You may have noticed there's no indication with this party of how many guests to invite. For a 40th party, why not invite 40? For a 50th, 50 and so on. You may need to make the recipes multiple times, or feel free to fill in with some purchased items.
Up to 1 Month Before
- Bake cake layers for Double Chocolate Cappuccino Cake; wrap cooled layers and freeze.
- Make Lemon Curd Cheesecake; tightly wrap and freeze without garnish.
- Bake Low-Fat Cherry-Almond Angel Cake; tightly wrap and freeze unglazed.
The Day Before
- Toast bread for the Garlic Beef Bruschetta; store loosely covered at room temperature.
- Glaze Low-Fat Cherry-Almond Angel Cake.
- Remove cheesecake from freezer if frozen; refrigerate until serving.
The Morning Of
- Make Strawberry and Peach Cream Trifle.
- Fill and frost Double Chocolate Cappuccino Cake.
About 5 Hours Before Guests Arrive
- Marinate Hot and Peppery Cocktail Shrimp.
About 3 Hours Before Guests Arrive
- Prepare Maple Chicken Drummies up to the point of baking. Cover and refrigerate.
- Prepare Roasted Asparagus and Gouda Canapes up to the point of baking in step 3. Cover and refrigerate.
About 1 Hour Before Guests Arrive
- Garlic Beef Bruschetta.
- Maple Chicken Drummies.
About 15 Minutes Before Guests Arrive
- Make Sparkling Citrus Punch.
- Make Roasted Asparagus and Gouda Canapes.
- Bake Hot and Peppery Cocktail Shrimp.
- Set foods out, starting with ones that need no refrigeration.
- Place last-minute garnishes on foods.