carrot cake cookie cake and frustratingly finicky friends

Hi hi from Costa Rica. It's "magic light time" here and i can barely tear myself from the view to write this but write i must! I had said that the Monday Missive would continue, albeit in blog form, so i need to be sure to write on Monday, not randomly as i think of things throughout the week. Because i didn't include a recipe last week, let's start there first...then i will give you the backstory. FLEXIBLE CAKE MIX COOKIES/COOKIE BARS 1 box cake mix * 2 eggs 1/3 C oil/melted butter ** =>optionals *** mix all roll into balls (acorn size) and place on silpat tray or parchment paper or push (batter is _thick_) into 11x7 pan bake 350 for 9 (balls) to 25 minutes (bar) let cool "frost", as desired with cream cheese, frosting or powdered sugar * cake mix + optionals chocolate mix with peanut butter chips or chopped nuts spice cake mix with shredded carrot (which is what i made and it was yummy!) yellow cake mix with chocolat chips/nuts white cake mix with shredded coconut &/orchopped macadamia nuts red velvet cake mix with chocolate chips any cake mix without any optionals! i used 1/2 pureed banana and 1/2 oil and chilled the batter overnight (didn't want to bake the cookies too far before the arrival of the guests so that they would be fresh but made a couple "test cookies" to try the day i mixed the batter to be sure that the new recipe wasn't, as Christian would say, an "epic fail") the bar cookies were superior to the balled/individual cookies as they ended up being firmer while the ball cookies were chewier...personal preference We had friends over to play games but these friends are...well...high-maintenance dietarily. I know, i know. This is the pot calling the kettle black as i am, i'll admit it, rather a prickly eater. Anyway, these friends, who we really do love dearly, are...well... worse. P doesn't tolerate any dairy (he says) so only plant-based products. Preferably all organic. He cannot tolerate any tomatoes or tomato products. He doesn't like sugar either, prefering honey b/c it's "healthier" (it's not...body breaks down honey to glucose...like with sugar). He likes coconut milk and margarine. Also, he doesn't do beef, but loves pork and chicken. He doesn't like beans. He is also fond of explaining how this, that and the other thing that we/i eat are bad for the health and we should do this or that instead. J doeesn't like any fruits or vegetables except will tolerate some fruits in desserts (like the blueberries in pancakes) but no fruit that isn't cooked or that he can identify. So, no raisins in cookies or apple/fruit pies. A doesn't do any fats or oils at all. And no meat. Ok with eggs in products (the cookie) but no fat so i did hers with only banana. No milk (has fat) or milk products. And, of course, no meat byproducts (chicken broth soup, gelatin/jello, most red wines). So, cooking for all is a challenge. We generally just drink wine (that A brings) or coffee (no sugar). No crackers (have oil) or tortilla chips (oil) and no salsa (tomatoes). Roasted nuts (oil in nuts and oil for roasting) are out. So, i figured that the above cookies might satisfy some of the 'needs"...and an entire batch (save four small pieces) was inhaled by them in the course of the game. So much for their "rules" in the face of dessert! One of them explained that they're "VUD"-- Vegan Until Dessert!! Speaking of hosting guests, i ask you. When someone is coming to your house and asks you "what can i bring?", what do you answer? And what do you do when said person/people bring something completely unsolicited? When you say..."oh nothing, please, i have lots already prepared" and they bring an entree-size offering. When you say "oh, just your company would be great or whatever you want to drink other than tea/coffee" and they bring an entire spread to rival what you already had planned/prepared? Do you just count on guests providing the snacks? Do you, as was suggested by another, thank them for their offering...and put it in the fridge/cupboard for later as there is already enough out (ie. "thank you so much for those cheeses/fruit pie...that will be great for lunch tomorrow...")? When someone comes to your house and you ask them for dietary issues (allergies and preferences), do you make a point to address them or just make what you had planned and allow them to pick and choose what they can/will do? One of the above guests did just that...when asked to be able to take the dressing/topping on the entreee, told me/us "no...i made this and that is what you'll eat".... We have kind of resolved that we just won't serve meals or even large snacks to guests (or at least some guests...) as it is just too complex. The last meal with two of the above guests left me makeing four (4!!) different plates/entrees to address all the wants/needs/whims of the individuals. And, as it was, the two guests who "don't eat meat" and "eat healthy" said that this didn't apply to bacon (!!) which they then took from my husband's portion, thus leaving none of them with very much and all a bit cranky. Sometimes JOMO is a very real thing. Love my friends...reallyreally....but sometimes it's a relief to eat alone!