Thank you all so much for your replies and ideas. The phyllo dough demo went over very well last year and we did not have anyone in the group of 20? (ages 30-60) who had ever used it. They all seemed to really enjoy seeing it used and had a lot of questions. I talked briefly about puff pasty and none had used that either, so hence, this year it is. A few of the ladies are good cooks but cook basic southern cooking. I have no idea if anyone will actually make anything I show, but it is fun and entertaining! The cured salmon made me laugh...must be a northern thing. Now if I made jerky venison.... One of my close friends always brings something to our groups that is lovely, one year she brought smoked salmon and lots of garnishes...beautifully presented. It went untouched. Dh and I pigged out afterward on it. Most social occasions seem to have an abundance of chocolate fountains, m&m's, hotdogs, store bought french onion dip... So, I did think about yeast rolls and I may do a savory filling for the turnovers. But not mushroom (sorry Ann, but I appreciate the recipe- I like mushrooms as much as you like carrots) I would like do something really easy but if possible, not bready. Can't do canned biscuits- just hate them. (I know, P. Farm puff pastry isn't much better!) I have a recipe for ranch dressing, rosemary grilled chicken that is a little different, may do that on skewers. Hmmm, how to use a pastry bag? How to pipe whipped cream into strawberries? Caramelized onion dip? Stuffed, rolled, turkey breast? (I like this idea) I truly am reading and pondering everyone's ideas. Thank you so much.

Well, it's going to be the soup (in small mugs; I don't have any soup mugs). Also hot rolls, the dried apricot/mascarpone/walnut appetizer, and blackberry cobbler from the bakery for dessert. Maybe ice cream with the cobbler, or else just leftover cream from my soup recipe. Makes for an awful lot of cream in this menu, but I guess it will be okay. I'll put out green onion tops to sprinkle on the soup. There is no store even 35 miles away that carries chives. I posted a question about the soup recipe because although I've made it many times it's never seemed to me like the amount of squash called for is right. Thanks so much to all of you for your help.

I am doing all my prep work tomorrow...did all the shopping today. Turkey-chop all the vegies,cube the bread and crumble the cornbread, make the compound butter and shove it under the skin, boil up the turkey wings I bought for stock (I like lots and lots of gravy, so I want extra stock to add to the drippings). Rolls-make dough, and refrigerate after first rise. Vegetables-clean & chop the kale (and make the bacon), chunk the parsnips, carrots, beets & turnips to be ready for roasting (and decide at last whether I will add the yams to this mix or roast them in their jackets), mince a load of garlic and herbs(for many things)and boil and mash the potatoes, ready to reheat Thursday. Soup....I've got to make the soup. And I haven't decided what kind of soup to make yet. I'm leaning towards French onion because I've never met anyone who doesn't like it, and though time consuming, it's easy. That or my broth based tomato soup with quinoa and veggies...it's light, easy to make, and a bit spicy to egg on the appetite. Pies-make the pie crusts, chop the pecans, measure out ingredients so they'll be ready to throw together and into the oven. I'm making a Kahlua pecan pie with chocolate chips and a pumpkin. I think I'll bake them Thanksgiving morning, before I put the turkey in...the smell will make me feel festive and drive my husband crazy. :D As for appetizers, I think I'm going to keep it pretty simple. Some cream cheese and olive stuffed celery because I've had it every Thanksgiving of my life, and so has my husband. Gouda & Cheddar with crackers. Spiced nuts and olives. I have some yogurt cheese balls marinated in olive oil and fresh herbs, garlic & red pepper flakes that I will serve with some crostini. I have prepped like this for many years, and it makes Thanksgiving day a much more fun, relaxed celebration rather than a hot, hectic, stress fest. My husband's mother and brother will be a couple to three hours late as usual, but I told them I was serving at 1:00, when I'll actually be serving at around 4:30. Hey, you gotta handle these things...better to be crafty than waste time being annoyed. We have fun, making bets as to when they'll actually show up as we have our sippies and gradually begin not to care when they show up, or if. :D

I found this recipe yesterday when looking through some craft sites. Looks so refreshing, a must try. Lemony Lemon Bread This recipe makes two loaves and freezes well, so you can enjoy one when you make it, and enjoy the other loaf at a later date. This bread takes a bit of time to prepare, and requires at least 4 fresh lemons, but it is just as good (maybe better) the next day, so feel free to make it the day before you plan to serve it . ~ For the Lemon Cake ~ 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups sugar 8 large eggs, at room temperature 1/4 cup grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons) 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ~ For the Lemon Syrup ~ 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup sugar ~ For the Lemon Glaze ~ 2 cups confectioners' sugar 4-6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice Making the Lemon Cakes (Recipe yields two 9"x5" loaves) Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray sides and bottom of pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper and spray the paper as well. Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Blend the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until combined. Slowly add the melted butter, while mixing. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, one third at a time, until all the flour is combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325*F and bake another 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the Lemon Syrup ~ In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and invert the baked and (mostly) cooled loaves onto the pan. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves. Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 30 minutes. (The soaked, but unglazed loaves will keep well, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen, for up to 6 weeks.) Make the Lemon Glaze ~ In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture is too stiff, add up to another 2 tablespoons lemon juice (a little at a time) and whisk again. Pour the glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving. The glazed loaves will keep for up to 3 days, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Recipe Source ~ Baked, New Frontiers in Baking