Posting about the Living Stones Christmas party in chronological order seems to be the best way to organize these posts.  We came bringing gifts for our CPS children, and I told you about sweet Lauren and what a blessing she is to all of us.  That was Part 1.

Next we ate – can Baptist get together without eating?  I don’t think so.  Therefore, I think Part 2 will be about the menu.  The food was good.  And the best part was that everything was simple and was made ahead.  There was no panic about getting everything to the table at exactly the same time.  I often think when I prepare meals where I try to cook too much, I have to be like synchronized swimmers – You get the picture.  Everything needs to be perfectly served at exactly the correct moment.  When the food was prepared early, we relaxed, enjoyed the meal, and visited with our friends.

Appetizers were simple: veggies, a savory pecan dip (from a box) and two kinds of cheeses with crackers.  There was a cranberry cheese and a  savory herb cheese.  We also served our version of a cranberry spritzer – cranberry and ginger ale (about half and half).  The night was warm, and this drink was refreshing.

I show you this picture so you can see the wedge salad.  (Aren’t the angels cute.)  The Homemade Ranch Dressing is a Pioneer Woman recipe.  Once you have eaten homemade Ranch Dressing, you won’t want to buy the bottled “stuff” ever again.  I am not saying that you will not buy it when necessary, but you won’t want to.  And making the dressing is easy, easy, easy.  Click on the above link to get the recipe.  We added diced tomatoes and pancetta for garnish.  Honestly when I have this dressing on crisp iceberg lettuce I always want to clean my plate (or better yet –  lick the plate).  This dressing also can be used as a dip.

Francene made the crock-pot roast, and it was tender, tasty, and very delicious.  She got the recipe from her daughter Debbie, and it is a winner.  Francene promises to share the recipe, and when she does, I will share it with  you.

Sides included these marinated grilled asparagus that we got out of a jar that we bought at Cosco.  How easy is that? (But the jars were hard to open.)  Recommended.

Ever since I made the Five Cup Salad for Thanksgiving, I have been wanting to make it again.  So-o-o-o, the party was a good excuse.  Could not be easier, – one cup each of Mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, shredded coconut, miniature marshmallows, and sour cream – and it is a crowd pleaser.  Gala says they call this ambrosia at her house.  I like that fancy name.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes is another Pioneer Woman recipe.  Sweet Mother of Pearl, these are delicious.  The fact that they can be made a day or two before your celebration is beyond wonderful.  They are sinfully delicious, decadent, and not a diet food.   But they are lick your chops good, and you can make them ahead of time, and you do not have to be like one of those swimmers where everything has to be perfect and come out of the water or oven at exactly the same time.  About forty-five minutes before we were to serve the meal, we put the potatoes in the oven to heat.  No stress.

Rolls came from Spring Creek B-B-Q – Yummy!

For dessert we had Hot Fudge Peppermint Brownie Sundaes.  Again the brownies were made (Ghirardelli mix) and put in Francene’s beautiful Waterford dessert dishes. (Anything would taste good in these.)  Then we added Peppermint ice cream and hot fudge sauce from Braum’s.  Be still my heart.  Everyone raved about the dessert.   Earlier in the day, we scooped the ice cream into balls, and put the ice cream balls on a cookie sheet in the freezer.  When it was time for dessert, we put the ice creme on top of the brownies, and drizzled it with the hot fudge sauce.  It took so little time.

Francene and I felt we did well on choosing the menu.  We were able to enjoy the party, and the food was delicious.

Blessings to you and yours,

There are links to the Ranch Dressing and Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipes in the post.  Just click on the titles, and you will be taken to the Pioneer Woman’s website for the recipes.

Watch for the Part 3 post.  It will be a home tour of Francene’s fantastic home.  Her home is filled with family heirlooms and wonderful items from her travels.  I like it. I love it.

Thank you for reading Lanabird.  Love,