Thank you bonnie and all. I will post the sorry pics that my camera would spit out into my computer (not totally downloading all pics.) The bench and pillows with the matching window dressing. I used a bit of wallpaper to make the bench fit in. It use to be an old redwood bench from the garden. I made the seat cusion. All of my materials were scraps from resale or clearance. The chandi was found in my attic when we moved in. I painted it black, added shades and crystals. I put the modern chandi fixture that was there into my laundry room. I love to see chandi fixtures in the laundry room, mud room, and walk-in pantry closets, ect.

Oooohhhhh.....I just love entertaining. What a pretty spread! Orange zest! Have you tried that with French toast? It's reaallllly tasty. I discovered challah French toast right before Thanksgiving and will never go back willingly to plain French toast again. Here's my recipe: 6 eggs 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon good honey (helps to zap for few seconds in MW) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 large loaf challah bread Unsalted butter Vegetable oil Preheat oven to 375. In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. (Can be mixed the night before and refrigerated.) Slice the challah in 3/4-inch thick slices. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side (or a bit longer if bread is really stale), and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a cooling rack that is sitting on a sheet pan in oven for 5 minutes while continuing to fry the remaining slices, adding butter and oil as needed. (The oven time helps bake the bread all the way through.) -------------------------------- Speaking of recipes, I modified my ATK steel cut oat recipe recently after reading about coconut milk (from the dairy section) in a food blog. Toast 1 C steel cut oats in 1 T coconut oil for a few minutes until toasty. Bring to boiling 3 C water, 1/2 C milk, and 1/2 C coconut milk. Add oats when boiling, and simmer covered for 25 mins. Add 1/4 t kosher salt, 1/4 t pumpkin pie spice (I mix my own with fresh grated nutmeg), and 1/4 t vanilla extract (I make my own now). Cook for another 10 minutes. These are yummy and coconuty. Since I usually make mine the night before and reheat for breakfast, I add more coconut milk before I put them in the fridge to counteract the fridge thickening. Your food and arrangement looks great! Isn't it nice to have a dedicated buffet space for party food? Looks like an excellent way to start 2013 in your new kitchen.

OMG, for a year or two I made breakfast for my office buddies (around 20-25). I have a whole slew of great recipes. I tried all different sorts of dishes, many of them savory. Here are a few... Sue Breakfast in a Loaf 1 round loaf bread (8- to 9-inch diameter) 4 ounces sliced ham 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced crosswise 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces) 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces) 1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced and cooked Prepare Scrambled Eggs. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut 2-inch slice from top of loaf; set aside for lid. Remove soft interior of loaf, leaving a 1-inch-thick wall and bottom. Place ham on bottom of loaf. Top with bell pepper rings; sprinkle with half of cheeses. Layer Scrambled Eggs, olives and tomato over cheeses. Top with remaining cheeses and mushrooms. Place lid on loaf. Wrap in foil. Place on baking sheet. Bake about 30 minutes or until heated through. Cut into 8 wedges. =========================================== Don;t forget crustless quiches. Just triple or quadruple your favorite quiche recipe and pour into greased large baking dish. Bake at 325-350 for an hour or so. For a crust, you can pre-bake some hash brown potatoes in the pan for a half hour before adding egg/cheese mixture. ===================================== Sue's Breakfast Lasagna Filling 1 package no boil lasagna, Ronzoni 3 Packages Jimmy Dean breakfast bulk sausage 2 medium onions, chopped 7 garlic cloves, chopped fine 6 Tablespoons Olive oil 2 10 oz packages white mushrooms, sliced 2 Portobello caps, sliced, chopped 3 Tablespoons olive oil 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 large can Whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed Salt 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese Bechamel 6 ounces butter 6 ounces flour 9 cups milk 4 bay leaves 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg Brown sausage with onions and 7 cloves fine-chopped garlic. Heat oil and saute mushrooms over high heat until all juices are rendered and evapoated, and mushrroms are nicely browned. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil and saute 4 garlic cloves for a minute over medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes; Add some salt to taste. Bechamel In large saucepan, melt butter. When melted, add flour and stir to blend. (its a roux at this point) Cook for 2-3 minutes, frequently moving the paste around the pot to cook. Remove roux from pot. Add milk and heat until boiling. Add roux and whisk constantly until very thick (mixture will not reach full thickness until it reaches boiling point). Set aside, but keep warm. Assemble lasagna Lightly coat bottom of 9 x 15 baking dish with cooking oil. Coat bottom of dish with a cup or so of bechamel. Lay 4 pasta pieces over the bechamel, breaking the last one to fit. Cover pasta with a 2 cups bechamel. Layer half of the sausage and mushrooms. Cover with more bechamel. Layer down more pasta. Cover with bechamel. Layer last of the sausage and mushrooms. Cover with 3/4 of the tomato sauce. Cover with last layer of pasta. Cover with remaining bechamel. Dot top layer with tablespoons of remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook @350° for 1 hour. let sit 15 minutes before cutting. Or, cool, refrigerate, and reheat at 275° for 45 minutes, lightly covered with foil. ===================================== Sue's Breakfast Burritos 8 Egg whites 2 Eggs Non-stick cooking spray 6 Wholewheat flour tortillas 1 Can Fat free refried beans 6 Slices Fat-Free American cheese slice, Kraft is best Reduced fat sour cream Fat free salsa Beat eggs whites and eggs. Coat non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Scramble eggs until set. Let cool. Spread 2-3 Tablespoons of refried beans on the bottom third of each tortilla. Place srambled eggs over refried beans. Tear one slice of American cheese in half, and place over eggs. Fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll from the bottom. Place seam side down in baking dish. Finish assembling remaining wraps. Bake at 300° for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa. ==================================== I don't recall where I got this recipe. Ham and Cheese Strudel 1 T Margarine 2 T All-Purpose Flour 1 Cup Skim milk 1/4 teaspoon Fresg ground nutmeg 1/4 Cup Lean Ham, Finely Chopped 4 T Lowfat Swiss Cheese 4 T Parmesan Cheese 1 1/4 Cups Egg Substitute 6 Phyllo Sheets Nonstick Cooking Spray Parmesan Cheese Fresh Cilantro, Chopped For strudel, place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface. Coat dough with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 tsp bread crumbs. Spread egg mixture over bottom third of dough to within 3/4 inch of bottom and sides. Fold in sides. Roll dough up, starting at the end with the egg mixture. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet, coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and fresh cilantro.

Love hearing what everyone is doing. All this brunch talk has me considering hosting the neighbors for brunch after the holidays. May try making the egg benny’s, will see how a practice round goes. Having my family over for brunch tomorrow. Very relaxed meal; biscuits and sausage gravy, eggs, fruit salad and mini cherry pies. Served with mimosas.The sausage gravy recipe was passed down from my southern grandmother, I rarely make it but it is a favorite of everyone in the family. My son makes the best biscuits, so he is making those for us.