New Year's diets are boing.

I page through the new cookbooks (both volumes of BAKE are now in my library) and pine to be in the kitchen baking and making a mess. But the family is descending on me this coming weekend, and a big ALL-family dinner on Sunday, and I will spend this Friday baking and cooking to get ready! Get ready, set BAKE!!!

The plans thus far:

***Saturday Breakfast on the Buffet--Rise and Shine after late-Friday arrivals***
Maple Date Pecan Coffee Cake (Bake vol. II)
Hot Cross Buns (Bake vol. II)
Fruit Salad
Soft-Hard Boiled Egg Cups
Fresh-squeezed Orange Juice-Coffee-Tea

***Saturday Tea***
Tea Sandwiches: Cucumber, Smoked Salmon, Roast Beef, Turkey
Birthday Cake Scones (Bake vol. II)
Assorted House Jams
Devonshire Cream
Tea Cakes: Italian Rainbow (homemade cherry jam from my tree--Bake vo. II), Pecan Tassies, Black Forest Thumbprints, Spitzbuben (homemade peach jam), Blueberry Cheesecake Macarons, Strawberry-Pineapple Swirl Macarons (homemade strawberry-pineapple jam).
With the Royal Doulton of course. No periwinkles, just lots of roses and gold. The granddaughters love this.


***Saturday Dinner***
Cocktails
Cheese Straws
Smoked Almonds
Roast Beef and Gravy (8 lb. top sirloin roast for $10 bucks at the IGA today!!!)
Mashed Potatoes
Buttered String Beans
Garden Salad with House Herb Vinaigrette
Butter Rolls (homemade in the Friday Frenzy of course)
Selection of Leftover Tea Party Sweets, Digestifs, and the house Cherry Bourbon Cordial
Coffee-Tea

***Sunday Breakfast at Opas!***
Mimosas, Bloody Marys, Fresh-squeezed Orange Juice-Sekt
Baked German Apple Pancake
Kaiserschmarr'n
Cherry Compote (from my tree of course--3 more gallons of cherries in the freezer)
Sausages and Bacon (local of course)


***Family Potluck (hosting)***
We will set out:
The Bar
Turkey Tetrazzini ( I scored a whole fresh turkey breast at the market)
ALL OF THE LEFTOVERS
And the Family Mitbringsel'n
ALL OF THE LEFTOVERS

***Monday Tears***
Back to Chicago...
Gingerbread Waffles with Maple Syrup, Candied Violets from Demel's Vienna, Whipped Cream, and Rainbow Sprinkles
Bacon
LEFTOVERS THAT ARE NOT EATEN WILL BE PACKAGED AND SENT HOME WITH YOU!!!!