My sister decided that *we* needed to design and cater the event rather
than to pay someone to do it. And that it should have some sort of
Italian theme. She got space at a boat club she belongs to and proceeded
to get nuts about the arrangements and details.

She *made* the tablecloths. Picked the fabric, cut it to size and serged
the edges so they'd be perfect. Napkins. Buffet table drapes. Wall hangings.

Delegated decorating jobs to other relatives and friends and said she
wanted ideas for food from me. She'd do the food, she thought. As the
date approached, she became more unhinged and demented and her voice
ascended into the coloratura range. Her sentences got shorter and
shorter as we got closer. Her typical type "A" personality kicked in
full blast and I think she was probably barking out orders in her sleep.

So, to preserve what little sanity remained, I volunteered to actually
do the food. It's very telling when I'm the stabilizing influence. Oh,
BTW, they're in New Jersey and I'm in Virginia. Went up a day ahead so I
could pick up the last-minute things that had to be fresh, fresh, fresh...

Here's what I did for the event. I brought all sorts of trays, plates,
bowls, baskets, chafing dishes, platters, slabs of slate and marble,
copper cookware (that I actually polished for the occasion), etc. This
is an edited version of the email I sent to lots of family members.
Somewhere there are pictures, but I was busy at the time, so I don't
have any. On Saturday, I took my time (it was a strange kitchen and I
knew I'd spend a lot of looking and fetching minutes). Started about
10:30 and finished setting everything out about 4:15. Party started at
4, theoretically, but the crowd actually arrived around 4:30, like I
figured.

Everything here is authentically Italian because I say so. And my magic
wand here proves it. Ok, would you buy "Italianish...?"

bagna caoda - two different ones on their own warmers in different
places in the room with some raw veggies, breads and pasta around them.
We'll use a small copper chafer for one and a candle under a fondue pot
for the other. Veggies would include (assuming availability and
quality): carrot strips, cauliflower and broccoli florets, sugar snap
peas, celery strips, bell pepper strips, fennel and whatever. Breads
would be slices of Italian bread, oven-toasted. Pasta should be some
sort of macaroni easy to fork, like cavatappi.

red peppers and capers - roasted and peeled pepper strips, olive oil,
capers.

Marinated mushroom and artichoke kebabs - two mushrooms and an artichoke
heart on a small bamboo skewer

chickpeas - with some herbs, a small splash of white wine vinegar and a
large splash of oil.

Canellini beans - with a balsamic/garlic oil dressing

Fava beans - in a light tomato sauce

Prosciutto and melon - Pieces of peeled melon wrapped in prosciutto. (we
used honeydew)

Italian meats - like mortadella, Genoa salami, sopressata, coppa, etc.

Pepperoncini and some Italian-style hot stuffed cherry peppers.

Stuffed mushrooms - I cheated here. I bought crab cakes and lobster
cakes from a trusted local caterer and used them. Broke them into pieces
and stuffed the shrooms. They vanished in a flash.

Cheese ravioli with marinated mozzarella bocconcini - just cooked the
ravioli and tossed them with the cheese and the marinade they came in.

Caponata - with grilled bread slices

Pastorio salad - mixed salad greens, cucumber, red onion rings, yellow
and red pepper strips, slices of different cheeses, ham, garlic
vinaigrette dressing. We lined a bowl with bread slices and filled the
center with layers of tasty stuff. Added a good glurg of vinaigrette at
each layer. Put a weight on it for an hour or so so smoosh it all
together and served it cut into wedges.

A frutti di mare salad of calamari rings, tiny shrimp, mussels, etc.

Several different cheeses - gorgonzola, grana padano, smoked provolone, etc.

Several different breads - Ciabatta, grissini, foccacia, olive bread,
large Italian loaves

A few oil flavors for dressing and dipping - I brought a dozen bottles
of different infused oils and threw in some vinegars for good measure

Broccoli, cauliflower and pasta - Cooked together with a creamy
(mascarpone, lemon juice, capers, oil and Parmesan) dressing

Bruschetta, crostini - a pate of chicken liver Venetian-style. And
chopped tomatoes with an anchovy or two for seasoning, fresh herbs, a
dash of oil and vinegar.

Beverages - Wine punch, soft drinks, coffee with fixings.

Biscotti and cookies, a selection of Italian pastries - This got out of
hand because several people decided to bring desserty things. Decadent
and lovely.