My garden and house caters first and mostly for my dog - he's the most pampered pet you can imagine :-) This includes his own doghouse in the garage (that he hardly ever uses, but is used by the roaming cats in the neighborhood, much to Timmy's distress), an enclosed front porch with doggie door, basket, rug and private sofa, free roaming of the garden, two more beds inside the house, etc. You get the picture - he's the king of it all :-) As for wildlife, since we live on the foothills of a small mountain range and part of a natural park, we do get quite a lot of critters. We have a birdbath that is used not only by the birds but also by the bees and wasps, of which there are gazillions (we are in a honey producing area). Birds in the garden include sparrows, robins in Fall and Winter, loads of blackbirds, gold finches and a multitude of others I can't name. Last Saturday I saw my first swallow of the year. Above us on the hill we can frequently spot hawks, of which there are some colonies in the park. At night owls are a frequent visitor and we can hear their calls many times. Cuckoos are also a familiar sound as soon as Spring is here. I have a lot of evergreens in the garden and this provides excellent nesting sites for the birds. Preferred are the bay trees, laurustinus and the conifers. I'm constantly finding nests whenever I prune anything. I had a resident bat for about a year, sleeping in a closed garden umbrella we had on the patio. Unfortunately I had to remove the umbrella because the wasps decided it was a good place to nest, so it had to go. I was already stung twice, didn't want to be stung whenever I opened the umbrella! Still, bats visit frequently and it's common to see one or two flying around the garden at dusk. Some years we have glow worms in the Spring, which I absolutely love. It's magical to see them hovering around the garden at night. Other assorted critters include geckos, small lizzards, snakes, mice (yuk!), crickets, locusts and the occasional hedgehog. In terms of specifically catering for critters, I keep the birdbath going all year (we don't have hard freezes) and try to plant things I know will be used by the wildlife. This includes berry shrubs like pyracantha which are a major hit with birds in the cold Winter months. I also have a weeping mulberry tree and let its production go to the birds, who have a feast with the fruits. The compost pile is also a good feeding ground and there's a little bird that spends hours there hunting for the small fruit flies that proliferate inside the pile. Butterflies are catered for with things like lantana, mock orange and buddleia. I need to add more larval food to cater for butterflies, but haven't come quite up to it yet. I don't use any sort of chemicals in the garden, don't even spray the roses, and this of course translates into a welcome sign for critters, even if it means that slugs and snails are huge, sigh... I don't use a slingshot to get rid of them, like Edna does ;-), but I do throw them onto a neighbooring field that is kept wild. All in all, I consider a privilege to have wildlife in the garden and have been slowly educating myself to encourage it as much as possible. Eduarda

For my wedding last year we had a heavy Hor-dourves meal. That seems to be really popular these days. It included pieces of chicken on skewers, meatballs in sauce that people ate with toothpics, foccacia, and fruit and veggie trays with a variety of dips. One fruit dip I make that goes over well is really simple: a tub of Cool-Whip and a tub of fruit-flavored yogurt. One thing that always seems to be a hit is a piece of melon with proscuitto wrapped around it. For some reason that taste combo sits well with people. I've made an easy cake for parties that is esp. popular for kids. All I do is make a one-layer cake, frost it with chocolate frosting, arrange chocolate chips on the top, and arrange twinkies concentrically around it to where it looks like a sunflower. Does that make sense? If you click on the link at the end of this post and scroll down you'll see a picture. I went through my recipes and here's what I found: this recipe is meant to be low-fat (which some people might like), but I'm sure you can use regular ingredients, too. I thought you might like it because it's more elegant than some hot bean dips: Hot Black Bean Dip 1 can (16 oz) fat-free refried black or pinto beans 1 c (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream 1 c. salsa ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper ½ c.(2 oz) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese cumin, to taste Preheat oven to 325˚. Combine all ingredients except cheese in a 3-4 cup shallow baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with fresh cut vegetables. This pumpkin dip recipe is so good, and very easy. It's great if you don't want a dessert that is too heavy, and it lends itself well to a buffet-style meal. HARVEST PUMPKIN DIP INGREDIENTS 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Apple and pear slices, graham crackers (sticks work esp. well) SERVINGS 28 PREP 10 min. TOTAL 10 min. DIRECTIONS In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Gradually add the pumpkin, pie spice, vanilla and ginger; beat until smooth. Serve with fruit. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/2 cups. This recipe is also great for a crowd because people can just grab them and go! Cheddar Chili Cups Chili Cups Ingredients: 2 (15-ounce) cans vegetarian chili 1/2 cup sliced green onions 6 (4-inch) hard round dinner rolls Toppings Ingredients: 6 slices (1/2 ounce each) LAND O LAKES® Cheddar Cheese 1/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Sour Cream 2 ounces (1/2 cup) LAND O LAKES® Cheddar Cheese, shredded Cherry tomatoes, if desired 1. Combine chili and green onions in 2-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (3 to 5 minutes). 2. Meanwhile, hollow out rolls with serrated knife, leaving 1-inch shell. Place 1 slice cheese in bottom of each roll; fill with 1/2 cup hot chili. 3. Top each with 2 teaspoons sour cream; sprinkle with shredded cheese. Serve with cherry tomatoes, if desired. Makes 6 servings. Well, that's my 2 cents. Hope this helps, and good luck!

I've not used a caterer for personal parties but work often with them for professional events. A few thoughts: -Before you call anyone, have a budget in mind and a general idea of what you want to do; sounds like you already have a direction with the 'heavy appetizers'. Be aware that there may not be a cost savings using appetizers v. a main dish because caterers often charge per count and ordering a lot of different apps can really add up fast -Speaking of budgets, don't be afraid to ask the caterer how you can save money. Some things can be trimmed with little effect such as using (nice) disposable utensils and plates--and some things may be non negotiable such as having nice china and silver :). It's a very individual area so don't be afraid to ask where and how you can/should scrimp and where you should go big -Be open to listening to a caterer's ideas. They do this every day, so even going in with your budget in mind and an idea of what you want, let them throw out some suggestions once you start discussing your party -You might want to rethink having staff/servers. Friends and volunteers are nice but you can't deal with them in a 'businesslike' way and if you are already going to the expense of using a caterer, a few hours of help may not add too much to the final bill -If you can find anyone who has direct experience, ask for names of caterers with proven track records, from friends or colleagues who used X and can confirm X did a great job. Catering is one of those aspects of an event that if done well is invisible, if done poorly will ruin your evening and be talked about for a long time and not in a good way!

I haven't catered but have prepared food for gatherings ranging from 30-50. The key, I have found, is having access to adequate pieces for serving/entertaining such large groups. In the past few years, I've prepared food for showers about 40 attendees, and a neighbor is a former caterer who has numerous platters, pitchers, glassware, vases, linens and so on that were so helpful. So much of this process, for me, was having pieces to store food that was prepped, and then later that was in line for serving. I can work in small kitchens as long as I have adequate storage and serving pieces. I can't speak to costs, as I do this for friends and family who chip in or for whom I'm doing this as a gift. I love the darkroom sink! I'm very picky about sinks, and find those little island prep sinks a complete waste of space. I have a single big sink now that can hold a sheet pan. My next kitchen will have a massive sink like that darkroom sink, and there will be 2 faucets in lieu of a main sink and prep sink.