I've posted this recipe many times. It's a great make ahead and can be served hot or at room temp. A bit different. Chicken Marbella 9 pounds chicken - either whole birds quartered or a combo of thighs and breasts (If-using breasts be sure not to overcook) 1 head garlic peeled and chopped 1/4 cup dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup pitted prunes 1/2 cup pitted Spanish olives 1/2 cup capers and a bit of the juice 6 Bay leaves 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white wine 1/4 cup Italian parsley -- chopped Combine chicken garlic, oregano,salt,vinegar, oil, prunes, olives. capers and bay leaves. Marinate & refrigerate overnight. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large baking dishes. Spoon marinade over evenly. Sprinkle chicken evenly with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. Bake in a for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350. Do not over cook. Transfer chicken and prunes etc to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Pass the remaining sauce in a sauce boat. If preparing a few days in advance refrigerate cooked chicken in the sauce and allow to come to room temp before reheating, just until warmed through. If serving cold allow to come to room temp before serving. This pasta salad posted by Woodie is always a big hit. It makes a lot! Pasta Salad - Woodie 1 lb small shell macaroni,cooked and drained 1/2 lb provolone cheese,diced 1/2 lb salami,diced 1/2 lb pepperoni,cut in half lengthwise then slice into cubes 3 lb tomatoes,seeded and diced 3 ribs celery,diced 1 green or red pepper,diced 1 can black olives 1 jar pimento stuffed green olives 1 red onion,diced DRESSING 3/4 cup oil 1/2 cup vinegar 1-1/2 teaspoon salt fresh ground pepper 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp basil celery salt to taste Mix dressing and pour over pasta, refrigerate until serving This one can be made up to 8 hours in advance and makes a nice addition to a buffet. Nice change up from pinwheels. Stuffed Baguettes 1 Baguette or French stick 2 cups spinach leaves, chopped and packed 4 oz cream cheese, room temp 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped 1 TBSP milk 4 cups minced ham 1/3 cup toasted pistachios, chopped 1 TBSP Dijon mustard 1/3 cup mayonnaise Slice the baguette lengthwise. Hollow out the bread leaving the shell about 1/2 inch thick. Rinse spinach and shake off excess moisture cook in just a bit of water until the leaves are wilted. Drain and squeeze dry and chopp in the food processor ( I just use frozen and ensure it is well drained). Combine cream cheese , dill , milk, and spinach until spreadable. Combine ham, nuts, mustard and enough mayo to make a moist filling. Spread cream cheese all over the inside of the shells. Spoon the ham mixture into the bottom shell, mounding slightly. Place top of loaf back over the filling. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and as long as 8. Serve cut in slices. let us know what you decide on for a menu!

Nancy, I actually prepared the insides for the sandwiches already and we'll assemble them at 1:00 on Sunday. I read some of the stuff is good for a week in the fridge and some is good up to 72 hours in the fridge. The only thing I'm afraid I made too early is the cream cheese, butter and mint mixture I made that on Wednesday. It smells fine but I don't know if that is going to keep okay for 4 days in the fridge. I'm doing the Salmon and Cream Cheese spread for the bagel chips as late as I can so it can be mixing at least 24 hours but no more than 48 hours in the fridge. That way everything is done since I'm doing most of the work (I have a two year old and am 8 months pregnant) it will be easy because the last thing to do will be assemble the sandwiches. The shower is 20 miles away so I have to transport all of the food and the buffet equipment and decorations over there Sunday morning and I can't do anything from this evening to tomorrow evening because it is Shabbat. Everything starts at 2:00 so I'm hoping 1:00 will give us time to assemble the sandwiches and they won't be soggy by the time guests arrive.

You can change this one up by using, minced ham or canned crab, or salmon. I often make three different types so everyone has a choice. Stuffed Baguettes 1 Baguette or French stick 2 cups spinach leaves choped and packed 4 oz cream cheese room temp 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped 1 TBSP milk 4 cups minced ham 1/3 cup toasted pistachions chopped (optional) 1 TBSP dijon mustard 1/3 cup mayonnaise Slice the baguette lengthwise. Hollow out the bread leaving the shell about 1/2 inch thick. Rinse spinach and shake off excess moisture cook in just a bit of water until the leaves are wilted. Drain and squeeze dry and chopp in the food processor ( I just use frozen and ensure it is well drained). Combine cream cheese , dill , milk, and spinach until spreadable. Combine ham, nuts, mustard and enough mayo to make a moist filling. Spread cream cheese all over the inside of the shells. Spoon the ham mixture into the bottom shell, mounding slightly. Place top of loaf back over the filling. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and as long as 8. Serve cut in slices. Here is another Muffuletta recipe. Excellent and can be made the day before. SOunds harder than it is. Real N'awlins Muffuletta (Weed) 1 Cup pimento-stuffed green olives crushed 1/2 Cup drained kalamata olives crushed 2 Clove garlic minced 1/4 Cup roughly chopped pickled cauliflower 2 Tbl drained capers 1 Tbl chopped celery 1 Tbl chopped carrot 1/2 Cup pepperoncini drained 1/4 Cup marinated cocktail onions 1/2 Tsp celery seed 1 Tsp dried oregano 1 Tsp dried basil 3/4 Tsp ground black pepper 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar 1/2 Cup olive oil 1/4 Cup canola oil 2 (1 pound) loaves Italian bread 8 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami 8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham 8 ounces sliced mortadella orcappicola 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese 8 ounces sliced provolone cheese Directions 1. To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the~ green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, Jcelery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight. 2. To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half~ horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer 'bottom half' of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace 'top half' on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters. 3 Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.

A couple of tea sandwiches we made for a bridal tea were; Cucumber Tea Sandwiches-open faced 8 slices white bread-centered cut out with bisquit cutter 1 English cuke 1 package cream cheese, softened 1 tsp garlic salt chopped dill weed chopped chives sliced black olives Mix well in a bowl cream cheese, garlic salt, dill, and chives. Cover and chill in fridge. Slice the cuke with a mandolin to get thin slices. Spread the cut bread with the cream cheese mixture. Top with slices of cukes. Top with a slice black olive. Salmon Tea Sandwiches-opened faced pumpernickel bread-crusts removed, cut into triangles 1/2 lb smoked salmon-thinly sliced 1 package cream cheese-softened finely chopped parsley finely chopped watercress 2 TBSP lemon juice pinch of cayenne pepper dill sprigs for garnish Mix cream cheese, parsley, watercress, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a bowl, chill. Spread cc mixture on bread triangles. Top with slices of salmon. Garnish top with dill sprigs. We also made closed chicken salad tea sandwiches which consisted of chopped cooked chicken breasts, celery and seedless green grapes. This was mixed into a curry dijon mayo. Served on rye bread topped with a small lettuce leaf and then the chicken salad. Good luck with the shower! NancyLouise