Christmas Party Recipes

Webb and I are big fans of Christmas and all our friends.  So naturally, we threw a Christmas party.

It was a success.  We had people there from all different groups and everyone mingled so well.  Plus, add a photobooth (even though I forgot to put out half the props), yummy food, a yule log and Christmas music and you've got yourself a party.

Some of the food - most was all eaten up!

Wish you could see more of Ernie's Christmas sweater

Friends brought amazing desserts and wine, and Webb and I whipped up food for everyone.  Here are a couple of my all-time favorite recipes!  Note that I was running around too much to take too many pictures, so these are examples, but not my actual dishes.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from my aunt's recipe

1 lb. large white mushrooms (not too big or they will be too firm)
6 strips pre-cooked bacon
2 large tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs (or panko + oregano and basil)
1 egg
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Remove stems from mushrooms.  Chop the stems.  Chop the bacon.  Mix stems and bacon in a bowl with cheese, breadcrumbs, the egg, and a few shakes of salt and pepper.  Line the mushroom caps on a lined baking sheet.  Stuff the caps with the mixture.  Pour olive oil on the mushrooms and sprinkle some cheese.  Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm (although people who ate them after they cooled said they still tasted great).

Cranberry and Cream Cheese Spread
Adapted from Buns in My Oven










12 oz. fresh cranberries
5 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 8-oz packages cream cheese

Pulse cranberries in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped. Add onions, jalapeno, sugar, lemon and salt and pulse until combined (you don't want it to puree!).  Refrigerate for 4 hours (up to 24).  Spread the cream cheese onto the serving plate.  Drain the cranberry mixture of any liquid, then spread on top of the cream cheese.  Serve with a small knife or spoon and sturdy crackers.

Thanksgiving 2013

My autumn was filled with trips to the East Coast, weddings, squash recipes, long brunches with friends, out-of-town visitors, and feeling more settled in this city I now call home.  It's hard to believe I've been in the Bay Area for over a year, and 11 months in San Francisco.

The city is filled with Christmas decorations, which really drives home that I've been here for a while - this is how the city looked when I was looking for an apartment not too long ago.  Does that make me a San Franciscan? I guess so... (/JerseyGirl4Life)

Okay so I'm a huge fan of Fall, but Christmas is certainly my numero uno holiday.  In a very close second comes Thanksgiving (because it's the start to Christmas time duh), and this year I spent that thankful holiday with Webb's wonderful family.  It's overdue, but for posterity's sake, here's a little recap.

Me with the Knudsen's after Thanksgiving dinner

Wednesday I rushed home from work, rushed to pack Ernie's stuff, and rushed to get the 3 of us on the road to Los Gatos.  After all that rushing I realized (an hour into our drive) that I left my cell phone in the city. OOPS.  I learned that 5 days cell-free is actually not a reason to get all crazy and I survived the weekend perfectly fine - it's a good thing Webb's sisters take plenty of pics like me! You'll see some here.

We spent Thanksgiving Eve catching up with Webb's parents and 2 sisters & brothers-in-law from out of town (Orange County & Hawaii) - it's always nice to have everyone together.  In the back of my mind I was thinking about the next morning's Turkey Trot aka 5k aka the culmination of a month of training.

The group post-run

So you know how a 5k is not a big deal to runners? Well I'm not really a runner, and to me it's a long distance! But Thanksgiving morning I got out there and kept running and finished pretty strongly (for me).  Webb was kind enough to stick with me, even though he could have gotten a much better time on his own, and our little Ernie was the first dog to cross the finish line!

After that run I treated myself to a scrumptious dinner at our friends' the Holland's house, where I spent Thanksgiving 2 years ago as well.  They have a big group get together and FOUR turkeys! 2 baked, 1 barbecued, and 1 fried. Their beautiful home is filled with lots of warm laughter, good food and fun games (Bunco!), exactly the way Thanksgiving should be.  We followed dinner with a traditional trip to the movies and saw Jennifer Lawrence kick butt yet again in the Hunger Games.

Most everyone who was at Thanksgiving dinner

On Friday, Webb and I took Ernie to see his old doggy sitters, Brian and Jane, for a walk and lunch in Santa Cruz. They recently moved to Santa Barbara, which on one hand is a bummer because we lost 2 good friends in the area, but on the other hand is awesome because now we have people to visit in Santa Barbara! Santa Cruz, as usual, was sunny and quirky and fun.

Sunny Santa Cruz

The rest of the weekend included more friends, more parties (including Webb's 10 Year High School Reunion Non-Reunion) and finished with our good friends' Jason and Krista's baby blessing (along with his 2 cousins).  I love that little Ollie and can't believe how quickly he's growing up!

Little Ollie with his parents (left) and doting "aunts and uncles"! I love the orange tree in Krista's parents' backyard.

One of the gingerbread house creations at a party Friday night.

So much to be thankful for this year.