Holiday Appetizer Party

Are you in need of a delicious appetizer recipe for a Holiday get-together? Here are 3 that I have recently made and gotten rave reviews:

Spinach-Artichoke Party Cups

36 small wonton wrappers

1 small can(8 1/2 oz)artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 of a 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 325 and spray mini muffin pan lightly with PAM. Press one wonton wrapper into each cup and spray lightly with PAM again. Bake about 9 minutes or until lightly golden. Repeat with remaining wontons.

Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.

Fill wonton cups with mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake about 7 minutes or until warmed through. Enjoy.

Marinated Cheese

1(0.7 oz) envelope Italian dressing mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 Tbsp minced green onion

2 Tbsp water

1 1/2 tsp sugar

12 oz block Monterey Jack cheese, chilled

12 oz block Cheddar cheese, chilled

1(4 oz)jar chopped pimiento, drained

Wisk together first 6 ingredients.

Cut cheeses in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange slices in shallow dish alternating monterey with cheedar and overlapping slightly. Pour marinade over cheese and cover and chill at least 8 hours. Arrange cheese on serving dish and pour marinade over it. Top with pimiento.

Serve with french bread slices and water crackers.

Roast Beef Party Sandwiches

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

2 packages party rolls

2/3 cup peach preserves

1/2 cup Dijonnaise

3/4 thinly sliced deli roast beef, chopped

1/2 pound sliced Havarti cheese

Slice the tops off of rolls without seperating the individual rolls, creating a top and a bottom per package. Spread preserves on the top portion and sprinkle with nuts. Spread dijonnaise on bottom portion and layer on roast beef and cheese. Cover with top half of rolls and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Slice into individual sandwiches.

Easy, Yet Beautiful Table Decor

We are down to the last few days before Christmas....I swear Thanksgiving was just last week!! Here are a few simple, but so cute, table decorations. I love this idea for anyone who loves the "retro/modern" look. Those old fashioned Christmas bulbs never looked so good! The larger vase has a smaller vase inside, filled with water and a floating candle. The bulbs just cover the space between the two so you don't need as many bulbs as it looks.

I think we all know that it doesn't get any simpler than putting Christmas balls in a jar or vase. What I love here is the color combination of black and red, and the unexpected detail of extra balls sitting atop candle sticks.

These little Christmas balls have been glued to a small mirror disc that you can find at the craft store. The top hanger piece has been removed and tiny flowers and berries are set inside. These would make adorable place settings as well.

Gone are the days when you have to spend a fortune on flowers to get an impact. The simplicity of these tulips in tall vases makes just as much impact.

What is there to say here, but Gorgeous!? Pink and brown have been a hot color combination for a while now. Coffee beans are the perfect filler and the greenery adds the perfect "pop" of interest!

pictures courtesy of BHG.com

Dress Up Your Chairs

How about dressing up the backs of your chairs for the holidays? Afterall, it probably is the first thing someone sees when they are coming to the table. Here are a variety of ways to dress up a variety of chair styles: photos courtesy of BHG.com

Dining & Designing Divas-Christmas

Here are the pictures from the Christmas tables at the Dining and Designing Divas event I went to last year. The dining table below is topped with a Christmas tree skirt! Great Idea!

A cute way to dress up the backs of chairs and the stockings match the tree skirt...I mean table cloth!

Tree centerpiece on the buffet table.

Here are the ends of the buffet table.

I like how they used a wrapped present to add height to the cake plate.

My two favorite details about the buffet table are the layered fabric runner and the covered button on the corner of the table cloth. You can't tell from the picture, but the button topped off a pleated corner.

A "Plaid" Christmas Setting

I have been busy working on our Christmas Cocktail Party for tomorrow night. You know the drill...shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating. But I came across this interesting twist on Christmas decorating. Scottish Plaid!! If you enjoy bringing nature into your decor, then this is a good one for you. Enjoy!
I love how they have layered the details on the backs of the chairs.

Check out the cool oversized pin on the table runner! Very "Scottish Kilt".

Layered tree disks add height to the drink dispensor.

Great cupcake decorating station for the kids!! More wood pieces covered with plaid fabric.

Pictures courtesy of Southern Living

Layered Cookie Mix In A Jar {Hostess Gift}

Do you love to add a personal touch to your hostess gifts? Then why not make this "Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar" for a party hostess, a school teacher, or anyone else you like to recongnize over the Holidays. Here's what you do: Put ingredients in layers, inside a Quart-size canning jar. Cut a circle of fabric and place it between the flat part of the lid and the threaded part of the lid, and screw the lid on. Tie a pretty card on with a ribbon and attach the directions for baking the Chocolate Chip cookies.

Layer ingredients in the order listed.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup simisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup light brown sugar


Attach the Following Directions:You will need:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended. Add Cookie Jar Mix and stir with a spoon. Drop tablespoon-sized balls onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Girl's Gift Swap-Part 2

Today I wanted to show the wine bar, the favor bags, and a couple other details from the party. For the wine glasses I used a string of fun garland I got from the drug store and cut off the balls to tie around the stems.

I bought this wine bottle from the Bizarre Bazaar a couple of years ago. It is filled inside with string lights. I made a label with wrapping paper and sticker embelishments. Also wrapped the jar of candy sticks with Christmas card stock.

To keep sodas chilled, I filled the ice bucket with ice "jewels". Adding a drop of food coloring helps bring out the detail of the mold as well as matches the other jewels used in the dining room.

The party favor bags all ready to go! I filled them with fresh baked sugar cookies and some chocolate treats. These were easy and inexpensive to create. The bags were from Target for about $2 for 12. A couple of bags of chocolate candies, cookie dough, and some embelishments from the $1 isle and I had 18 bags made for about $15.

Well, that's one party down and one more to go! This week I'm preparing for our annual Christmas Cocktail party for 30+ people. Call me Crazy, but wish me Luck!!

Girl's Gift Swap-Part 1

This Ladie's Night was fantastic! Fourteen lovely ladies got together to do a little Chinese Christmas gift swap...you know the game where you draw numbers to see the order in which you pick a gift and the next person can steal someone's gift or pick a new one. Everyone brought either an appetizer or bottle of wine to share so this is a low-cost way to entertain.
The table is all set up waiting for food and friends to arrive! I wanted the table to represent the girls so when I found the wire dress form, I had to have it! I painted it red to match and draped her with a boa. I wrapped a vase and tied it to look like a ladie's corset. The big martini glass is filled with "rubies," "emeralds," and "diamonds"...a girl's best friends!
 I dressed the "corset" vase with bling letters and maribou boas.

For the table "runner", I used lengths of extra ribbon I had.

The Bar:

Are you naughty or are you nice? If you're naughty, then come sit by me!!! ; )

Once I stumbled upon this wall transfer at Joann's Fabric store, I knew it would hold an important roll at the party. It was the inspiration behind the bar area.

The sign says "For the Naughty Girls... Appletini." I added gourmet potato chips and M&M's for a little salty & sweet. The glass dish of chips is embelished with a swirl sticker from the scrapbooking store and it sits inside the larger bowl for a kind of tower effect.

Glasses rimmed with green sugar, star fruit garnish, and tiny jeweled sticker on the base.

I lined the trays with green wrapping paper to coordinate with everything.
"For the Nice Girls... soda and water." For the water bottles, I made unique labels with sayings like "Santa, bring me some bling," "define good," "Santa, I can explain." More adhesive gems were also placed on the labels.

Tabletop Details

Today, I have several ways to add personality to your table setting. These ideas are easy, inexpensive, and do-able!I love this idea of using a clear plate and just sticking dots(from the office supply store or craft store) to the back of the plate to add color. Then continue the color by gluing thin ribbon to the placemat.Another awesome use for burlap. Stick some around the base of a mini potted tree, and tie a name card on with twine. Carry it over to the napkin ring and add a button with twine...no sewing required!Add an icy feel with clear sugar candy sticks!

These mini stockings are sold everywhere, but you can make it personal by adding little initial monograms with ribbon.

pictures from bhg.com

Napkin Tutorial

Looking for some interesting things to do with your napkins? See step-by-step instructions for folding these napkins.

Crazy For Cranberries!

Ahhhh, cranberries. One of the icons of the holiday season. Let's take a look at some of the simple but elegant things you can do with these little gems. I can definately see myself replicating the candle centerpiece idea. Tall glass vase, check. Floating candle, check. Large red flower, check. Fresh cranberries from the grocer, check!

If a traditional floral arrangement is more your style, pop them in your glass vase and surround them with cranberries.

You have to keep Champagne cold, right? So why not do it with style? Freeze some ice cubes with cranberries in them and put them in the champagne bucket.

Very cute and simple way to display place cards.


photos courtesy of better homes and gardens

A "Prehistoric" Birthday Party

This gal has got it goin' on! Brooke over at Jackaroo Love threw her husband a 40th birthday party with a "Prehistoric but not Extinct" theme. Inspired by yards and yards of faux fur, she really went for the details. Some of my personal favorites are the use of antlers throughout the space, the use of a large stone slab on the buffet table, and of course...the faux fur used all over! To see more photos check out her blog.

Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a great time at our Friends and Family gathering. I took some pictures and am providing recipes for some of our delicious dishes.

Chicken, Artichoke, Cheese Spread: Makes a LOT but you can freeze it in appropriate portion sizes. It was very good!

3 cups cooked chicken, diced

2 blocks of cream cheese, softened(8 oz each)

2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and diced

1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

4 green onions, minced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Stir together all ingredients until well combined. Line a bowl with plastic wrap. Spoon into the bowl and bring up sides of plastic wrap to fully cover mixture. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Freeze unused portion up to 1 month and thaw in refrigerator overnight. Serve with water crackers or french bread baguette slices.

Debbie's Mac n Cheese: This is a staple at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. Sooooo delicious!

1 (8 oz) package elbow macaroni, cooked

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 (16 oz) loaf Velveeta cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

4 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Toss together macaroni and olive oil. Stir in velveeta, cheddar, and parmesan cheeses. Spoon into a lightly greased 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Stir together evaporated milk and remaining ingredients. Pour over pasta. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Streusel-Topped Sweet Potatoes: If you are from the South, you know about sweet potato casserole. Wheather it's topped with streusel topping or marshmallows, it really is all about the topping! I chose to use both on this one.

3 (29 oz) cans sweet potatoes, drained

1/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp grated orange rind

1 Tbsp fresh orange juice

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp salt

3 egg whites

Topping:

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mash up potatoes well. Mix together first 7 ingredients with hand mixer, until smooth. Beat egg whites in a small bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold beaten whites into potato mixture. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish.

Stir together all topping ingredients and sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. If using Marshmallows, add them at the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Pumpkin Cake: The link for this recipe was posted here earlier. I chose to top the cake with part of the cream filling and used toffee bits on top instead of nuts. The results were wonderful!