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@Kitchenista - the best dough recipe for pierogi that I know is as follows:

3 cups of AP flour
1 cup of (very) warm water
1 egg
1 tsp of vegetable oil
pinch of salt

Mix first with a wooden spoon until the ingredients come together. If the dough seems too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it is ready. It is best to knead for at least 10 minutes.

My father grew up in communist Poland in a system where if you wanted to get the good cut of meat or if you wanted the cashier to give you a rare and coveted item from the 'storage' you had to treat the cashier like royalty. If you were a man that often meant flirting and charming the cashiers.
Unfortunately this habit stuck with him when we moved to Canada. When I was a teenager I was mortified to go to the grocery store or bakery with my dad because he would always chat up the cashiers. He would make comments like (and you have to imagine 50 year old man with a thick Eastern European accent), "You look particularly beautiful today!" or, "Did you do something with your hair?" Thankfully I have gotten over the embarrassment, and now see that the cashiers actually enjoy the flattery.

Sachetorte in Graz, Austria. Perfection.

I deep-fried some sour cream donuts as well. Looking back it was rather anticlimactic, but it was the best deep frying I have ever done.
I third Kerosena... a classic dish for a classic line.
But whatever you decide to do, enjoy it!

How about "make your own" crepes? I did this recently when I had some friends over and it worked well. I made a bunch of crepes in advance, kept them warm in the oven, and then everybody put their own together, with some of my suggestions. You can have savoury crepes first and then sweet ones for dessert.

Roger Cohen also wrote a beautiful op-ed that involves food:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/opinion/05iht-edcohen.html

I would certainly agree with AliceBlue. Adding some citrus zest will make the biscotti go better with any herbal teas.
If you want to go with cantucci, or something with chocolate, and if your mom prefers lighter teas, I would actually suggest a good darjeeling tea to go with the biscotti. It is a black tea, but it still has a very delicate flavour.

French toast and apple fritters.

That sounds like a really interesting project!

Perhaps you can bake a yeast cake together, with streusel and some fruit. It may be interesting for the girls to see what baking with yeast is like. They would have fun kneading, but you would have to worry about making individual cakes or dumplings.

You could also make little schnitzels strips, so that they are kind of like chicken fingers, but made more traditionally in the Central/Eastern European way.

Another dessert-like idea is to make crepes with quark cheese. I'm Polish, and at my house we actually have these as the main course. You can blend the cheese with some sour cream or yoghourt, and add some sugar and cinnamon. A simple filling, but it's to die for.

Another easy recipe is a bean and sausage stew with tomato sauce. Or why not just grill some pork sausages? Do any of the girls have food restrictions?
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauerkraut-with-Polish-Sausage-734

Is it me or is pumpkin becoming more and more popular? I may be too young to remember, but I don't recall pumpkin being used in so many ways before. It seems like all the fall recipes I've been reading include pumpkin in some shape or form. Maybe someone can provide us with some historical perspective?

I can totally empathise - nothing ruins my mood easier than a poor meal when you're expecting something much better. How I respond depends on my mood and on the circumstances. If the waiter seems to be genuinely interested in what was wrong, I tell him/her, albeit in a diplomatic way. On other occasions I know that there really is no point in complaining.

I always bring along a mix of nuts. It'll keep you satiated for the long road...

Doner kebap on a toasted baguette with loads of mayo and french fries.
And pad thai.
@GirlFromJetCity - couldn't agree with you more about the side of hot man.