Planning a brunch following our baby's baptism the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I want to get input on the menu. It will be outdoors and with a newborn and toddler, I am trying to keep it relatively simple. I'm thinking we'll have about 25 guests and for the menu I have in mind:

Granola and yogurt with honey (I've been using Ina Garten’s recipe for dried cherry, almond, cinnamon granola which I may use, but am open to suggestions).

A cheese board (maybe Bonne Bouche, Coastal cheddar, and perhaps a cheese ball) with nuts and some kind of autumnal fruit (grapes or something else?).

Quiche (thinking Nancy's petite quiche for the bite-size convenience factor unless you guys have a better idea...we'll have to bake them a few hours ahead and cover them in foil).

Cinnamon donut holes from a local shop

Giada’s spiced apple-walnut cake

Coffee with homemade pumpkin syrup, possibly tea, and prosecco with orange juice, maybe hot chocolate for the kids

Appreciate any input! Will this be enough food? Is the quiche enough for a savory option? Will people be sick of pumpkin spice right after Thanksgiving? We'll have to set up the food before the baptism or maybe have someone set it up during the baptism. I'm not sure about the logistics of keeping the tea and coffee hot. I was thinking we could just get a carton of coffee from a coffee shop, but not sure about tea/hot chocolate. Thanks in advance!

I recently read Alice Water's "My Pantry" and it got me thinking about my goals in the kitchen. I'm not sure if I'll ever make my own vinegar or cheese, but I would like to start with making my own chicken stock and stop buying it. Other goals:

1) Grow my own herbs and eventually other vegetables.

2) Eat dinner at the table and not at our counter.

3) Bake bread.

4) Organize my pantry!

5) Figure out how to get my 2-year-old to eat more vegetables and less pasta.

6) Make pasta.

7) Use my wok more.

8) Make kombucha.

9) Make macarons.

10) Try one intimidating recipe a month.

I always wonder whether certain things are worth making (bread, vinegar, yogurt, cheese), but I can always try it and see. Curious to hear from others and what you're working towards!

We're having my son's birthday party at the park this weekend (9am!) and we'll be having donuts and breakfast burritos along with milk and maybe juice. I want to have an iced coffee (latte?) option and I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about this. I suppose the Starbucks grocery store variety or International Delight could be fine, but then I look at all the fancy cold brew concentrate varieties like Chameleon Texas Pecan or Mocha and wonder if I should try one of these. (The individual ones look nice, but too pricey!) Any suggestions? Pioneer Woman has an iced coffee recipe that looks really tasty; she makes it with sweetened condensed milk and half and half. I'm just wondering if I should make a pitcher that is already sweetened to keep it simple or just have the iced coffee with vanilla/hazlenut syrups/half and half/sweetened condensed milk on the side. Is that too complicated?

We're hosting an Italian dinner party and this is what we're planning for the menu:

Appertivo: Bellini
Antipasto: black truffle salami and crackers, Macarona almonds, green and Kalamata olives, bruschetta (burrata, tomatoes, and basil)
Primo: ricotta gnocchi, spaghetti carbonara
Secondi: grilled lamb chops
Contorno: white bean and arugula salad
Formaggi e Frutta: grilled soft cheese with honey, thyme, and apricots
Dolce con digestif e caffe: olive oil cake with lemon curd, coffee, and Fra Angelico

My question is whether I should drop the bruschetta so that our guests have more room for the later courses. Would bruschetta be too carb-heavy? Otherwise, any other suggestions?