Wow! Thanks again for all of your input. It is helping a lot. I really like Woodie's egg and potato casserole. If I do that, can I eliminate the potato salad? (As a little aside, I think I should add that I don't eat eggs. I hate them! However, I do accept that others enjoy them, they are easy to prepare, and are cheap. So, they really are great for entertaining. However, I do have a hard time envisioning them as part of a menu.) I think I will leave the veg dish up to DH. He claims he can do it, and his cousin (whose wife wore the fur coat in May) will be staying with us, and he is such a gem - will be a huge help, too. I can see the two of them outside, chopping vegetables and hanging out by the grill, and laughing it up! Or, maybe he wants to make life a little easier and make one of the marinated dishes posted here (they both sound yummy). As for his foot - he should be in a walking cast by that point. If he doesn't feel up to it, well... screw it. I'll call the market. I'm not going to get all stressed about it. Bread, bread, bread, everyone mentions bread. I thought I had too many starches as it is. Along with mini-rolls for the ham, should I pick up some bagels, too? At first I thought no, but now I think it might be a good idea, especially to fill up the kids. What do you guys say about the granola trifle? Keep it or cut it? I must admit that this brunch is something I kind of fell into. The cousin is getting married, and we are all thrilled. She is a terrific girl who had waited a long time for Mr. Right (she is 34). Anyway, she mentioned her mom was planning an after-wedding brunch, and DH and I offered for her to host it here. The aunt has a small house and yard, and we have a great place for entertaining, so it made sense. Then, SIL and I were discussing a shower for the cousin, and it would probably be at my house. Well, I realized that since I'm going to be getting the house ready for the brunch already, why don't we just do the brunch instead of the shower? It would be loads easier on the aunt this way. Sooo, I offered the brunch. At first the bride hesitated to accept our offer because they were planning on such a large guest list. I must admit that 120 invites was more than I was expecting. However, what could I say? "Forget it, that is too many people. Your mom can do it after all!"? So I assured her it was fine, and that is how I ended up looking like such a brave woman. I am very happy to do it, I love DH's family and they have always been wonderful to me. I just wish that I had an extra half day and a little healthier budget! But hey! I've got the CF, and that is going to help a lot! Thanks again, Nicole

Brunch party is done and it went beautifully :) It was a housewarming party of sorts as none of our friends had seen our house after we finished the remodel and moved in. Thanks to all of you in the cooking forum, the food was amazing. Like any good party, we packed some to-go goodies and have some left overs for us to enjoy over the week. Here is the final menu and how it worked. Scones a la Ann_t -- I made blueberry, raspberry and orange cranberry. Baked last night and served warm today after reheating in the oven. These were awesome and hugely popular. Baked oatmeal from Mabelgeldine's recipe with bananas, blueberries and walnuts. This was great and we have some leftover for this week. Yeasted waffles (marion cunningham's recipe that Ann_t posted a while back). I tripled the recipe and the batter doubled a couple of times and I had to beat it down. I finally refrigerated it late last night. The waffles were great. I served with sliced strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup. My batter is never as runny as the recipe says. I did add 3/4 cup extra flour as described for the Belgian waffle. I may try with less next time. DD made Ina Garten's rosemary potatoes. She woke up early to cut 5lbs of red, white and purple baby potatoes. We used some rosemary springs from the garden, salt, freshly ground tellicherry peppers and whole cloves of garlic with the skin. Baked in the steam oven and it turned out great. DD who is 8 was really thrilled with her first party dish being a hit. Fritatta - I read many recipes and finally adapted a couple to make a baked version in my all clad lasagna pan. This turned out really delish. I used 18eggs, a cup or so of milk, a 1/4 cup of cream, 1 cup grated gruyere, about 8 tbsp of goat cheese. Seasoned the custard with minced herbs (marjoram, thyme, basil, italian parsley), truffle salt and some grinds of pepper. Sautéed minced shallots, thinly sliced asparagus, 1red bell pepper. Seasoned with salt and pepper and some of penzeys granulated garlic and Fox run seasoning. Layered the sautéed veggies, poured the custard. Arranged slices of tomatoes on the top from the garden (San marzanos, yellow pears and red cherries), dotted with the goat cheese. Baked in the steam oven at 360 for 35 minutes. It was polished off. Definitely something I will repeat and experiment with again. Fruit salad with a dressing of agave, lemon juice, mint. Brownie bites for dessert. Fresh orange juice and apple juice rounded up the menu. We decided to skip the alcohol this time :)

No way will I even sample everything. Not that big into turkey and dressing. So the Eggs Benedict, are a must, the Connecuh and Chicken sausages , maybe sample an omelet Bacon Merk's Braised Short Ribs and Good Gravy A must the ambrosia cheeses and end with pecan pie which I love love love Of course one bloody mary :o)

If you have a green salad, I'd suggest Cathy/Mustangs Fig and Proscuitto salad. She uses arugula, but I use spinach because it's more easily available here. I don't even like salad, usually, but I just love this stuff and it would go nicely with quiche. Mustangs' Salad with Proscuitto, Parmesan and Figs 4 tbls olive oil 2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto cut into strips 1 tbls raspberry jam 3 tbls fig balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup dried figs, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces 1 tbls finely chopped shallots 5 cups baby spinach (she uses arugula, I think) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted 2 oz Parmesan, shaved into thin strips 1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat; add prosciutto and fry until crisp, stirring frequently for about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel to drain and cool. 2. Whisk jam and vinegar in medium microwave-safe bowl; stir in figs. Cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic and microwave on high until figs are plump, about 45 seconds. Whisk in 3 tablespoons oil, shallots, ? tsp salt; toss to combine. Let cool to room temperature. 3. Toss arugula and vinaigrette in large bowl; adjust seasonings with salt. Divide salad among individual plats; top with portion of prosciutto, walnuts, and Parmesan. I don't usually plate it individually, I put it all in a large bowl and let guests serve themselves. Annie