Too Much Wonderfulness

 On Tuesday I had two wonderful events- both Bucket and Girl's Night Out!  They usually aren't on the same day- but because of a mix-up, they were

 Bucket was at Erica's home.  I love going there because it is so peaceful.  Erica is peaceful.  I admire her so much!

Our numbers were small- everyone traveling or on assignments- but the 7 of us enjoyed our intimate time together.  Gail was there and so we got to hear the latest on fan trouble at the Jazz games and also Salt Lake's homeless situation.  Libby was there- and we grieve along with her- her journey with dementia.  She said that just being with us at Bucket gave her normalacy.  Diana got home from her 1 1/2 year mission with her hubby in Long Beach and it was awesome to catch up.  It was wonderful to be with dear friends Karlin and Cathy as well.

Erica served us the most beautiful (and delicious) pot pie for lunch.  Look for the recipe on the cooking blog.  Her theme was our wonderful world- and she had hand pressed lots of flowers and plants for us to make a small picture to bring the world inside to our homes.  Here's mine below (with my cloche I made with my grands.)

Brendalyn had Taco Tuesday for Girl's Night Out.  I helped out by making Chili's Queso Dip and also Cilantro Lime Rice.


Brendalyn had every kind of simmered meats and street tacos and hard tacos and on and on and on.  I especially loved the Key Lime Pie she made for dessert and friend Linda's recipe for Corn Pudding with a butter sauce on top.  Both of them are MUST makes!!!!

Loved all our conversation with my GNO friends. We love each other's families and know our past and present.  Nothing like dear friends.  Filling food and more importantly, filling conversation.

Christmas Girl's Night Out

It started with an invitation.

The table was set.

 

The food- my oh my!

Appetizers made by Funny Kathy-
Cheese Bacon Pinwheels (one of my favorite appetizers!

and a new yummy cheese dip.  I will be making both of these for our annual Snicky Snack meal on Christmas Eve.

Main Course;

Teriyaki Salmon topped with Siracha Cream

Butter Lemon Shrimp- but I forgot the butter- Boo!  Still- it's hard to ruin shrimp unless you overcook it.

Sides:
a magnificent salad by Funny Kathy

Twice- Baked potato with Rauclett cheese casserole (I call it "have a little potato with your heavenly cheese!)  This was a winner-winner-chicken-dinner recipe.  Over the top with the crunchies on the top

Drink- the frosted glasses with pomegranates and a Cranberry Sprite with skewers of sugared cranberries on top.

Dessert-
Sliced Green Apples with my favor new caramel I found this fall in Leavenworth- Cinnamon Pear Caramel (I've ordered 3 cases for gift giving!) drizzled on top.  And I made little Swig cookies as well.

Favor:
Rocky Road Fudge in Christmas Cookie Cutter
AND Funny Kathy made little treat bags with homemade turtles inside.

I love these women in my life- Cathy Olsen, Brendalyn Baer, Kathy Wilson, Terri DeJulis, Tauna Isaac, Loretta Duncan and Elaine Christensen.  We've been together since we were young mothers.  We've been through the war together (figuratively) and celebrated with tears.  How lucky I am to have wonderful friends- and this party was my gift to them.  It's all about showing your love by serving.  (and in case you were wondering, no, I couldn't do all that cooking by myself - my wonderful cleaning friend, Myrna- helped me chop and slice the things I couldn't.  I couldn't live without her.)

Life can be so wonderful.  It can also be so hard.  I'm so glad that when our earth rocks (and it does.  It did.)- I can reflect on all the goodness and the love of family and friends.  And God is there in the wings with his open arms.  His is the Greatest friendship of all....

The recipes all on the cooking blog- 
www.constantgrowingamazementcooks.blogspot.com

Frosted Drink Glasses with Sugared Cranberry Skeweres

Last night I hosted our annual GNO Christmas party (friend Funny Kathy assisted and of course friends jumped in since I'm still winged.)  You can tell I have way too much time on my hands but then it was.....

 Way too much fun! I've been dreaming about this for a month!

 I bought tall, skinny bud vases from Hobby Lobby.  The perfect size for a fun specialty drink.

I boiled 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water and reduced it until it was a syrup.  Let it cool but still warm..  First I dipped the tops of the vases in the syrup, then into sugar for that frosted look.

Then I dipped all the cranberries into the syrup and individually placed them on a cooling rack- just for about 1/2 hour, then rolled them in sugar and let them hardened.  These are sooo good!  I also did the same thing with fresh mint leaves.  I skewered the cranberries on a 5 inch long decorative skewer and ended with a mint leave.

I put a T. of pomegranates into the bottom of each glass, and at serving time, added chilled Cranberry Sprite (or 7-Up), then laid the cranberry spear across the top.  The drinks were so entertaining.  They bubbled like lava lamps all evening with the pomegranates going up and down.  We loved it!!!!


 
 
 

 

 

Galentines Ooh-La-La

 Last week I hosted a Galentine Ooh-La-La party for my friends at GNO.  We had SUCH a fun time celebrating friendship. I had fun having something creative to focus on plus love to show my friends how much I adore them.

I served Savory crepes
             artichoke quiche
             mini Croque Monsieur
            strawberry and melon caprese salad  
            with a browned butter and balsamic glaze

            (truly- lick the spoon.  Recipe on the cooking blog!)
             sparkling cider
and delicious macaroons that were unbelievable (I purchased from a new baker that is fabulous!)

I also had candy Eiffel tower cups to go shopping in the different candy jars.

 

 

 I blew up the picture I had for my invitations in black and white and then chalk colored it in for a photo background- then got funky glasses and hats and berets and mustaches for our photo shoots.

 

 

 

 

 

Galentines is a celebration of girlfriends and I have many to celebrate!!!!!!  We've celebrated this friendship when we were in our twenties and now we are all grandmas!!!  But we still know how to party.

We always laugh so much.  My friend Terri- who's birthday is today- comes from a crazy dysfunctional family yet she is so grounded and smart and organized.  She told us two funny stories about her dad.  He called her over this week to work on his obituary ....then called her back to say he had changed his mind and decided to go to Wendover (gambling) one more time!

He also mentioned that in the obituary to only mention two of his wives, not the other three!
Ha ha!  We laughed and laughed.  She has never ending stories.

Recipes

 

Truly, if you have never made the Asian Flatbread Pizzas from the cooking blog, you need to!  I made them for our Valentines Party (with shrimp and without the toppings) and they were SUCH A HIT!  I could eat them every day!  And talk about a fast meal!

 

 

 

I also made Oreo Cheesecake Cookies for dessert.  They are a nice cookie change.

 

 

 
Recipes on the cooking blog!

Fun. Funnest!!!!

Funnest Valentine's party!!!!!  Oh my gosh?  Did I say funnest?  It was even better than that!!!!


A couple of my friends thought making Valentines was nuts.  At the end of the party we agreed it was the best ever.  We shared our hearts and laughter....and Valentines.

I had everyone bring their wedding pictures and as we sent them around the table, they told their "love story."  Everyone loves their love story and it was fun.  And some funny wedding stories.
I LOVE those.

I made Valentine's bags for everyone with a special goofy Valentine that represented them on the fronts.  Here are some:

Terri is married to a Catholic boy so we have fun with that.

 
Tauna takes water aerobics each morning.....

I turned this:

into this. 

 When you're friends forever, you remember all the silly conversations from years ago.  Elaine used to say she used to fantasize about being a mermaid rescued by a handsome pirate.

 And this is me.  Recognize my birthday mask?

 

The Valentine's from the friends were wonderful.  Here are a few:

 

Loretta is a fabulous artist and loves to recreate my favorite artist, James Christensens fantasy art.  She painted this and made a multi-medium picture for us.   Fabulous!!!

 

 BFF Cathy loves to go to the gym and workout (ugh!) and to travel, decorating (a color swatch)  and LOVES See's chocolates (bag attached!)

 Brendalyn is a card maker extraordinaire.  She made these darling boxes and they are filled with chocolate gummies....since she's a Baer.

 Funny Kathy is a gardener.  Maybe a master gardener.  She's been a gardener at the Salt Lake Temple.  Her Valentine was perfect!

 All in all, we all got a fun stash of love and goodies.  We know each other so well- have shared life's ups and downs and been there to share and support each other.  How blessed we are!!!  My text message has "dinged" all morning with everyone exclaiming how much fun it was.  Success!

 

And David had flowers for me this morning!  Tru Luv.  I got him cashews and pistachios since I'm NUTS about him.  Then I'm making his favorite dessert tonight.

 

 

Elaine- my favorite poet wrote a beautiful poem about our friendship.

 

Again, Moon and Magnolias

 

My lamp reflects in the black window pane.

Look, two lamps,

one here, on the dresser,

one outside in the magnolia tree.

It shines steadily from invisible branches

that rattle against the rain gutter.

 

With the lamp turned off,

the tree peers in at me,

might blooming in its boughs.

Shriveled leaves, not yet twisted free,

wait their turn to touch the ground they've watched

for three seasons.  I've heard the wind

call out their names, lying here,

wondering when the moon will look in on me.

 

Magnolia leaves have southern names:

Savanna, Charlotte, Georgia, of course, Scarlet.

Never men's names on a magnolia tree.

Strange that a tree can be a whole group of friends

blessing me with their willingness:

  to start over each spring.

  to share swelling, furry pods of possibility,

  to flower with uninhibited joy,

    exultant in waxy pinks and lavenders,

  to watch our blossoms brown,

    wilt away, petals undone.

 

The moon, in one of here phases-

I'm never sure is she's waxing or waning-

arrives, takes a turn sitting in the branches,

pretending for a moment she's a Carolina moon.

Good night, she croons,

and the wind blows her up, up across the sky.

Pajama Party

I'll play a little catch-up before I get to the "now".  Just before Christmas, Brendalyn and Loretta hosted our Girl's Night Out Christmas evening.....an invitation to breakfast and to wear jammies!

I must say- it was the breakfast made for royalty.  A fresh fruit yogurt bar, caramel monkeybread, glazed ham, fruit pavlova, a wonderful breakfast enchilada with cheese sauce (check out the cooking blog) and another wonderful Brie and veggie Breakfast strata (another amazing recipe you need to check out!), crepes with all sorts of fillings.   Just a wonderful buffet of goodness.

www.constantgrowingamazementcooks.blogspot.com

Back to the invitation.  It said "come in jammies."

 There’s a scene in the movie Legally Blonde where the main character gets invited to a costume party. She accepts and shows up to the event wearing a Playboy Bunny outfit. Only she’s the only one dressed up. 

I was totally feeling the Reese in me.  Hello, friends, it said "wear jammies!"