It’s party time!

Today’s the day! Thank you all for joining me and coming to my party. We have a great buffet set up and plenty of beer, hard cider and libation! Grab a plate, a cold brew and come on out in the back yard. We’ve got the grilled going and the burgers and brats will be done soon. (It’s gotta be after 10 a.m. somewhere!)

We’ve got the music cranked up and the Wii hooked up to the TV in the living room. The kids are at the neighbors and we’re ready to party all weekend long.

Come on in and join the fun… bon appetit!

Tara’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup bottled bleu cheese salad dressing*
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir together cream cheese, salad dressing and hot sauce, mixing until smooth. Add in chicken and 2/3 cup of cheddar cheese, stirring until well mixed. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish, and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Cook 20 minutes at 350°, or until bubbly. Serve with corn chips, or celery and carrot sticks.

*Ranch dressing can be substituted for blue cheese dressing.

From Scarlet and The Adventures of Scarlet O’Kara:

Football Dip

1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 8oz. bar of cream cheese
1 lb. (roll) of sausage

Brown sausage, drain. Add tomatoes and cream cheese and stir until smooth. Dip with tortilla chips and enjoy!

From the Sexy Housewife

Pigs in a Pig Blanket

Ingredients:
1 lb. package of cocktail wieners
1 lb. of bacon (cut each slice into 2 or 3 pieces)
Brown sugar

Line a cookie sheet with heavy-duty tin foil (I layer together 2 pieces of foil, just to be safe). Spray foil with Pam cooking spray.

Dredge bacon in brown sugar. Wrap pieces of bacon around cocktail wieners. Place on tin foil, leaving a bit of space between each wiener. Sprinkle more brown sugar over the top. Broil for 5-10 minutes until bacon gets a little crisp. Carefully transfer to a serving tray with fancy-dancy-frilly toothpicks.

From Angela at Never a Dull Moment

Gotta have margaritas! This is supposed to provide drinks for 12, in salt-rimmed glasses.

Margaritas

15 ounces Cuervo 1800
6 ounces Cointreau
6 ounces Grand Marnier
18 ounces Freshly squeezed lime juice
48 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix
6 ounces Simple Syrup
Garnish: Lime wedge and olive spear

Saintseester is bringing:

The Most Awesome Hot Party Bean Dip

makes about 2 quarts / loaded with fat and calories
Ingredients

2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
1 small can chopped black olives
1 (14 oz) can white kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and mashed
1 can Rotel, drained
½ jar (or about 6 ounces) hot salsa
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees (covered) for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
3. Serve with Wheat Thins and Tortilla chips.

Devyl Gyrl at Random Thoughts and Musings posted several recipes at her place. Here’s what she is bringing.

Cheese and Jelly Spread

1 brick of cream cheese
Sauce of your choice*
Crackers of your choice†

Directions:
Let the cream cheese rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, flatten between two cutting boards (we use plastic wrap sprayed with a tiny bit of spam on the cutting boards), place on the serving tray, and pour the jelly on top.

*We prefer sweet-hot flavors: jalapeno jelly, sweet chili sauce, cranberry pepper jelly or any other fruit-and-pepper jellies

†Serve with Wheat Thins, Triscuits or other favorite cracker (just make sure it is a strong cracker that does not easily break or crumble.)

Crab Cheese Ball

1 brick of cream cheese
1 can crab meat (artificial or not)
Garlic powder to taste*

2-4 TBSP horseradish
Lemon juice to taste
1/2 cup ketchup
Hot sauce (Cholula Chili Garlic Hot Sauce)

Directions:
Mix the cream cheese, crab meat (drained first!), and garlic powder.

*(Important: If using Cholula Chile Garlic Hot Sauce, do not use garlic powder.)

Shape the mixture into whichever shape you choose (our traditional is a ball). Cover and place in refrigerator chill for at least 30 minutes. Preferably 1-2 hours.

In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup ketchup (any brand), 2 tbsp horseradish, and a dash (or up to 1 teaspoon) of lemon juice. Taste the mixture, then add a couple of teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce and taste again. Not hot enough? Add more horseradish, then more hot sauce. Traditionally, we use just horseradish (four tablespoons) and ketchup (half a cup) … I prefer the mix with the hot sauce. I add the lemon to appease people who need to see lemon going into anything with seafood. Personally, I dislike lemon flavoring!

Cover the sauce and place in the refrigerator to chill.

When guests start arriving, spoon some sauce over the cheese ball and serve with crackers. Crisp crackers (such as Wheat Thins) work best when you don’t want to use a spreader. If you serve with a spreader, Townhouse Toppers taste the best!

Broccoli Cheese Dip

You need:

Either 2 jars (8 oz ea) process cheese sauce or 1 block melting cheese (such as Velveeta)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can Ro*tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (Or Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros)
3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1/2 large onion, sliced or diced
2 roasted red peppers, diced
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1/2 to 1 lb ground chuck (or ground sausage)

Assorted fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc),
Tortilla chips (scoops!) or a French Loaf, carved out to serve as a bowl

Directions:
Cook the onion in butter until it is translucent. Add the ground beef or sausage, and brown. Drain and rinse the meat. Toss into the crockpot with cheese (cube it if you’re using the block). Add the jalapenos, can of tomatoes, mushrooms (if desired), broccoli, and cream of mushroom soup. Cook on low or medium until the cheese is melted. Stir often to blend ingredients and help the cheese melt.

Serve with Fresh Veggies, Tortilla Chips, or Bread Bowl (and extra bread!). This is 5 billion types of yummy goodness!

Patois, of Whee! All the Way Home fame, generously offered to bring more beer and Strongbow Cider.

Weaselmomma, queen of the World of Weasels, brought these:

Bacon wrapped-Pecan stuffed dates

2 bags pitted dates
1 8 oz. bag pecan halves
3 packages bacon, slices cut in half*

Stuff dates with pecan, wrap bacon around dates, securing with a toothpick. Broil until bacon is crispy.

Last step, munch on any extra pieces of bacon and dates and nuts before guests arrive.

*I use the already cooked kind, but you can use whatever.

Ender, my skater friend from Red Monkey, brought her famous homemade:

Guacamole

3-4 avocados
1 tomato
1 red onion
garlic powder
salt
lemon or lime juice
cilantro (optional)

Cut the avocados in half longwise. Twist a bit and pull the halves apart. use a large knife and chop down on the seed, twist and then pull the seed out (doesn’t always work, but it’s fun). Use the knife to cube the avocado while it’s still in the skin. Scoop the cubed avocado into a bowl. Mush it up with fork

Chop up some tomato and some onion and stir that in – to taste. I prefer the flavour of red onion for guac.

Add a lot of garlic power and some salt & pepper to taste. Most chips are usually so salty, that I add little salt if any unless I’m making it for tacos or something.

Add some lemon juice to help keep the avocados from turning brown. (They will eventually anyway – it’s still good, just changes colour.)

I mix by eye and then use a chip to do small taste tests to make sure I have everything in the right amounts.

Some people also add fresh cilantro – but, beware that some people have an odd gene which makes fresh cilantro taste like soap. (I’m one of those people & I was relieved to discover I’m not alone in that!!)

Beany-Kathleeny, who is So Grateful to be Mormon, offered to bring mushrooms and French Onion veggie dip, and make everyone milkshakes.

From Melissa B, The Scholastic Scribe:

Lone Star Caviar

1 pound black-eyed peas
2 cups Italian salad dressing
2 cups diced green pepper
1.5 cups diced onions
1 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
1 jar diced pimiento
1 Tsp. final chopped garlic
sald and Hot Pepper to taste!

Directions: Soak Black-Eyed Peas in enough water to cover for 6 hours or overnight. Drain well. Transfer peas to a saucepan & add enough water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Let the peas boil until tender (about 40 minutes), but do not overcook. Drain well. Transfer peas to a large bowl, belnd in the Italian dressing, and let cool. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

Shannon is mixing up a few of these:

Watermelon Martini

1 part Watermelon Vodka
1 part Sweet & Sour mix
splash of cranberry juice

Bad Momma brought this handful of fun:

Walking Tacos

Take all the fixings for tacos, except the shells. Substitute individual serving bags of Fritos for taco shells. Open the bags & top with the meat & fixings. Make sure you have plenty of sporks on hand!

I knew I could count on Sandy from Momisodes to bring a crowd favorite:

Deviled Eggs

6 eggs
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt to taste (use very, very little)
paprika, for garnish
(Optional- Add 1 dash of hot pepper sauce)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, and turn heat to low. Cover and let eggs sit for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove, cool and peel.
2. Cut eggs in half. Remove yolks and place in a medium bowl. Mash together with celery, onion, mayonnaise, and salt (*Optional- hot pepper sauce can be added now).
3. Place egg yolk mixture into large ziploc bag and snip off a small hole in 1 corner. Use ziploc bag to pipe in the yolk mixture into the egg white halves.
4. Sprinkle eggs with paprika. Chill covered in the refrigerator until serving.

Veggie Mom, over at Eat Your Veggies! spent a whole week recently devoted some yummy recipes. She brought these for us all to enjoy.

Grandma Vera’s Cutout Sugar Cookies

For the cookies Cream together:
1.5 cups of sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs
1 Tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream

Sift together, then add gradually:
4 cups flour
1 Tsp. baking soda
1 Tsp. baking powder
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. nutmeg

Roll the dough out and cut the cookies in fun shapes, according to the occasion. Bake each batch at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool before you frost them! For the frosting 3 cups powdered sugar 1/2 stick butter whipping cream-you have to add gradually as you beat the other ingredients, until you get the consistency of frosting. vanilla, to taste food coloring-optional

Frost the cookies, and enjoy!

That sweetheart Heather, of Singing with my Heart fame, brought these awesome cookies!

Chocolate “Chipless” Cookies

SERVES 12 , 28 -32 cookies (change servings and units)

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 dash cinnamon or cinnamon sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
Pam cooking spray

Directions
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and instant pudding in a bowl and mix well.

Beat butter, both sugars, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until creamy. I like to microwave two unwrapped sticks of butter about 15 seconds in addition to leaving them on the counter for a few hours to soften.

Add eggs, one at a time, and beat each one well after you add it inches.
Gradually add in flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of milk to help mix the dough.

Cover bowl and refrigerate for about a half hour so that the dough isn’t melty when you drop it onto the cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (most recipes say 375 — I say keep it at 350).

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets very LIGHTLY sprayed with Pam. (Sometimes I like to lightly flour my hands and roll teaspoon sized hunks of dough into smooth balls. I then drop them onto the lightly sprayed sheet and press them lightly with two fingers.).

Never drop the dough onto a hot baking sheet or it will begin to melt before it is in the oven — NEVER a good thing.

Bake about 7-8 minutes. They’re done when the edges are browned and the middles puffy. They should look more undercooked than usual cookies but they should NOT look like their middles are still wet or oily looking. If that’s the case, continue baking but keep an eye on them. Make SURE the oven rack is not too close to the heat source. You don’t want to burn the bottoms!

They should be soft, delicious, and chip free!
(If you like chips, I use semi-sweet chocolate chunks sometimes in this recipe but I don’t add in too many. The chocolate shouldn’t take over the cookie.)

Nola, from Nola Notes, classes up the party with these:

Blue Cheese Toast

Makes 8 pieces

1/4 cup blue cheese, softened
2 TBS finely chopped onions
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 thin slices French baguette

Combine the cheese, onions and black pepper and stir to make a paste.  Spread the mixture evenly on the bread slices.  Toast under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts and is bubbly.

Barbara, one of my cre8Buzz pals, brought over these:

Chicken Wings w/Blue Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
4 oz. blue cheese, such as Maytag
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 quarts canola oil
2 lb. chicken wings, tips trimmed off
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup hot wing sauce
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
Celery stalks for serving

Directions:
In a bowl, using the back of a fork, mash the blue cheese into pea-size pieces. Add the mayonnaise and buttermilk and whisk until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the dip to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The dip can be made up to 2 days in advance.)

Pour the oil into a large pot, making sure the oil does not come more than halfway up the sides. Heat the oil to 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer.

Preheat an oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Cut through the joint on each chicken wing to separate the wing into 2 pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a bowl. Dredge the wings in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Working in batches, fry the wings until golden brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the wings to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the hot wing sauce and butter and heat until the butter melts.

Alternatively, in a small microwavable bowl, whisk together the hot wing sauce and butter and warm in a microwave at 15-second intervals until hot.

Transfer the fried chicken wings to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the wings and stir to coat evenly.

Serve immediately with the blue cheese dip and celery stalks. Serves 4 to 6.

from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen