I've revised the menu significantly but need to keep the lamb chops. Here's the new menu followed by the recipe for the mac-n-cheese cups which might make it back into the menu in place of the clams...tho I could use a chicken item. Passed food Mini sausage quiche Pigs-in-blankets Baby lamb chops Scallops wrapped in bacon Clams Casino (I am still on the fence about these, but might make them a stationary item) Birds nest Fontina, arugula, and carmelized onion quesadilla wedges Mini Knishes Stationary Lionshead meatballs Shrimp cocktail Crudite with Caesar dip (one in the dining room and smaller trays in the other rooms) Sushi tray (still on the fence about this too) Cheese platter Hot dip in a chafing dish This will come out around 2 hours into the party: Cheese tortellini with Vodka sauce Green chopped salad Breads Mini Mac and Cheese Bites Source: My Italian Grandmother Ingredients: 1/2 lb elbow macaroni 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3/4 cup milk 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup) 4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped 1 large egg yolk 1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika (I used regular) Salt and pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 425. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process and to keep the macaroni from sticking to itself. Spray two 12 cup muffin tins with Pam and sprinkle half the Parmigiano cheese into the bottom of the cups. (Can also use mini muffin tins) In a large saucepan, melt the butter, then over medium heat, whisk in the flour. Cook for two minutes until boiling. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until boiling, about 5 minutes. It should be nice and thick. Stir in the American and cheddar cheeses until melted. Off the heat, stir in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni. This is also a good time to taste and season accordingly. I like to add salt and a lot of pepper during this step. Spoon evenly into the muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano cheese. (I have decided to skip this step and put all the Parmigiano cheese into the bottom of the tins, I think it makes the bites a little too crunchy to have this extra cheese on top, but that's just our preference). Bake in the upper part of the oven for about ten minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes so they don't fall apart. Use a spoon to remove them from the muffin tins.

Kaye, I was too lazy to re type so I copy and pasted from the other post! lol when I make my dump cakes I leave out the butter. Use a cake mix that has NO PUDDING in the mix. Duncan Hines is what I use. I've never made it with peaches, but I make it all the time with pineapple OR mixed fruit. I find that it always works out best by Mix the can of fruit into the cake mix. Pour in to a 9X13 pan and bake ... what ever the box says.. I bake 325 for about an hour. I would think that the smaller the peach bits, the better it would mixl up. I add a can of pineapple to the mix or a can of mixed fruit. I've tried low sugar cherry pie, but it works best when you mix the cake mix with a white soda, pour 3/4 of that into the cake pan, spoon the cherry pie mix over the top and then spoon the remaining cake mix over that and bake. You could use apple pie filling too... with spice cake, or cinnamon cake Pour some of the Costco 3 berry mix into a 9 X 13 cake pan. Add a 12 oz can of white pop to cake mix, stir and then pour over top of berries. Bake for an hour or so and makes a great cobbler >> . . . . I bet you could put the peaches on the bottom, then add clear soda to cake mix... (fresca works well) stir and pour over peaches, cook for about an hour or a little less. that sounds good!

Here's one Sharon Cb shared last year-- perhaps she'll add her photos to this : Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Heirlooms , Traditional & Ethnic English Christmas Cake (from SharonCb 2005 ) ====================== 1 pound flour (4 cup) 3/4 pound butter (1 3/4 cup) 1/2 pound soft brown or castor sugar 1 pound sultanas (2 2/3 cup) 1 pound currants (2 2/3 cup) 6 ounces chopped mixed peel (1 cup) 1/4 pound glac cherries chopped (2/3 cup) 6 large eggs 1/4 pound almonds (1 cup) 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1 tablespoon black treacle (molasses) 1 level teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice 1 wineglass (or more) of brandy 1 Sieve the flour with the baking powder, spice and a pinch of salt 2 Blanch the almonds and finely chop; chop the peel or put through a mincer; quarter the cherries. 3 Put the butter into a bowl and warm it slightly; beat with a wooden spoon Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, using a level dessertspoon of flour as each egg is added. Then stir in the treacle (molasses). 4 Add half the rest of the flour, all the fruit, almonds and orange rind Put the other half of the flour on top, stir and mix well but do not beat. Put in the brandy. If the mixture seems too stiff, add a little milk - the mixture should drop easily from a spoon. 5 Prepare a cake tin about 10 inches in diameter, grease the tin then line with buttered grease-proof paper high enough to come 2 to 3 inches above the top of the tin. 6 Put in the cake mixture, slightly press in the centre to make the cake rise evenly and stand the cake on a layer of coarse crushed salt on a baking tin (or cookie sheet). This will prevent the bottom becoming too brown before the cake is cooked. 7 Have the oven preheated at Gas 4, electricity 350F Put the cake not higher than the centre of the oven - just below if possible. Lower the heat at once to Gas 2, electricity 300F for one hour, then lower the heat to Gas 1, electricity 275 F The cake will take from 5 to 6 hours to cook Test with a warmed fine skewer or knitting needle after 5 hours. 8 After removing from the oven leave it in the tin for half an hour, then turn out onto wire rack, remove the paper. After about 12 hours, wrap in double sheets of greaseproof paper and store in a tin with tightly fitting lid until required for icing. If preferred, the cake can be baked at Gas 3, electricity 325F for 1 hour, then turned to Gas 1 electricity 275F for the rest of the time. Source: The Margaret Powell Cookery Book - London 1970. MY TIP: I made the cakes in mid-October and wrapped them in brandy-soaked cheesecloth in tightly closed containers, removing and resoaking the cloths (in brandy) and rewrapping them a couple of times before I did the marzipan and icing a few days before Christmas. . ICING THE CAKE: - in two stages --------------------------- ALMOND PASTE (Marzipan) 12 oz ground almonds (3 cups) 6 oz castor sugar (3/4 cup) (or fine fruit sugar) 6 oz sieved icing sugar (1 1/2 cups) 3 egg whites few drops almond essence 3 TBS apricot jam, sieved ROYAL ICING - (three days later) 4 egg whites 2 lbs icing sugar, sieved (7 to 8 cups) 4 teasp lemon juice 2 teasp glycerine 1. Mix almonds and sugar in a bowl, then blend in egg whites and almond essence to make a soft paste. Knead until it is smooth, then divide into three equal portions. 2. Roll one piece onto a sugared board to an 8-inch circle. Roll remaining two-thirds to a strip the same depth as cake, and long enough to go all the way around the edge.. 3. Brush the sides of cake with apricot jam. Press long strip around sides and press firmly to join. Place circle of paste on top of cake. Allow to dry for at least three days before icing. 4. Whisk egg whites for royal icing until they become frothy. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat well after each addition. Finally beat in lemon juice and glycerine. To prevent the icing hardening, cover bowl with a damp cloth 5. Spread icing thickly over top and round sides of cake and smooth flat. Leave for a day to set and then decorate with red ribbon around sides. Tip: Using glycerine in the icing ensures that it is not hard. The lemon juice adds flavour and helps tp make a softer icing. Source: Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book London - 1970. MY ADVICE: Buy ready made marzipan, apply it and then top with purchased rolled fondant icing. It's softer and easier than royal icing. SharonCb Notes from Delia Smith Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it. Also can soak the fruits 12 hrs in the brandy prior to mixing. Additional notes for English Christmas Cake =========================================== Mixed spice is a propriey product-common in England & Australia--make your own, grind together 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 tablespoon each clove , mace, ground nutmeg, coriander seeds, and allspice berries Some people add a little ginger for extra 'bite'. Or you can use pumpkin pie spice or allspice instead. Daisyduckworth . Diane, I would use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves if you didn't want to grind them as Daisy has suggested. Here's an English website that sells that mixed spice and lists the ingredients they use. I've haven't seen this type of cake done in a loaf pan. It might not turn out as moist in that shaped pan. I made my smaller cakes in round tins as well - about 6 inches across. As I remember I did 6, 8 and 10 inch round cakes, not all on the same day and used springform cake tins with inserted paper sides higher than the pan as per the recipe. I'm sure the times should be shortened if you're using smaller cake tins.. Darn - I'm kicking myself for not making careful notes last time I made these cakes. I have a notebook where I keep all my Christmas recipes and cooking experiences from year to year but didn't think to make notes in it when I was making Christmas cakes. I know that I used a metal skewer to test for doneness. I have a fan oven so I normally reduce cooking times for most things. I guess you just have to try it once and keep an eye on them as you wouldn't want them too dry or underdone. SharonCb

I've made peach dump cake for family get-togethers. It's always well-received, but it's far too sweet for my and my hubby's taste. It's a can of peaches, the cake mix and melted butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Just use the amount of butter recommended in the recipe. There are definitely dry patches of cake mix. You don't want the top to be covered in melted butter. It all works out.