going it alone

Hey everyone
I just finished my 5th batch of extract "kits" But now I want to mess around and build my own recipe. soooo... here is what i purchased

1 lb 2 row pale (Steeping/mini mash?)
1 lb crystal (Steeping/mini mash?)
1 lb sparkling crystal (DME)
6 lb gold (LME)
1 oz vanguard
1 oz german hallertau
1 oz cascade
Wyeast 1056 A.A.

Any thoughts or suggestion? I'm completely new to this...
Thanks!

2-row pale malt needs to be mashed (mini/partial or all grain)
crystal doesn't need to be mashed (steeping) but you can put it in the mini mash no problem. you didn't list what color crystal (20L/40L/120L, etc) and that matters a bit.
a lot of dark crystal can impart a lot of strong flavors that may not 'work' in the beer. the color and flavor changes as the roast darkens.

if you want to dip into the mini-mash realm, cool, but I'd up your 2 row a little bit. maybe 3lbs of 2-row, mashed with the crystal doing the 'bag' method people talk about on here (sorry, haven't done it myself, but i hear it works well).

can't comment on the hops because you did not list the AA % or the hop schedule. hallertau is a good 30 mins down to flameout addition (flavor, aroma), pretty sure vanguard can be a bittering hop, and cascade definitely can.

My suggestion: hit www.beertools.com and signup for their free online account, and then input your recipe/ingredients using the "specialty beer" category (since its wide open for style guidelines), and see what it gives you for OG, IBU's etc.

for a first try, and no style provided...it'll definitely be beer. you can't go wrong with a base malt and some crystal, and the right balance of hops. you just need to find that balance using the ingredients you bought.

using 8 types of grain and 4 hops is fun, but a good brewer should be able to make good beer with just a couple of ingredients. exactly like a good chef.

don't feel like you must use all 3 hops in this batch, but if you really want to, by all means do it.

Thanks man for the advice, much needed I assure you.

Hops schedule:
Vanguard(4.8 AA%) 60 min
Hallertau (3.8 AA%) 45min
Cascade (5.2 AA&) last 2-3 min

I think im going to drop the crystal and DME and go with Vienna and 2-row(partial mash)

I'm kind of basing this on Brooklyn lager (malty with lots of hops on the nose and finish, nice dark amber color)

I have had really good success so far with my beer so I'm looking forward to just messing around. I'll let you know how it turns out.