weekend update and PARTY menu

Well hello friends.

I'm currently in a breakfast coma.

It's a lazy Sunday today.

It's cloudy...rainy...

And I'm wearing my oh so sexy comfy sweats.

We were bad today and missed church. 

I always hate missing church but Justin had to work yesterday and hasn't slept past 6am in three weeks or more.

Excuses?
Perhaps.

We will do better next Sunday.

Speaking of,

Justin's been very busy in church during the weekdays.

I'm so proud of him.

He takes time (away from work) to do a men's study class.

The class is usually 2 to 3 hours long on Tuesday nights.

He just makes me so proud of him.

God gave me Justin for a reason...and the man he has evolved to become has been a beautiful transformation.

I just think God has been working in my heart and Justin's for awhile.
In fact, Justin is sharing his very powerful testimony Tuesday. I'm so excited for him.

Anyway I'm rambling.

SO I figured I'd share my menu from Kie's birthday party!!

Since a lot of it WASN'T pictured.

I constructed a pretty easy menu that I could cook some of the items the NIGHT BEFORE...

And some was store bought to give me some help. (Just call me Sandra Lee)

THE MENU:

1. Sausage Balls-

Easy and perfect to make either the night before or early before the party.

Btw, I owe my friend Nikki Blackwood a big thanks for this idea!

Recipe:

1lb of ground pork sausage ( I did two lbs but it was a  lot of sausage balls)

2 cups (for 1lb) or 4 cups (for 2lbs) of Bisquick

1 lb or 2lbs of shredded cheddar cheese.

Roll the pork, Bisquick and cheese into small little balls.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

I also made a sauce by Paula Deen that was 1cup mayo and 2-3 tablespoons of spicy mustard to serve with it. (Keep the sauce in the fridge before serving). 

2. Deviled Eggs

Also another thing I prepared the night before.

I boiled all my eggs and peeled them the night before the party.

I just mixed the insides and yolk the morning of.

I used 18 eggs.

Boil--peel and then slice in half.

Take the yolk and mix in with 1/4 cup of mayo (eyeball it) with 

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 teaspoon Dill Weed

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/8 teaspoon salt

and paprika for seasoning 

You can also top with bacon--pimentos or olives.

Whatever you like! Really there is no messing up deviled eggs! (That's why I like them!) And by the way, these go fast!

So I recommend cooking more than you think!

3. Hot Crab Dip

This is a party MUST!

I serve this at a lot of my parties!

It is easy but you have to serve and make this right before the party. Because you want it hot! 

You need:

2 (8oz) cream cheese (softened)

3 tablespoons of mayo

2 cups of cheddar cheese

2 (6oz) of lump crab meat

(You can also use shrimp too)

1 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice (fresh is best)

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

I use Old Bay--Pepper and a tiny bit of sea salt for taste.

Mix together and bake in a small/deep dish.

at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Or until the cheese starts to bubble.

Goes great with bread or sturdy crackers.
Pita bread is great too!

4. Pulled Pork Sliders

I ordered the pulled pork from our favorite BBQ place (down the street)

Got 48 Hawaiian King Rolls...from Costco.

Sliced them and put Coleslaw and the Pulled Pork inside.
And served with BBQ sauce on the side.
--Also you can cut a purple onion and have that as an additional topper too.

These WERE ALL GONE by the end of the party.

I bought the pulled pork because I didn't want my house to smell like a BBQ restaurant.

But I gave it a SEMI-Home cooked feel by using rolls and coleslaw to make it more personal.

5. Momma's Sangria

I marinated this the night before and it was GREAT!

Only problem is storing a lot of wine in pitchers...so if you have two fridges it would work best.

I used 4 bottles of BOTA BOX wine. Yes, boxed wine is actually good if you get the NICE stuff.

I got a red wine. Cabernet. 

Mixed the entire box (4 bottles) with a half liter of Diet Sierra Mist.

I cut up two-three oranges and put them in. (Slices)

Put in a pinch of sugar.

(Or two for taste)

Slice two lemons. Make sure no seeds get in!

Slice one lime

and used two pints of frozen razberries. (Or strawberries)

I also put in a cup or two of lemonade and a cup of orange juice for good measure.
And a splash of grenadine.
Basically, I just added whatever flavors I thought would make it nice and sweet and yummy!
(after all, it was just an afternoon party.)

6. Party Cheese Ball!
This was one of my favorites!
And also another item I made the night before.

You need:
2 (8 oz) cream cheese
A cup of crushed pecans
Worcestershire sauce
Pimentos
Green peppers chopped (1/2 cup)
and onion (1 cup or 1/2 cup depending on your taste.)

You combine everything besides the pecans and roll into a big ball.
Then roll the mixture into the crushed pecans
and put in the fridge to harden over night!

It's so great with crackers.
BUT it will make your breathe stinky if you add a lot of onions.
However, I love onions and my husband loves me so he doesn't mind the occasional onion breath.

7. Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese sandwiches
 *I also made these the night before too!* Which was great because it gave time for the icing to set.
(These were the HIT of the party!)
I took two packages of pumpkin spice cookies
and two 15 oz can of pumpkin....and combined them with two eggs.
(if the package says so)
Set the over for 350 degrees.
Take a spoon and make 1-2 inch balls and cook for 18-20 minutes.

--Once they are cooled, take store bought cream cheese icing and spoon a dollop of icing onto one cookie and top with another cookie! (I used a jar and half).

These make a delicious and yummy sandwich!
I think I made around 24 cookie sandwiches.
Remember to think of how many you need and double it because it takes two cookies per sandwich.

Additional STORE bought or bakery foods:


-We had hummus, salsa and random cheese dips (including crock pot Queso that I did make--)
I had a fruit platter and a veggie platter with colorful fruits and veggies and dips for all.
-I had candies like M&M's, jellybeans, cookie sticks and candy corns (since it was before Halloween) 
that were placed in mason jars and glass bulbs to give the table more color.
-I also got the beautiful cake from Polkadots Cupcake Factory and the delicious cupcakes!


We also had an array of cheese, crackers and salmon that not only looked great on display but were great to eat as well.
Basically I thought of lots of party, finger foods--that were easy to grab and go.


The party food was a hit by all!
We didn't have much leftover....
And everyone had a blast!

I am known for throwing parties with great food.
It's my Southern roots. 
It's something I love to do and I love to be OVERLY prepared.
We had roughly 25-30 people show.
The night BEFORE preparations really, REALLY helped me out.

Especially since the party started at noon!

Anyway, hope this helps if you're looking for party food ideas!

Until next time,

-HK-

Polkadots Cupcake Bakery