So I am having a group of about 7 women over for dinner tonight. We don't know each other that well, so I want to impress people, but it should be pretty relaxed. I don't know the dietary restrictions so I figured I would do a menu of heavy appetizers with a few vegetarian and a few meat options. Bear in mind that I need to keep the budget pretty low, and have to execute everything in a total of two hours.

So far I have:
green pea and parmesan dip with crudite and crostini
pesto, sundried tomato, and goat cheese pizza (dough is already made and rising)

What I can't figure out is, I want some kind of meat thing that isn't Italian but I don't want to buy a ton of specialty ingredients. Thought about chicken satay, but I'm really unsure.

I also want to do some cheese option but I don't know what, was considering brie en croute.

Help! The party is tonight and I can't decide

My birthday is this weekend, and the lovely boyfriend asked me what special breakfast he could make to celebrate. For some reason, I can't come up with anything that I want. I was just looking for some creative and fun special breakfasts for two. I eat everything, and the only parameters are that I really prefer savory breakfasts, and if they are sweet they need to be sweet and savory together. Obviously, I could just leave this up to him to decide, but he wants my input! Thanks!

has anyone seen fresh corn yet in manhattan? i know it is early but i have a craving. Thanks!

I have some sweet italian sausage that I have to cook tonight. I am looking for a recipe using it that is a departure from the usual sausage and peppers or tomato sauce. Most importantly it should be as cheap as humanly possible, this is a bad time of the month for my budget. I would really appreciate any advice you guys have!

Since it is winter, which obviously is a perfect time for wandering around the city, I am looking for great cheap food adventures in the five boroughs. Beyond the obvious like Flushing, Chinatown, and the East Village, are there neighborhoods that I might not know about that are wonderful just to go to, wander around, and try different kind of food/particularly delicious foods. It is mostly important that it is accessible by subway and extremely cheap, since I am looking for ways to spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons that don't kill my miniscule budget. Thanks!

Does anyone know a really good but relatively widely available (I just need to be able to buy it in New York city) brand of olive-oil packed capers? Thanks!

Anyone have a suggestion for a really great recipe?

I have a three pronged question. I am having a dozen friends over for a potluck dinner party this weekend. I will provide a vegetarian pasta dish and they are bringing dessert, sides and bread. It really needs to be vegetarian, since I am the only meat eater who will be attending. So. First, does anyone have any good recipes for vegetarian pasta dishes? I would prefer if it is something baked, becuase then I can get ready and clean up while it is in the oven and before people get there. Small apartment, so I don't really have room to be cooking while people are trying to bring sides and re-heat on the stove etc. Also, I am thinking lasagna, but I was wondering if anyone has a clue why my mother's recipe always has watery tomato sauce and the ricotta gets this weird grainy texture. I would love to make that, but I need some suggestions for fixing it. Third, how much do I make for twelve people? Four small eaters, four medium, and four big. Thanks everyone!

I need help. I cannot think of something to make for dinner tonight. My boyfriend is coming over, so it can't be my usual fried eggs and toast. No pork or shellfish (roommate keeps kosher), but does anyone have any suggestions for a fall-like simple dinner that is just the tiniest bit special. Also nothing that even remotely resembles chili, I had it for four meals last week. Thanks!

So I attempted carbonara for the first time this weekend, with mixed results, and I want some advice. I got guanciale that looked fattier than it does in pictures, but I figured it would be okay, and followed Batali's recipe. For some reason, it was just overwhelmingly porky, to the point where I didn't want to eat the pieces of meat. Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be? Am I just not used to the intensity of this type of pork, or is there a possibility the piece I had was way too fatty?