMY! Golden Lemon Cake Roll CAKE: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoons salt 9 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons fresh grated lemon zest Powdered sugar FILLING: 1/2 cup sugar pinch of salt 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 3 egg yolks 1 teaspoons fresh grated lemon zest 1/2 cup whipping cream Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom only of 15X10-inch jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment paper and grease again. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off. In medium bowl, combine flour, first 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until a light lemon color. Add second 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating until thickened. Add cold water and 2 teaspoons lemon zest, mix well. Gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture, blend well. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until light golden. Remove from oven and immediately turn out of pan onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Quickly remove paper. Starting at short side, roll up in towel; cool completely. In a small heavy saucepan, combine sugar, salt, lemon juice and egg yolks. Cook over low heat until thickened; stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon peel; cool. Whip cream to soft peaks and fold into cooled filling. Unroll cake, spread with filling and roll again without towel. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. (Inspired from recipe in "Pillsbury Bake-Off Classics III.) *One lemon yields 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) lemon zest and 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) juice. Marilyn

Bisquick (or the lower-priced store brand version), or a homemade baking mix for even more $aving$, can be used for pancakes, muffins, waffles, Impossible Pie recipes, biscuits, pizza crust, cakes, cookies, quick breads, etc. A more versatile choice than "pancake mix". The link below is for the base recipe plus recipes using it. If you don't have enough ingredients to make a large batch: Bisquick Substitute By-the-cup: 1 c. flour 1-1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1 T. fat ------------------------------ If it's pancakes you want... Light-as-a-feather Hot Cakes 1 egg, slightly beaten 3/4 to 1 c. milk 2 T. melted shortening, butter, margarine or cooking oil 1 c. flour 1/2 t. salt 2 T. baking powder 2 T. sugar Combine egg, milk and oil. Add dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Freeze any extra pancakes. --------------------------------------------------------- Although oatmeal is a great low-costing breakfast food, not everyone likes it. These recipes may improve plain old oatmeal. PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA great as a snack or breakfast cereal Melt together: 2 T. butter 1/3 c. peanut butter 1/3 c. honey Add: 1/2 t. vanilla 1/4 t. salt Mix in: 3 c. oatmeal Spread on a baking sheet. Bake 325-degrees for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. ----------------------------------------- If you have leftover COOKED oatmeal, try this scone recipe. I often make 1/2 a recipe. They freeze well. COOKED OATMEAL SCONES source: http://www.food.com/recipe/cooked-oatmeal-scones-46876 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons honey 1 cup cooked oatmeal 2/3 cup milk 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour ( or a bit more) 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Melt the butter and honey together, and mix them into the cool, cooked oatmeal. Mix in the milk, half at a time. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. You may wish to adjust the salt depending on how much was used in cooking the oatmeal- I am assuming not very much, if any. Mix the flour into the oatmeal. If the mixture seems too moist, add a little more flour. (This will depend on how moist your cooked oatmeal was. When enough flour has been stirred in, the dough will form a rough ball.) Roll out to 1" thick and cut in wedges, or scoop it out with an ice cream scoop and flatten it to 1" with dampened hands. Bake on a greased and floured sheet at 350�F for 15 to 20 minutes. --------------------------------- There are lots of recipes for oatmeal pancakes, or oatmeal banana pancakes, which would be a nutritional improvement over regular pancakes. I make oatmeal/sprouted lentil waffles - no flour, no eggs, no leavening. They are a complete protein since they are a mix of grain and legumes. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Ready-Quick Mix

I had a similar party and I offered beer (just one kind) some kind of wine, and some kind of brandy, maybe pear or peach, can't remember. Then a variety of sodas such as seven up, probably something diet, and unsweetened flavored ones. Folks could make their own sangria, which some did. I also think I had champagne because what's a party without champagne although I think in that case it was prosecco. If I did it again, I would maybe ad some kind of flavored vodka. That way if folks want a mixed drink they can make it with the soda pop. Also have a pitcher of water. The guys drank beer and the ladies went or the sweeter stuff. I have also been to parties where they offered hard lemonade, that's fun. Edited to add that I can't wait to find some of the herbal liqueurs like Aperol or Compari this year to add instead of flavored brandy. I hate to buy it in such large bottles though! Wish there was a cool place I could try out these drinks but I live in the boonies and we aren't into that much.