Bejay I think pistachios are grown in California, as well as almonds and walnuts. The problem with the pecan is that if we do not get cold enough weather they fall with their husks, instead of opening their husks and then you can harvest the nut. The first year I was here I went around collecting all the little pecans and made a pecan pie. Last year they were lousy. We'll see this year....I wish I could replace that pecan tree with almonds and pistachios....but it is a very large very old tree, and for now the squirrels are very well fed! There is something else I do with almonds that I like a lot, but I could use some suggestions if anyone here does it as well. I have health issues with dairy milk, and soy milk tastes like chalk in my coffee, so I like almond milk. I have been buying it from Trader Joes, but I figured I could try making it at home as well. The problem is that I cannot get it to completely become 'milk' when I filter it I do get a whole lot of solids to filter out. I do use the almond solids in other things (nut loafs, veggie burgers, soups) but I would like more of the almond to go to the milk if you know what I mean. I have tried a food processor (not very good) and an immersion blender works better, but still not perfect. Any suggestions on a better gadget? or method? What I do is let slivered almonds soak in water overnight, and then blend. Let it sit and use a fine colander or sieve to filter solids out. This works, but I get low yield, it seems like I should be able to get more milk out of a cup of almonds. Oh, the ratio I use is about 1:5 almond:water.

Use beaten egg white. Brush on the top of the cookie then sprinkle the nuts.

The lemon cream cheese balls sound like they could be pretty similar to the cheese cake. I would definitely like a lemon choice, but I'd make it a lemon cookie (have a lemon cornmeal slice and bake cookie that is very good if you want the recipe), a madeleine, a meringue or a macron, lemon bars, lemon tart. Biscotti are a maybe in my book -- assuming they are made smaller and not too hard (requiring dunking) they might work. For a party, I'd try to do more variety and choices that seem a little more special. Pllog's suggestions are more in the direction I would be thinking. In addition to the strawberries and orange peel, you could do dried apricots and other dried fruits) Finger foods can easily include cake bites (sheet cake cut into bite sized squares) as well as mini cakes, pies, tart, brownies, etc. made in mini muffin tins, I've made a crumb topped pumpkin spice cake for crowds and served it cut into small squares set into cupcake liners -- easy to pick up and easy to eat. Any snack cake, pound cake or quick bread is a possibility as well as cake bites with a cute dollop of frosting or whipped cream. I would like to see a cookie with a jam center (apricot, strawberry, raspberry) (thumbprints, a strip cookie, sandwiched cookie or a crumb topped bar. etc.) How about a coffee flavor (coffee meringues, mocha macrons, an espresso brownie)? Gale Gand's Just a Bite might give you some inspiration (I keep trying to find an occasion for making her vacherins with raspberries and cream -- tiny meringue shells with whipped cream topped with one perfect raspberry and a mint leaf -- gorgeous!). She also has creme brulee done on a spoon -- just a bite! Works with finger foods and gives a fun presentation. The ruby raspberry jellies are also on my must try list. Flo Braker's Sweet Miniatures is another book you might want to look at. Consider fudge, caramels or marshmallows -- poured into a pan and cut into squares. Put the square in a mini cupcake liner and you just upped the presentation. Or take the spoon cue and serve by the spoonful -- who doesn't like to eat fudge from a spoon? I think you are getting to the time of year when you can add pumpkin, spice, apple, and cranberry flavors and people will be ready for them. The pumpkin pie reminds me of a pumpkin dessert dip (made with cream cheese, in case that's too much like cheese cake) and served with sliced apples, ginger or orange things. Do some of those ideas work?

It does sound good. I've seen pictures of Sandra's sister and read references to her bakery, but didn't know she'd written a book. I just looked this one up on Amazon and discovered she's written several. What a baker she must be! I just finished The Way Life Should Be,, a novel that includes a lot of Italian cooking--with recipes at the end. It made me want to go to Maine. But then, everything makes me want to go to Maine. :-) From Booklist: "Angela Russo, a 33-year-old event planner in New York City, has a job she finds monotonous, a lackluster love life, and a best friend who suggests trying an online dating service. Angela signs up and, on a whim, extends the site's geography search to include Maine, picturing herself in a cozy, rustic cottage by the shore. Before the inveterate Italian cook can say cacciatore, she's met her Maine man--the handsome sailing instructor Richard Saunders. He sends her a flurry of haikus and flirtatious e-mails, and after a professional disaster befalls her, Angela finds herself driving up the coast to explore a new life with him. When she arrives in Maine, however, it is not the picture-perfect storybook scene she anticipated. But with her love of cooking and dreams of a cottage by the sea as guiding lights, Angela learns to live life and achieve success on her own terms."