Christmas Party Time!
Nov 17 '03
The Bottom Line If you don't have a party, Santa will never be able to get that sleigh in the air! (See Elf for my meaning!)
While getting my thoughts together for my annual Christmas party for the girls, I thought to myself "You need to write this stuff down, so next year you'll be a step ahead!" What an excellent idea!
Every year I try to give some type of Christmas-themed party. Last year, with the bad pregnancy, I missed it, but I'm making up for it this year! Here are the Christmas ideas we've employed in years past. I hope you enjoy them, and even try some! Ho Ho Ho!
Dirty Santa
For this one, have everyone bring a small gift, an ornament or a gag gift. What is important is that this gift be wrapped! Everyone places their gifts underneath the tree and the hostess counts how many guests she has. Everyone draws a number from the hostess (there are only as many slips of paper as there are guests, of course) and the fun begins! The guest who drew #1 goes to the tree to choose a present. The guest who drew #2 gets to either steal #1's present or choose a wrapped gift under the tree. And so on it goes, with the last number having his choice of everyone's open gift or the last present under the tree. An important rule: If you have your present stolen, you must choose a gift from under the tree, you may not steal from someone else!
This has always been my most successful party. I make it for girls only, and I make it potluck. So mostly all I'm responsible for are the paper plates, a few dishes and cleaning up before and after the party. Here are a few of the dishes we had at the last one I threw, that everyone requested the recipes to make at home!
Baked Spaghetti
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 (28oz.)can tomatoes with liquid
1 (4 oz.) can ripe olives, sliced and drained
2 tsp. oregano
1 lb. Ground beef, browned
12 oz. spaghetti, cooked
2 c. shredded cheddar
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
In skillet, sauté onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano, soup, water and ground beef. Simmer 10 minutes. Place half of cooked noodles in a greased 9 x 13" dish. Top with half of sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar, and repeat layers. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.
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Crawfish Cornbread
Source: Randy Rigg
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can cream style corn
2 eggs
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pound crawfish tails
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
Mix all ingredients except crawfish until moistened. Add crawfish and fold in well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish and bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
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Chicken Salad
Source: Leigh at Mimi's Ultimate Recipe Board
1 chicken
4 tbsp. butter
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/2 c. minced sweet gherkins
1/3 c. minced sweet onions
2-3 tbsp. sugar
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Miracle Whip to taste (at least ½ cup)
Boil chicken until done and remove from bone. While warm, mix with butter with hands to coat chicken. Add remaining ingredients and chill.
Cookie Exchange
Easy, fun activity that puts the food in the spotlight! Invite as many folks as you can fit elbow to elbow in your house, with each gal bringing 5 dozen homebaked cookies (no store boughts, please!), their favorite mug and a container to carry home all of the cookies they will bring back!
The hostess makes sure she has a variety of warm drinks, such as tea, coffee, Christmas punch, wassail and even eggnog. Make sure you have enough mugs or disposable cups for the guests who forget theirs. You will need all of the table space you can manage! Have each guest put their cookies on the table in a line (just around the edge, or it gets too confusing!). When everyone has chatted long enough, the exchange begins. Everyone moves around all of the tables, taking only one cookie at a time until all of the cookies are gone. It is great fun, and you go home with an assortment of wonderful homemade cookies, after only baking one kind!
Here are cookies I've taken that have always received many compliments:
Chocolate Cream Cookies
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup sliced almonds
Cream butter, shortening, and cream cheese; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir in chocolate. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Drop dough by the teaspoonful 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Top with 2 or 3 slices of almonds. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly on cookie sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 6 dozen.
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Glazed Mint Brownies
From Quick Cooking Jan/Feb '02
2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate
½ cup butter (no substitutes)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
FILLING:
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
¾ tsp. peppermint extract
3-4 drops green food coloring, optional
GLAZE:
½ cup Semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter
In a heavy saucepan or microwave, melt chocolate and butter. Cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and flour. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
In a mixing bowl, combine filling ingredients; beat until creamy. Spread over brownies. For glaze, melt chocolate chips and butter. Stir until smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate until filling and glaze are set. Yield: 12-16 brownies.
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Orange Balls
From an old friend, DeAnna Bousman
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice, thawed
1 (12 oz.) box vanilla wafers-crushed
1 (1 lb.) box powdered sugar
1 ½ cup finely chopped pecans
1 stick butter
Crush vanilla wafers fine or in food processor. Mix in sugar and pecans. Add small can O.J. and pour in melted butter. Mix together with hands and form into 1-inch balls and roll additional powdered sugar or coconut flakes if desired. I use sugar! Freezes well!
Gingerbread Party
This is a fun one for the kids, if you are culinarily inclined! The one I hosted was for preschool aged children, so I had all of the gingerbread houses assembled and passed out bowls of the decorator icing. On the tables were everything imaginable that could be used for decorations: Necco wafers, M&M's, Gumdrops, Licorice whips, peppermints (you get the idea).
The children had a fantastic time decorating, though I'm not sure who got more candy, the houses or the children!
Here's a recipe for the gingerbread:
Dough
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
6 eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
Line Several cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Butter and flour the foil. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in the molasses and eggs.
In another large bowl, sift dry ingredients. Combine mixtures and knead into a smooth ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
On a well-floured surface, roll out a small amount of the dough until it's 1/4 inch thick. Place one of the paper pattern pieces on the dough and cut around the edges. Gently, using the spatula, lift the dough and place it on the prepared cookie sheet.
Put all scraps into a bowl and cover. Save these for the kids to play with, or to make gingerbread men.
Icing Glue
This recipe is for a single batch. You will probably need several, but if you make them all at once, keep them in separate bowls: it dries very quickly and is like cement. Keep it well covered: one piece of saran wrap touching the icing itself and another on the bowl.
3 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 - 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, beating for about 5 minutes until it reaches spreading consistency. Keep it covered and refrigerated until needed.
Source: The Dinner Co-Op
Any of these party ideas will help you get your Christmas Spirit going! Enjoy and remember whose birthday we are celebrating!
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