White Elephants and Tasty Bites

The same night that my parent's hosted their family Christmas Party, I had my annual friend Christmas with a White Elephant gift exchange.My friend's hosted it in the gorgeous house in Vernon and they supplied a few eats while the rest of us all brought things to share.

I don't remember everything that was out on the buffet, but the kitchen was filled with food. Here's a dabbling and please forgive me if I forgot an item or two. I was in a food coma shortly after arrival and may have forgotten everything I ate:

Meatballs
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Oven-baked ham and swiss/cheddar sandwiches (Recipe Below)
Southwest Egg Rolls
Fruit Skewers
Cheesey-jalepeno dip
Cake balls
Bagel Dip (Recipe Below)

Raspberry pretzel bars (Recipe Below)
Cheesecake
Gingerbread cookies
Chinese noodle salad
Antipasta Skewers

And of course we all had plenty of drinks and supplies. There was Jack Daniels Apple Cider, X-Rated and Red Bull for our lady quick-drinks, Amaretto and Sour, Captain & Bacardi Rum and Coke, tons of beer, wine, champagne - yes we love our cocktails!

The drinks help the best come out in all of us for our annual White Elephant gift exchange.

Here's how we work our gift exchange.
1) Each person that wants to participate brings  at least one White Elephant gift.
2) All gifts are to come wrapped and added to the pile in the middle of the room.
3) The participants sit around the gift pile in a circle.
4) Each person rolls the pair of dice one time in hopes of getting doubles.
    a) If doubles are obtained, a gift is chosen from under the table or a person is allowed to steal a gift from someone else that has one already.
    b) If doubles aren't obtained, the dice travel to the next person.
5) All gifts stay wrapped for the length of the game.
6) The game ends when the last gift is removed from the middle pile.
7) Not everyone will get a gift and some will have multiple gifts to open. 
8) Everyone that has a gift, opens their gift and laughs at what they received.

Some of the gifts that were received this year include: Unicorn Meat, Beer Brewing Kit, 20 used DVDs, batman puzzle, coal, coffee warmer, massage kit, white trash barbie (she made her return since she was brought into the game in 2012 and was a hit then - it's the cheapest looking knock-off barbie: eye makeup on her cheek, chest and arms are two different shades of skin, legs are way too skinny, dress is put together with mismatched velcro), a colossal TV remote, mini alcohol bottles, and more.

And my favorite gift of all was the one I received (obviously). I got a Wine-O bag - which is an insulated, reuseable brown paper bag to carry my wine in. It's so perfect for me and the person that brought it was hoping I would pick it. Sometimes life is funny how that works out.


I plan to have my recipes in printable formats in 2015 - something that will come along with a few blog upgrades that I have planned. So please bear with these recipes as they are.

Bagel Dip - From the kitchen of Caroline

1 c Mayonnaise

1 c Sour cream

4 oz. of thinly sliced deli beef or corn beef (Mom always uses 2 packages of original Budding Beef)

2 tsp. dried dill weed 2 tbs. dried parsley

1 tsp dried minced onion

1 bag of bagels

Cut up beef into small pieces.  Mix all ingredients together and set in fridge over night.  It is VERY important that you let it sit for several hours in order for flavors to marry, or it won't taste right.  Tear bagels into small pieces and serve with dip.

Oven Baked Ham Sandwiches- from the kitchen of Caroline via a Facebook recipe

2 - 12 oz. pks of Sweet Hawaiian rolls (the small dinner roll size)
1 1/2 lbs. of Virginia ham (NOT honey ham)
6 slices of swiss cheese
6 slices of cheddar cheese
1 stick of real butter
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the bottoms of the 24 rolls into 2 9X13 pans. Place ham on the rolls in each pan. Cut the cheese slices into 4 parts and place 2 small pieces on each sandwich. (I suggest keeping swiss with swiss and cheddar with cheddar, but go wild and mix it up if you want). Cover with the tops of the buns. In a sauce pan, mix butter, Worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and poppy seeds. Wait until all the butter is melted and then brush the melted butter over the ham sandwiches. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 1 hour or over night - or bake right away. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and serve.
  

Raspberry Pretzel Bars - from the kitchen of Sam

Crust:
1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels (using a ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin works best)
3/4 c. melted butter
3 Tbsp. sugar

Add pretzels, butter and sugar together in a bowl and then transfer to a 9X13 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool before you add the other layers. 

Middle: 
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 8oz. tub cool whip

Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Fold in cool whip. Spread on top of cooled crust. 

Topping:
1 large pkg. raspberry jello
2 c. water
12 oz. frozen raspberries

Boil water and mix in jello. Let cool slightly then add frozen raspberries. This sets the jello. Pour on top of the cream cheese mixture and spread around evenly. Put in the fridge to set for at least an hour before serving.         

Party Snacks

My friends are having a New Year's party tonight and I offered to make a few treats for the event. I love to cook and it helps take pressure off the hosts to make sure there is enough food.

I offered up meatballs, chicken enchilada dip and breafast, because we will all need something to absorb the booze :). And of course I can't attend a party without bringing jello shots.

I shopped at Woodman's (my new favorite store) and figured out that I can make homemade meatballs for less than buying a few bags of the premade kind. Plus, with homemade, you know what you are eating. I sometimes question what frozen prepackaged foods really have in them.

A few years back, my former boss' wife had us all over and made these to-die-for meatballs and cherry jalepeno sauce. I have made those a few times since, but I couldn't find the ground veal, so I decided to live on the edge and figure out a new recipe for meatballs.

I know the basics that go in - bread crumbs, milk, eggs, onion, meat and seasonings. So I had a little fun and added some new flavors. I bought a blue cheese dip mix a few months back and decided to add some of that mix to the meatballs.

Then I threw in some fresh parsley, pepper, salt, paprika, chili powder (for a kick) and a few other things. These meatballs won't be replicated because I just sort of did a dash of this and a pinch of that. And for meat, I used a combo of ground beef and ground pork and about 2.5 lbs. of it.

When you roll the meatballs yoruself, you really get to control the size and shape of them. I typically go for smaller ones so you can have a few more and not feel so guilty.

I cook my meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees for 10, then flip them all and cook for another 10 or until they are browned on both sides.

They turned out great, but I wish I added a bit more of the blue cheese mix as you taste it, but I wish the flavor was a little stronger. Next time :)

Then it was time for the sauce. Sure you can grab grape jelly and chili sauce and make an easy sauce, but I can't leave things simple. Here again is where I won't be able to repeat the sauce. I minced some onion up in my processor and then sauteed it in a pan with a little salt and pepper.

I then added some WildTree FraDiavola mix, chili pepper, raspberry vinagrette dressing, garlic powder, paprika, chili sauce and a scoop of grape jelly. That wasn't enough so I added a 1/3 cup of zinfandel wine to cut the sweet. I think after it will now sit for almost 24 hours before being added to the meatballs, it will be marvelous.

The other items I made for the party is my chicken enchilada dip and my breakfast casserole from Halloween.

And for the jello shots, Woodman's has a spectacular selection of gelatin and I picked Jolly Rancher Green Apple to mix with Apple Pucker, Fruit Punch with citrus vodka and peach with Champagne for a bellini. I can't wait to try all of these.

Here is my ratio for jello shots.

1 small box gelatin
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cold booze
1/4 cup cold white soda or water

Mix hot water and gelatin for 2 minutes or until thoroughly mixed and no chunks. Then add the booze and water and mix for 30 seconds. Pour into shot cups and leave uncovered until chilled and hardened. Then add lids. I use the Diamond condiment cups because they are the perfect size, aren't too expensive and have nice lids. 

Hope these treats spark your creativity in the kitchen. These definitely did it for me and I hope to experiment more in the kitchen in 2014! Cheers and Happy Eating!

Holiday Party Foods

I had my first of many Christmas parties this past weekend and boy did we have a spread of food. My friends really know what they are doing in the kitchen and I ate and ate and ate my way through the party :)

I made two treats that I have wanted to make for quite some time and finally had the opportunity: Apple Pie bites and crescent cream cheese bites. Recipes are below. Here are a few snapshots of other great party snacks.

Brandon treated all of us to two homemade cheesecakes - Eggnog and Pumpkin - I didn't have any but everyone raved about them. My Apple Pie bites are behind the two cheesecakes.

Mo wraps up front and my crescent rolls are in the back of the picture. Mo wraps are just lunch meat, lettuce, cheese and sauce wrapped in a tortilla.

It's Wisconsin so what is a party without cheese and sausage. The pepper jack had a bit of a kick to it - definitely mellowed out my palette after all the sweets I consumed.

Caroline found a recipe called "Just Like Wendy's Chili" and she had cheese, sour cream, chives, pepper flakes and Fritos for us to dress it up with. It was delicious and it did resemble Wendy's chili.

Bagel Dip! Another Caroline specialty that is always loved by all.

 Meatballs - there were little smokies too but I didn't get a picture of that.

 Sweets! It's not a Christmas party (or any party) without them. Oreo balls and sugar cookies!

 

And of course libations and a roaring fire set the mood for the evening. This is one of my favorite holiday beers. I also tried the Cranberita from Budweiser and it has a wintery taste to it when you mellow it out over some ice. Straight from the can it's too sweet. And at 8% alcohol per 8-oz. can, it's good to water it down a bit.

Apple Pie Bites:
I found them on this blog. I had to cook mine a bit longer but my apple slices might have been larger. My mom sprinkled her's with powdered sugar and I think a powdered sugar and water glaze would be a nice addition and make it more like a turnover. But everyone loved them.

Crescent Wreath:
I made the wreath last year for a Christmas party but put veggies on it. This year I used the same concept, but went for a completely different flavor.
1 tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls
1- 7 oz tub of Honey Cream Cheese
1 tsp. cinnamon
12 grapes cut on quarters
1/4 cup Craisins
1/3 cup pistachios (I used Wonderful Roasted and Salted Shelled)

Open each tube of rolls and cut into 8 pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet in a wreath shape. Cook for the time on the package or until the crescents are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Mix  cream cheese and cinnamon together. Spread evenly over the crescent rolls. Top with Craisins, grapes and pistachios. That's it - nice and simple.

Girl's Night: Martini Style

One of my good friends Tory, recently moved back out to Oconomowoc into a brand new studio apartment. She invited me and Shauna over to check out the place, have dinner, and then go out for drinks at her favorite martini place.

First off, I have to say that I love Tory's place. Although it is a studio and smaller, the kitchen is very spacious and even has an island so she only had to buy two bar stools and not a table. The layout really makes it almost like there is a bedroom, just with a half walk. I really like it.

We made some simple wraps for dinner with tortillas, boiled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, ranch and bacon. The bacon was made in the oven, one of Shauna's specialties. Preheat to 400, lay bacon on a foil lined pan, cook bacon until it just starts to render grease, flip once and finish until your preferred doneness. This was fabulous. So fabulous, that we ate it all without me taking a picture :(

After our dinner, we drove over the Splash, a martini bar right in downtown Oconomowoc. Tory loves this place and wanted us to enjoy it as well. When you first walk in, it looks like a bar with high bar tables across from the bar. But beyond that is the back lounge area. We grabbed three comfy chairs and settled in. The place was decently crowded and it gave us some time to look through the martini book.

It was a rather large book with a ton of specialty martini's inside. I tend to go for fruitier ones and chose the Blackbird, with fresh blackberry puree and a ton of other things. Tory chose the Flirtini that is made with X-rated and champagne and Shauna got the peanut butter cup martini.

The martini's are shaken at the bar and then poured at the table. Shauna's was so thick and creamy, it took a while to pour out and Tory's champagne was added at the table as well. I don't think shaking a martini with champagne in it is such a great idea.

We cheers'd, sipped, chatted and relaxed. Two of Tory's other friends that live in the area joined us for a drink and it was a really fun night.

They don't have many food options except chips and salsa and a cheese tray, but you can order appetizers from Cornerstone. And they have live music on most Saturday nights - acoustic relaxing music to sip a martini or two with.

I did read that you can rent out Splash for special occasions, like bridal showers, birthdays, etc. I think that would be a really fun idea and got me thinking about Shauna's Bridal Shower, however Oconomowoc is a little bit of a drive. But I will definitely look into other bars for this as well.

I recommend checking this place out with your girlfriends, or whomever, and it seems that in warmer weather, there is a nice patio to relax on that overlooks the lake.

Playoff Party Recipes

This post ends Playoff week and hopefully I supplied you some ideas of what to make while you are watching the Packers cream the 49ers on Saturday (6:30 CST). I looked back thru some old posts and found out a few things.

1) I barely ever posted photos
2) I never linked anything
3) I didn't use any tags or labels

Man have I learned a lot in such a short time.

Anyways, what I did find in these old posts were some really great recipes that can be used for your party on Saturday! (Have I made it clear enough that I hope you are having a Packer party Saturday?)

Here is what I found:

Conky Wonks recipe - beef, velveeta and rye bread - soooo good!

Sliders from Superbowl XLV

Hungry Girl Hummus appetizer

Hummus

Veggie wreath - sub out the veggies for those of your team colors - for me - broccoli, green pepper and yellow pepper

My ooopsie Cheesy Garlic Bread - the best oopsie I ever made!

Southwest Egg Rolls - with salsa and sour cream!

Fiber One Chicken breasts  - served with BBQ sauce and potatoes

Ham Rollups or Pickle Rolls - a favorite at my company parties

Black Bean Dip - so good for you!

Spinach & Artichoke Dip - probably my most shared recipe

Mandarin Chicken Almond Bites - basically fancy chicken salad to serve on crackers

Creamy Bruschetta from Hungry Girl - perfect two bite treat

Creamy Bruschetta

Adult Caramel Apple Cider - warms you through and through for the game

Meatballs  - the spicy sauce will keep them coming back for more. Plus they looked good enough to be featured on Sweet Bella Roos blog!

One Bite Meatballs

Stuffed Mushrooms - fill with your favorite cheese and nuts and you have an easy, yummy treat

Guinness Beer Cheese Dip - beer, cheese, crackers - what else is there?

And if you are adventurous - try to make Miller Park's Poutine or Avocado Potato Skins from Cafe Manna


So which of these will I make - probably the beer dip and bruschetta, but I'll be watching my nephew so some kid-friendly treats will have to get made as well. Here is to hoping these appetizers can leave you plenty of time to watch the game and GO PACKERS GO!

From the Books Thursday: Stuffed Mushrooms

This week is Playoff week on my blog because the Packers are playing the 49ers on Saturday at 6:30 CST.  If you are looking for a good appetizer for your party, get-together, or game watching that is easy to whip up and can be eaten with your fingers, here is one for you!

As a child, I despised mushrooms and thought they were the grossest fungus ever! Fresh or sauteed, I couldn't stand the texture. It was either too slimy or too spongy and grossed me out.

Now, I can't seem to get enough of them. My friends are 50/50 about them and my boss is even horribly allergic. I think I'll keep my low tolerance to Vitamin C over a complete allergy to a food. You never know what those could end up in!

Anyways, my mom suggested that we make stuffed mushrooms to go alongside the Ribs on a Stick from Robert's Specialty Meats, that we cooked up a few weeks ago. We just needed a recipe for proportions as we had our own ideas for the filling. We found one in the Pillsbury Annual Recipes of 2011 cookbook, but online, you find it on BetterCrocker.com.

I didn't realize that I only had one container of mushrooms when I mixed up the stuffing, so we had tons extra with nothing else for them to go on. 

Mom taught me how to easily de-stem the mushrooms with a quick twist and pull. We chopped this up to add to the filling. 

I mixed up Panko breadcrumbs, shredded Swiss cheese, chopped mushroom stems, green onions and chopped pecans.  

Stuffing them wasn't as easy as I thought because there was nothing to glue it together and have it stick in the mushroom - more of a balancing act. 

We popped them in a 9 X 9 cake pan and into the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (we waited to see the cheese get gooey and the mushrooms cook down just a little.)

The finished product: Stuffed Mushrooms

We served them immediately and I had 5 of the 9 I liked them so much. My mom thought they were dry and possibly blames the breadcrumbs. I'm am thinking some oil or pan would help glue it together, but I will definitely make them again.

Playoff Apps: Pickle & Olive Rolls

As the Packers have now clinched the Wild Card and are in the Playoffs, it's time to talk appetizers for Packer Parties!!!! Next week Saturday. the Game is at 6:30 CST! Where are you going to be for the game? I'll be babysitting my little nephew Alex and we will be cheering on the Green and Gold together with Grandma and Grandpa.

Something that is present at almost every Packer Party I go to are pickle rolls and ham roll ups. They are quick and simple and I almost always have the ingredients in the house. I made them for New Year's Eve and they were enjoyed by all!

Pickle Rolls

1 jar of small/medium pickles (not midgets, but just small ones) I often buy Milwaukee brand.
8 oz. light cream cheese, softened
2 packages of Buddig meat or any other lunch meat (I used ham & beef)

Separate the slices of meat and dry them off with paper towel to soak up any wetness. With a knife, spread a thin layer of cream cheese evenly over the piece of lunch meat. Take a pickle and put it on the edge of the ham/beef and roll the cream cheese and meat around the pickle.


TIPS:

If the pickle rolls are larger, I cut them on half and then you have more for the platter.

The beef was something that I learned from my holiday party at my job. I usually only used ham, but the Buddig beef added great flavor.


Ham Roll Ups

I have blogged about these before. This time I used my mini processor as it isn't that much food to chop up and that little thing is so handy. I didn't have onion flakes (or I couldn't find where they ended up after my move) so I used onion powder.

Because the Buddig meat is a little thinner of a meat, I had to be careful when spreading the mixture as to not tear the meat. I foudn dipping the knife in water before spreading the cream cheese really helped. Instead of cutting them in little 1 inch section, I cut them in half and stuck a tooth pick in them so people could grab them easily.

TIP:
It's easier to cut them if they have been in the refrigerator for about an hour after rolling them. Use a serrated knife.

Uncut Buddig ham & beef rolls

Wauk Wednesday: Fox Run Lanes

When I was employed at Fox Run Sentry Liquor (RIP), a group of my co-workers and I started relaxing after work at Fox Run Lanes, a bowling alley and bar just down the parking lot from the store. It's located just West of St. Paul Ave on Sunset, next to the now vacant Fox Run strip mall. Sentry Foods is still open and doing decent business, but all the other shops have left the north strip.

We would play darts, pool and occasionally bowl. We even did a competition once of playing all three in one night, and our former co-worker Wendy won each event. We we still enjoyed playing games but haven't done another contest (hmm maybe it's time??)

Since the store closed in 2010, we still go to the bar, but not nearly as frequently as it isn't as convenient for us to get to. However, we attempt to meet up maybe every other month to get some food and catch up.

Thursday is the wing special night. I believe they are $.30 each and you can order in increments of five. I typically order 5-10 wings in teriyaki sauce and an appetizer of cheese curds or sour cream and chive fries to fill me up. I tried the jerk sauce which had a good kick with pineapple in it to dull the spice. It's a very refreshing sauce and I think it's a new favorite. The teriyaki seems to be a bit too salty lately.

Cheese curds with ranch & marinara

Teriyaki wings from Fox Run Lanes

crispy sour cream & chive fries with ranch

Tiffany and Heather can handle the super hot wings and usually get those. Although lately, the sauce hasn't been consistently hot, so Tiffany tried the Sweet Chili on the side and it was almost like a sweet and sour with red pepper flakes. Heather did let me know the sauce was really good and hot the last time we were there and she was happy!

Hot Wings at Fox Run Lanes

Plain wings with sweet chili sauce

Brandon usually goes for a burger, and let me tell you, the burgers are gigantic and delicious. It could possibly be my favorite burger in Waukesha if there would be a battle today. The meat patty is nicely seasoned and remains thick and juicy after grilling. There are plenty of topping choice and it comes with chips, but you can upgrade to fries if you would like.

Jumbo burger and fries

The pizzas are pretty good as well and would rank pretty high in a battle (IMHO). They are large and full of toppings to feed a big group. We ordered these at the bar on the night the liquor store closed it's doors, thanks to the owner coming over to the bar with us for a celebration meal and cheers!

For a decent sized bar in Waukesha, they have a lot of beer choices, mostly on tap. They serve beer by the mug, mini pitcher or pitcher. I usually go for a mini pitcher, which would be about 30 oz. and that will suffice me during my night out (occasionally I get two, hee hee!). It is a great value and you get a frosty mug with it to keep all that beer nice and cold.

upper right of photo shows the microbrewery taps

Mini pitcher of Spotted Cow and a frosty pint (they ran out of mugs this night)

In addition to the bowling alley (which is always busy with leagues), pool tables & dart boards, there is a lot of open space in the bar to host a large group party, band or show a game on the projector and pull down screen. A digital jukebox fills the room with bar-goers choices. There are also some meeting rooms that local small groups use regularly and recently, the bar added a bowling proshop that sell gear  and does repairs. The also host volleyball leagues in the summer on the outdoor courts.

This is still a favorite place of mine and the bartenders are so nice to us. We have gotten to know them throughout the years which makes it nice to walk into the bar and see a familiar smiling face.

The bar is a bit outdated with dark paneling walls and old ceiling tiles. But I would never call the place dirty. They just redid the bar lip not too long ago with a nice wood trim (instead of torn padded vinyl). Along one wall, three large LCD TVs were mounted to show sports game and some others were updated to flat panels throughout the bar.

Large newer TVs mounted in the bar

So I would say, the bar is being fixed up as needed, but it has a steady crowd Thursday - Saturday, so the current look and feel isn't turning anyone away that knows of this hidden gem in Waukesha.

The bar doesn't have a website and the Facebook page isn't kept up-to-date, but feel free to call the bar to find out about more of the specials and consider stopping up for wings, a game of pool or some bowling. I'll definitely post more about this place when I have the pizza again, and hopefully get a rundown of the specials to post. But for now consider stopping in and trying the food!