baroness

Zoe, Would you please share the bread recipe? It sounds wonderful!

I've had a Bosch range for several years and am very happy with its performance - including the oven.

I visited one near the Delaware-New Jersey bridge recently. I liked the spicy grilled catfish and the apple butter; not the string beans. Don't think we need to resign!

Some of the 'pastry' brushes in the stores surely LOOK like natural bristle paint brushes...I've had one (so packaged) for quite awhile and it seems fine.

For the eggs, you could make the filling and store it in a zipper-close bag. Snip off the corner of the bag to pipe the filling into the egg white halves as you make the trays. IMO, 200 eggs, with all the other choices, seems too high. I'd make 96 (4 dozen). If you are a member of a warehouse club, check out their pastry trays. I've found very decent baklava assortments which are wildly popular. And if you overbuy, any sealed packages could be returned.

The only similar item I see in my RoT catalog, the 'citizen's traveler press' does not state that it is dishwasher safe (which is not unusual for these double-wall mugs). My rule for these items is if it can't go in the dishwasher, it doesn't go in the microwave.

If you use the plastic 'sheet protectors' from an office supply store, you can store them in 3-ring binders. These are also great for using recipe cards that have info on both sides, as you can flip them with sticky fingers.

I disagree *strongly* with eliminating the shrimp and chicken salads. Many people are eating less - or NO - red meat these days. And they tend to be younger, demographically. This event is in June, so the warmer weather will make salads even more appealing! Vegetable trays are a good idea to add color and lighten things up a bit, but do offer more than one dip choice. Keep the tomato and mozzarella salad, IF you can get good tomatoes. It offers a different flavor profile for those who find feta too assertive, and adds another vegetable (which is one category I find a bit thin in this menu). I do like the idea of a little buffet for the children...but how will the kids feel about it? I always hated being stuck @ the kid's table when I was one--and I would want the 'adult' food. Conversely, some of the non-adventurous adults might eat all the 'safe' food meant for the kids. -------------- As far as estimating quantities is concerned, there are charts for 'quantity cooking' in some cookbooks and probably online as well.

How many people are you inviting/expecting? Day of the week? Time frame?

I saved the 'Hungarian' shortbread recipe from another online source that used jam as the filling, but haven't tried it yet. These notes from a review of the recipe may be helpful: "i definitely recommend baking the bottom crust first because if turns out uncooked if you don`t. 25 minutes should do it. then add the jam and topping and cook for the time the recipe says, it is easy and really tastes great. keeps well too. " If you pre-bake the bottom as suggested, I think you could finish it all on Friday -- or at least the bottom crust.

I made Dorie's Coconut Tea Cake, adding the zest of a blood orange and a few drops of pure orange oil, to welcome new members to our church. A few snips of forsythia added a bit of color. I got my Heritage Bundt pan from Kerekes (bakedeco.com). This cake is becoming a favorite!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a great macaroni and cheese! Other ideas in the comfort-food range: meatloaf oatmeal cookies apple crisp great tomato soup to go with the grilled cheese

I agree with pastrygirl. Cottage cheese is moister and less tangy than cream cheese. Another recipe search term would be "Italian" cheesecake, which is typically made with ricotta cheese.

Our family recipe is similar, making the glaze from 1 c. each sugar and water, 3 T. cornstarch cooked until clear. Add 1 c. crushed berries and cook until thick. Remove from heat and add a little lemon juice (food coloring optional). Cool glaze completely and spoon over berries in shell. Chill several hours and serve with whipped cream. Pedie, I * would* like to hear more about this coconut crust!

Thank you all for your ideas and tips! The ordination service was very moving, and the reception was lively and crowded. My platters were emptied quickly, as were many others--only some desserts remained at the conclusion. I ended up making: Cranberry-orange-pecan bread (home-baked) with cream cheese and Hummus with paper-thin carrot slices on brick oven white bread, garnished with flat parsley ( I sought 'wheat' brick oven bread without success) Lesson learned: When making dainty sandwiches, far LESS filling is required than I estimated. I used less than a pint of hummus, and less than a pound of cream cheese. Time to find some ideas to use up 2 lbs. of cream cheese! edited to add: Yes, Karen, I sang as well!

I prefer Assam or Keemun with particularly sweet items such as iced cakes. For less sweet tea items, I like Oolong, Nilgiri, or Darjeeling.

That's a good, flexible category. If it had to be just one recipe, I'll choose Peter Reinhart's 'Struan'.

Another matter to keep in mind when tea shopping: 4 ounces of loose tea will brew 40 to 50 cups on average (this is Western style, one infusion). Do the math; tea can cost considerably MORE per pound than coffee, but less per cup! From the TeaSource.com website: "Tea is the most affordable luxury in the world. But at first glance it may seem expensive. A tea that costs $100.00 per pound only costs 50 cents per cup when brewed. A pound of tea will typically yield 200 cups (vs. 40-50 cups from a pound of coffee). Also, many of the teas in our collection will yield as many as 4-6 infusions from the same leaves (particularly oolongs and greens). For many teas, those later infusions yield the most interesting flavors. Since most of the caffeine is released in the first infusion, this is also a way to reduce the caffeine content."

I attended one of King Arthur's "Baking Across America" classes recently and the topic of Trader Joe's came up. They suggested e-mailing, writing, or talking to the store managers about stocking KA; supposedly Trader Joe's is more customer service oriented than some other grocers. They (TJ's) have reintroduced other items; with enough pressure, maybe we can get 'our' flour again!

I prefer this style, too -- crisp outside, chewy center, and no condensed milk flavor!

I agree; the 'Lion and Globe' brand peanut oil from Hong Kong is very fragrant.

Because last in is blocking the view of first in. ← I use a marker to label most items on arrival with the month and year -- right now it's "3.9". That makes it easier to use the older can of tuna or whatever first.

Hummus is definitely on my short list, but I'll need an alternative to pita -- whole wheat, rye??? I could add paper-thin carrot slices and/or a little romaine for color and crunch. It would be easier to plate at the church; I'll have to talk to our choir director to see if I will have time to assemble the platters on site (or TELL him I need the time and possibly extra hands!)

Or do TWO fruit options -- citrus and berry. Edited to add: Your life will be much easier if there ISN'T any choice. If there is variety: Some people will want 'one of each' You may run out of an option before everyone is served No matter what you offer, someone won't like it! It's only dessert, after all.......