I'm on the citrus page after all that fried food. People might want something refreshing, but small. What about something bite-sized, like these snickerdoodle key lime bites? with whipped cream, they'd be even "lighter" tasting, I think. http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitche...

Bacon! Or possibly fried chicken. Hellish on health, but utterly delicious.... Cool thread, loving reading though all these!

string them and let them dry naturally? keeps them handy and looks quite decorative...

just saw this, and thanks for the tip - i always did the running water trick as well, but this way there's less guilt over wasting so much water!

Sign me up on the "add a little buffalo for flavor" list - alone it's almost too lean for a great burger, but added to regular beef? Delicious. There's also a hybrid critter called a "beefalo," but I've never tried it. But maybe mixing buffalo with a higher-fat cut of beef might be worth a try.

I agree absolutely. Offering to help would fall, imo, under "thoughtful and gracious" rather than "necessary for politeness' sake."

The name "texas caviar" never fails to make me smile and drool all at once! A nice flavor addition is, if you can, to grill the corn before taking it off the cob. Adds a ton of depth to an already great dish. It's so versatile!

ooh, i've never tried sage jelly, but it sounds like it could be wonderful, a savoury equivalent to mint jelly. will definitely be trying this, and the pesto as well.

and the smudge stick idea is a good one, too -- lol, doesn't just rid the house of evil spirits, but evil smells, too! :)

I'd suggest maybe adding a nice hearty (but still light and summery) caponata, too. Has that "meaty" look, which might balance the colors and textures you already have, and is finger-food friendly with crackers or bread rounds. There's a good simple recipe at epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...). Sounds like a great party!

What about simple mini sandwiches that don't need mayo or dairy products? Less chance of spoilage with minimal refrigeration. Maybe something like mini pitas with hummus, taboule, and grilled chicken?

Mango-ritas are always fun, too...

Too funny, a friend of mine just brought some over last week that she'd experimented with putting fruit loops in! A little too fruity for my taste, but they were colorful and I think would be fine for kids. Then again, I prefer mine plain :)

These are awesome recipes (and advice) - I'm a fairly recent crockpot convert, but love the ease of it. Bookmarking lots of recipes from this thread, thanks!

These are all great! Nifty one found on youtube was for peeling garlic. Break the heads apart (smacking them once does the trick), then put them into a stainless steel bowl, paper and all. Put another bowl of the same size on top (rim to rim) and shake like mad for half a minute or so. Peels the garlic beautifully without smashing it.

Thank you for posting this! High vs low tea is one of those questions I always meant to look up, but never got around to, so now I know. Sounds like the OP (and the kids) are going to have a wonderful time.

It's also yard-sale season, and there always seems to be a table at each one with assorted old glassware. Might make for some interesting vintage bottles, for a unique gift each time.

Onions, of all things. Couldn't stand them for years, but my bff kept putting them in things and eventually I got tired of picking them out. Now I'm an onion junkie, they go in everything!

Add my vote to the list for Eggplant. I've tried it a thousand ways, and just never enjoy it Kohlrabi, on the other hand, is a favorite that I can never find!