Here's the recipe.....came from Gourmet Magazine lots of years ago. Biscotti Di Prato 3 3/4 C all purpose flour (stirred till fluffy before measuring) 2 C sugar 1 tsp double acting baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 4 eggs 2 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla ( or 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract if using almonds) 1 2/3 c almonds or hazel nuts coarse chopped and lightly toasted. eggwash Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. whisk together eggs, yolks and extracts, add eggs, etc to flour mixture and stir until a dough forms (looks like it can never happen... but keep working it...it will. I sometimes add a VERY little sprinkling of water) add nuts, turn out on a non-stick surface ( I use a marble board or my formica rolling board) and knead 3 or 4 times. Divide into fourths and shape each piece into a 11 x 2 in. log ( make it "tall" as they flatten while baking) Place on buttered and floured baking sheets, brush with egg wash (egg yolk whisked with 1 T water). Bake at 350 for 35 min and cool 20 min. Slice 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place on clean baking sheets ( cut side down) and bake 10 or 12 minutes at 275. turn pieces over and bake another 10 minutes. If you want to make them extra fancy, dip half a slice in melted chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. You can make bigger 'scottis by making two thicker logs, but be sure to leave room for spread. Best dipped in tea or coffee....or best yet in a sweet dessert wine! Enjoy! Linda

Hey Eileen! Hi all ! Wow, this stuff looks great...I've been cutting and pasting since the top of the thread. I've copied some of my new rcipes, and some old favorites... pick and chose at your pleasure. They're all tried and true and are delicious... Don't know if you're planning to hire help, but I find that for a party of this size it makes a huge difference if I have someone serving and someone pacing the dishes and doing last minute prep and plating - and clean up! It's very affordable too - usually around $25 per hour per person. I usually have them for 4 hours, and give them an hour's gratuity. Ok, here goes... Ceasar Dip (this is best when made a day or two in advance)- Cooks Illustrated Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tablespoon minced parsley 2 medium garlic cloves -- minced 1 teaspoon anchovy paste Fresh ground pepper Combine all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Transfer dip to serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until flavors blend (at least 1 hour) Serve cold with crudite ARTICHOKE-PROSCIUTTO GRATIN Adapted from: "Bon Appétit October 2002" I just served this on Thanksgiving with toasted baguette and carrot dippers (cut carrots on severed diagonal) and endive. They loved it. Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cans artichoke hearts -- (14 ounce) drained, chopped 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto -- chopped 4 ounces Mild Blue Cheese 10 ounces Goat Cheese 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup Chopped walnuts -- toasted 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage Toss together chopped artichoke hearts and prosciutto. Mix in Blue and Goat cheeses. Pour cream over. Sprinkle pecans, Parmesan, and sage. Bake at 350 until gratin is bubbling and sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Antipasto This year we had a platter of the following on Thanksgiving: Grilled artichoke hearts (our favorite Italian store has them - they're still on the stem and delicious) Fresh salted mozzarella - sliced thick Fresh tomato slices Fresh basil Dried sweet salami Hot and sweet stuffed cherry peppers Mixed olives Roasted peppers Asiago cheese Served alongside a basket of bread sticks and toasted baguette ------ LionsHead Meatballs I love, love, love these...and serve them in a beautiful chaffing dish or crock...they're a nice alternative to Swedish meatballs. You can prepare the meatballs ahead (don't cook them) and freeze them on a cookie sheet. When frozen, place them in a zip lock bag until ready to use. When ready to use, DO NOT DEFROST, just saute them in a oiled pan and continue with prep as written. 1 cup "lite"* coconut milk 2 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 pound lean ground pork or beef 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup minced leek -- white and pale green part only 1 small head Chinese cabbage - diced 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger -- optional (I leave it out) 2 teaspoons seeded and minced fresh chile pepper -- optional 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil *If you can't find 'lite', use regular, diluting with 1/2 water. 1. Combine coconut milk, soy sauce and curry powder in a large saucepan. Set aside. 2. Place pork (or beef), scallions, leek, cabbage, cornstarch, flour, sesame oil, ginger, chile, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 3. Knead by hand until thoroughly combined and the mixture becomes sticky. 4. Shape into small (golf-ball size) meatballs 5. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the sides. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. 6. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. 7. Bring the coconut-milk mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs; cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 - 45 meatballs (this long cooking tenderizes them) Adapted from: "Eating Well Magazine eatingwell.com" ------ As an alternative to the Lionshead, and in keeping with the Italian theme, you can make mini Italian meatballs and serve them in a crock alongside small dinner rolls, so folks can make their own mini meatball heros. ----- I serve these with varying sauces, but they're great with just a squeeze of lemon Sue's Crab Cakes with Mustard Mayo Sauce Yield: 24ish Lots of crab and just enough bread to hold it all together. I have made these ahead of time and just reheated before serving. 2 lbs. Backfin or lump crab meat (Costco has 1 lb cans) 2 C. Fresh breadcrumbs 4 large eggs 1 C. Heavy cream 1 T. Dijon mustard 4 t. lemon juice 4 t. Tarragon - dried 4 t. onion - grated salt/pepper 1 C. Panko plus 3 cups for coating (Janpanese 'breadcrumbs') 6 T. Unsalted butter Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce (for crab cakes) In bowl, combine crab meat, breadcrumbs, an 1 C. panko. In small bowl, whisk eggs well and add cream, whisking. Add cream mixture, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, onion, and salt/pepper to crab mixture and combine well. In a large skillet heat 1 T. of butter over moderate heat until foam subsides. Take mounded tablespoon full of crab mixture in hand, and pat panko onto the crab cake to coat (don't try to dip it in the panko as the cake will fall apart). Drop cake into pan and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes - until deep golden. Carefully turn over and cook 2 - 3 minutes more. The cakes may be cooked a few hours ahead. Place on a cookie sheet and cover. When ready to serve, reheat in 350° oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce (for crab cakes) 1/4 C. Mayonnaise 2 1/2 t. Stone ground mustard 1/4 t. fresh lemon juice 2 t. capers (optional) In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days ahead. ---------- Shrimp Salad (Chunks of shrimp with garlic, celery, lemon, and olive oil)- can be made a day in advance. We serve this on Christmas Eve as a nice light appetizer. Mom made this for years, and it never goes out of style. It;s a nice departure from Shrimp Cocktail. 2 lbs Shrimp (we buy the large shrimp sold at the seafood counter in Costo (4 lbs for 38.99 her on LI) - they're sweet like sugar 3 stalks celery (I like to slice it about an 1/8 inch thick - if they're too wide, cut stalk lengthwise before slicing) 2 Garlic cloves - sliced very thin or minced through a press Olive oil Lemon Salt/pepper Cut shrimp into 3 pieces, toss with celery and garlic. Drizzle with Olive oil (not a lot, just enough to coat) and juice of lemon (until mixture is balanced). Season with salt and pepper. Chill for several hours or overnight. ---------- Grilled scallops with Bacon Scallops Bacon Wrap bacon around each scallop, secure with long metal skewer you can line these up on a skewer, just allow some space in between so they cook evenly). ------- Grilled baby lamb chops with mint sauce on the side Prep these ahead of time and finish right before serving. 4 racks of lamb (Costco has nice ones) Rub roasts with a mixture of rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 until about 125 degrees. let cool. Cut alongside each bone to make individual chops. Place on flat roasting rack, cover, and set aside. Right before passing (these should be passed so folks get them hot), give them a quick cook under the broiler, turning once...serve immediately. ---------------- Hope this helps... sue

I just searched for "ginger brandy".. but I wouldn't knock yourself out trying to find the ginger. Calvados is the brand of apple brandy I am most familiar with.. I'd think they'd have that. Pear William is the only pear brandy I know-- that one is pretty expensive as they grow the pear (on the tree, i believe) IN the bottle. It's a small proportion of the other fluids so I can't imagine something else will "ruin" the recipe. After all this, I hope you love the recipe! The search sadly takes away from its simplicity!

Uuuuuuuhhh, where are you located? If my tree had that kind of asymmetric blotching, I'd send a picture to the local citrus station. It could be serious. Is your fruit also kinda weirdly bitter? Have you noticed little bugs sucking on your tree, kinda brownish looking?