I think the trick is to do as much ahead of time as possible, stick with fairly simple recipes and have one or two Martha-y touches. And as others have mentioned - decor is a good place for the Martha touches, since you can do that way ahead of time. Mashed potatoes are a great option since they fill up a big bowl on the table, most people eat them and they are a snap to make. Why not use vegetable stock and a bit of roasted garlic instead of dairy products? (I know that chicken stock is the generic substitute for butter with dieters, but I think that vegetable stock has a bit more flavor) I'd serve a simple veggie that can be steamed or blanched at the last minute - broccoli, asparagus, green beans - whatever your family likes. Add a bit of lemon or margarine or olive oil to keep the dairy out. (another big bowl on the table with minimal effort) Fruit salad was a great idea. A green salad would be good too. You should be safe with almost any oil-based dressing. Throw in some star fruit or pluots or something to make it seem fancy shmancy. Breads and rolls were my favorites as a kid - and certainly what I see being snatched up at the kid's table at our family gatherings. Bread doesn't need to contain dairy - you could ask what kind of bread the kids normally eat or call your local bakery. Since they are more likely to use real ingredients rather than chemicals, they'll be able to tell you what's safe. Or if wanted to be kind of Martha, you could make your own bread - not a big deal if you have a bread maker or make the dough the day before and slow the rise in your fridge until the day of the party. You've got pies coming. If you want another dessert, there is a great recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that the kiddos would like in The Garden of Vegan. Vegan or kosher recipes are good ways to keep the dairy out. A veggie tray or hummus and pita bread or some spiced nuts are super easy things for guests to nibble on until dinner is ready. I think we forget how delicious things can be with simpler flavors or just a few ingredients. If you fill your menu with stuff like that, you will have more time for one or two knock your socks off details and more time to spend with your guests.

Ditto! This is the recipe that I'm using this year. It was a hit the 2 other times that I made it! Beef Tenderloin With Roasted Shallots **** Submitted by: Christine L. Rated: 5 out of 5 by 328 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes Yields: 6 servings "This tenderloin roast makes a good company dinner, It is similar to Beef Bourgignon, but requires considerably less cooking time. Roasted shallots are added to the sauce along with sauteed bacon bits. The recipe serves 6 and can be doubled." INGREDIENTS: 3/4 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste 3 cups beef broth (two 14oz cans) 3/4 cup port wine (used more) 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste (maybe more) 2 pounds beef tenderloin roast, Trimmed (I used 4 lbs for 9 people) not too chilled! 1 teaspoon dried thyme (didnÂt use) 3 slices bacon, diced (used two) 3 tablespoons butter (used less) 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 4 sprigs watercress, for garnish DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In 9 inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. 2. In a large saucepan, combine beef broth and port. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste. Set aside. 3. Pat beef dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove top, saute bacon until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan; brown on all sides over medium high heat, about 7 minutes. LET MEAT REST FOR A BIT AND COOL DOWN BEFORE COOKING IN OVEN!! 4. Transfer pan to oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees F (50 degrees C) for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil. 5. Spoon fat off top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place pan over high heat on stove top. Add broth mixture, and bring to boil; stir to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste; whisk into broth mixture, and simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper. 6. Cut beef into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spoon some sauce over, and garnish with watercress. This recipe appears in our "Allrecipes cookbook". from Allrecipes.com 12/26/2006

It's just food, food, food all day! For breakfast, we always have an egg and sausage casserole, a jazzed up hashbrown casserole, ham biscuits and garlic cheese grits (with jalapenos -- Yum!) Fruit will be something very simple like cantaloupe wedges or fresh pineapple. I may or may not get around to making muffins or French toast fingers since sweets aren't a high priority with my crew, particularly early in the day. As some leave to go to 'the other' family's house, and others wander in for the first time, we sort of gradually segue into the brunch phase. I'll add their favorite Cajun crab spread with toasted garlic rounds and a dip or two to the buffet. Once the biscuits are gone, we'll bake some rolls for the ham. I make a super-spicy mustard sauce that my children adore and an herb-flavored mayonnaise so everybody can put together mini-sandwiches. There's always some sort of seafood -- usually poached shrimp with cocktail sauce since it's so easy to do ahead -- and a couple of salads (broccoli and pasta are the faves). Oh, and Bloody Marys to help the cook forget how bad her feet are hurting at this point... By the time everybody who had to leave has returned and we've all worked up a little bit of an appetite again, it's usually 7:30 or so. Our dinner menu varies a little, but this year we'll have Boston Clam Chowder as a starter. (Gift from a dear friend who feels sooo sorry for her poor, deprived Southern pal who didn't grow up eating this. lol) Spinach salad with poppy seed dressing. Beef tenderloin, if I can afford it. If many extras are going to turn up, it will be prime rib instead. A green vegetable TBD, and a potato gratin. Dessert will be Italian cheesecake with a strawberry/Grand Marnier topping -- not that anybody will have room for it, but you have to have one, right?

a2g: under the soup recipe I linked the post from mntrdredux where powerbread was discussed, but here's the direct link to the recipe I used. Usually I take the time to make it over 3 days, it has much more depth that way. But it's good to know that in a pinch you can just throw it all together all at once and still have a decent and tasty loaf of bread: power bread The muffins are nothing special, but they are quite yummy and it gets my no-I-don't-eat-vegetables toddler to get a bit of zucchini past his lips. Here's my mom's recipe for chocolate zucchini cake, I just put it into muffin tins and baked them 'til they seemed done (15-20 mins?). I omit the orange rind and do a mix of whole wheat and white flour. Chocolate Zucchini Cake 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup cocoa 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 cup oil 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp orange rind 2 cups grated zucchini 1/2 cup milk 1 cup walnuts/raisins (optional) Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside. Mix oil and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. With a spoon stir in vanilla, orange rind and zucchini. Alternately add dry ingredients with wet to creamed mixture. Add nuts, pour into 10" bundt pan. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour Tami-the pulls are Amerock Blackrock, details of my kitchen can be found here