Recipe For Prosperity - this is not exactly my recipe but similar (I'm always kind of making it up as I go!) Cream of Mushroom Soup with Wild Rice 1/2 C wild rice 2 C water 1/2 t salt 1 tsp Italian seasoning 2 T butter 1 chopped onion 1 celery stalk (optional) 1/2 C dry white wine 3/4 lb. sliced white mushrooms 4 C chicken or veggie stock 1/2 C heavy (double) cream You can also add some dried mushrooms like oysters and porcinis. Reconstitute in boiling water for 30 minutes and reserve the juice for adding to the stock later as the soup cooks. Rinse rice. Drain. Drop in boiling water with the salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Check the pot and add some water if you need to. Wild rice can sometimes be a bit hard to cook. Meanwhile, saute onions and celery in butter for about 10 mins or until onions start to turn brown. Add wine, reduce until there's about 2 T of liquid left. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring, for about 15 minutes. Add stock. Add Italian seasoning. If you saved juice from reconstituting mushrooms, add it. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add rice and cream. Cook another 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and parsley if desired. Happy Cooking! DD

I wouldn't try to pull off table seating for all those people. If you set up that many tables, you probably won't have room for the meeting. Choose an entree that can easily be eaten with one utensil by a person sitting on a sofa or chair balancing a plate in his/her lap or holding it in one hand -- like sandwiches, a salad Nicoise, or a not-too-drippy casserole or something, as opposed to lasagna or chicken breasts, which you have to cut. You can't control what the others will bring, but it's usually only the entree that would have to be cut. I'd put the buffet on the peninsula. You may not have room for the bar on the same place if a lot of people bring dishes (and remember, you need space for plates, napkins, and flatware). Also, you may affirmatively choose to put it elsewhere for traffic flow reasons. For your entree, aside from the logistical concerns, do you want to choose something that somehow relates to your club, or the theme of that meeting? Or is that too cutesy? It sounds great! Have fun.

Over the years, I've learned to keep large luncheons like this simple. Simple to fix, simple to serve, simple for people to eat with plate on their lap (I'm assuming you are not doing a seated luncheon for 40, but I might be wrong on this point). My go-to for years has been Cheese Strata - yes the kind of recipe found in the old Junior League cookbooks. The beauty of this is that you can make multiple flat pyrex pans of it days ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. The night before, pour the cream/egg mixture over the cheese/bread and re-cover. Bring it out early the morning of the party to come up to room temp and bake. I have silver stands for Pyrex dishes so they always look nice on the buffet table - you only need one - just replace with a full Pyrex pan of the stuff. In the spring, I like to serve fresh asparagus (which can be served hot or cold) and a seasonal fruit salad with poppyseed dressing. I've never served this when there was a single crumb left. People love this!!!! That's why the recipe has been around for decades! Over the years, I've further simplified this recipe. I tear the bread into small pieces, and pour melted butter of it, as opposed to all that cutting/buttering. I don't even remove the crusts - I use GOOD bread. I omit the scallions as some people can't eat even a bit of onion (I'm one!). You cannot go wrong with a recipe like this.

The one thing that is set in stone is engraved shot glasses for my friends wedding. Actually more straight sided so they fit tea lights. Over-ordering so they will be used for veggie cups, probably a chocolate mouse for the 'cake' tier, and table lighting...possibly a gazpacho. They want enough for all to take home a few. No cake. A big tiered affair we are making. Petit fours, various chocolates, mini this and that...massive amount. (we are making the tier) another friend is making and organizing all the sweets. We did a no-no list. No heating or re-heating on site. All fresh do-ahead. No pineapple, no mayo, (except fabanaise), No melon baller, lol. No dips, no bagels, no humus. No charcuterie platters. Yes to mini scones. Maybe to mini frittata. No dance floor, loud music or band. Friends will bring instruments for impromptu music and a few good singers among us. (later around sunset bonfire) A few toothpick items...caprese, watermelon/fetta/cucumber/olive, (square). One all fruit and one all veg/fruit. They want all squares or triangles. Classic crustless tea sandwiches. And probably a club and a pastrami, cubed and toothpicked. For kids, chocolate almond butter and jelly, honeyed cream cheese and Nutella on raisin bread, (so good). Maybe a pinwheel or two. I'm making spring rolls. One rectangle table for tea/coffee tea at two pm. Tea sandwiches, etc. One rectangle table other side of tent for misc veg snacks One round table for 'cake' and misc sweets 3 round tables for sit down, lots of extra chairs service at five pm 2 food stylist/caterers early to prep, (they are fast and precise)...they leave around 2-3pm but will make soup and salads before they leave. Salad in small white Chinese take-out containers. Big kitchen island for prep and oven/stove can be used but trying to avoid too much of that. Everything at the same location/waterfront. A friends home but stipulation was a tent and an executive port-a-let...very nice one. After service not decided. Probably a small catered Bbq/clam bake/bonfire Fhew, first time I wrote that out. I've been doing shopping lists and loose budgeting.... Oh, they booked and paid for 20 rooms at a great spot nearby for mostly flight travelers and will host an open bar after party there. Invited 110, probably final tally will be 85-90