Christmas Party Shenanegans

This year I decided to start the tradition of having my team at work come over for a Christmas party dinner to show appreciation for all they do (and they killed their goals this year so they deserved it!) I love hosting parties and having an excuse to try half of the things I see on Pinterest (and half of them end up being a Pinterest fail). The party was on Thursday so Tuesday we went to the store to get all of the fixins for the big day. The menu consisted of (all recipes and links below):

• Appetizer: Bruschetta with baguettes, cheese with crackers, and fruit
• Main Course: Pomegranate salad (with roasted pecans), beef roast and veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls
• Dessert: Cake batter truffles, peppermint bark, muddy buddies, a bunch of candy

I was planning on getting a bunch of stuff made on Wednesday so that Thursday I could just do finishing touches types of things. Kallie had a different plan. On Wednesday morning, I get a call from Josh saying that she had thrown up twice and was acting pretty lethargic. I came home from work as quickly as I could and she wouldn’t let me put her down from pretty much the time I got home until she went to bed. We watched Frozen (or “Go” as she calls it) at least 6 times that day. As much as I loved the snuggles all day (but hated her being sick), it definitely thwarted my cooking plans, which was fine by me because she never just snuggles anymore. That night I stayed up until about midnight getting everything I could get done and would have to finish the rest up on Thursday.

Luckily, I have a small army of support close by. My darling sister-in-law Hanna came over Thursday morning and helped Josh get all of our family pictures hung (which we got taken in July – oops) and came back that night to help me set things up. Paige came over to help get everything cleaned up. Josh ran and grabbed all my last minute items (including a new roast to cook because I’d turned the crockpot to high instead of low the night before and ended up burning the original roast) I’d forgotten and finished cleaning parts of the house, and my mom came over to help with Kallie that night so I could get everything complete. And Diet Coke. We can’t forget Diet Coke. Everything ended up coming together at the last minute as it always seems to do!

The people came, the food was eaten, gifts were given, and games were played. We laughed all night long and Kallie made a few cameos to come and hang out with the big kids. And she stole the show every time. She is such a ham when people come over and I love it! This kid doesn’t even know what social anxiety means. The more people the better!

It was such a fun night and made me appreciate even more the wonderful people I am lucky enough to work with and the wonderful people in my life that help me everyday. And Kallie was feeling great by the time the party hit which I was extra grateful for!

 

What are your favorite holiday recipes?? What holiday party disasters have you had?

 

Bruschetta This was so delicious and easy! I’ll be making it again Christmas Eve!

Cake Batter Truffles Need I say more?

Muddy Buddies  I only used 8 cups of Chex instead of 9 and mixed in red/white peanut M&M’s before serving.

 

Peppermint Bark:

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

1 bag white chocolate chips

1 box (12) peppermint candy canes

Line 9×13 with foil. Melt in 30 second increments semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour and spread on pan. Let harden – I put mine in the fridge. Unwrap 11 candy canes and place in ziplock back (I double bag mine). With hammer or meat tenderizer crush candy canes until fine. Melt white chocolate chips in 30 second increments until smooth. Mix in candy cane bits. Pour over the hardened semi-sweet chocolate. I crushed up the 12^th candy cane and sprinkled on top. Put in fridge to let harden. Break apart (I just dropped mine on the pan multiple times until in smaller pieces). Serve chilled or at room temperature! Eat and enjoy!

 

Pomegranate Salad: (From my MIL Kim Nuttall)

1 head of Romaine Lettuce

1 Pomegranate

1-2 Gala Apples – sliced/cubed

Glazed Pecans (can buy in store or use recipe below)

1-2 cups Shredded Swiss Cheese

Dressing:

¾ cup Olive Oil

1/3 cup Red Wine Pomegranate Vinegar (Popeian Brand)

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

2-3 Tbsp sugar (to taste)

Salt and Pepper

 

Sugar and Spiced Pecans:

½ lb pecans

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

¼ cup of sugar

¼ cup melted butter

Line a baking sheet with foil. Mix all spices/sugar together. Spread pecans on baking sheet, drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle spices/sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, toss pecans so all are coated with spice mixture. Set aside to cool.

 

Roast Beef and Veggies:

1 Roast

1 packet Onion Soup Mix

½ cup of water

1 bag baby carrots

1 bunch of celery

1 onion (optional)

Place in crockpot. Cover roast with onion soup mix, pour water in crockpot. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. 3 hours before serving, add veggies. Shred and enjoy! Use drippings to make Gravy.

 

Gravy:

Drippings from Roast

1-2 packets of brown gravy mix (depending on flavor)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Drain drippings from roast into a pot on the stove. Mix gravy packet with ½-1 cup of cold water. Pour into drippings while whisking. Bring to a boil. If need thickener, mix 2 tbsp of corn starch or flour into ½ cup of cold water. Whisk swiftly. Bring to boil while whisking then reduce heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Mashed Potatoes:

5 lb bag of red potatoes

1 cube butter

½-1 cup of milk

1 tsp garlic powder (to taste)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash and boil potatoes. Drain and return to stove. Mix in butter, milk (to desired consistency) and seasonings. Use hand mixer/blender or hand masher to mash potatoes.

 

Potato Refrigerator Rolls: (I doubled the recipe – these are great because you can make the night before. Recipe from Claire Mellor)

1 pkg. yeast—dissolve in 1 C. warm water

½ C. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs—well beaten

½ C. shortening

1 C. mashed potatoes—use instant potatoes

4 ½ – 5 cups of flour

Mix all ingredients into yeast and water.  Add shortening to the hot potatoes so that it is easier to mix.  Add about half of 41/2 -5 cups of flour and beat with mixer until it is smooth.  Gradually add the remaining flour to make soft dough.  Keep in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.  Two hours before serving, shape the dough and let it rise for 1 ½ hour.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.