eat, drink and be merry

We did it. All the planning and list making and scheming paid off. We had our 4th annual Christmas Party last night for roughly 40 guests and I think it's safe to say a good time was had by all. I look forward to this event all year and I generally start planning for our party early October (right around the time I get the itch to listen to Christmas music). We had a larger crowd than we've ever had this year so I was bit nervous that we wouldn't have enough food, but I have awesome friends who didn't show up empty handed and as usual, we had more than enough food.

The feature of the party was a hot cocoa bar. Brad thought it up and made the hot cocoa along with homemade whip cream. We then had an assortment of fixens' to spice it up - white chocolate godiva liqueur, mocha kahlua, frangelica, candy canes & homemade marshmallows (!) made by our good friend Nicole. It was such a fun addition to the party and one that I think will make an appearance next year!

As I mentioned, I've been planning for a few months, so naturally the menu has undergone a few revisions. We ended up making Fig & Goat Cheese Bruschetta (pictured above), Caprese skewers (pictured below), hummus, veggies & homemade dip, an assortment of Christmas cookies, homemade chocolate covered caramel pretzels, spiced nuts & my guilty pleasure holiday treat - white chocolate cheerio/chex/pretzel/m&m deliciousness (no idea what the real name is). Our talented foodie friends brought homemade meatballs, texas caviar, homemade pizzas, cream cheese veggie pizza, homemade pepperoni rolls, noodle kugel, olive/tomato/mozzarella bites and I'm sure there is more that I'm not remembering!

This was a fun twist to traditional bruschetta. Minimal preparation (all of which you can do in advance if needed) so all that's left to do when your guests arrive is throw in the broiler for 2 minutes. Delic!

Fig & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

1 1/4 cups chopped dried Mission figs (about 9 ounces)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup coarsely chopped orange sections

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

40 (1/2-inch-thick) slices French bread baguette, toasted (about 8 ounces)

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

5 teaspoons finely chopped walnuts

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until figs are tender. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Preheat broiler.

Top each bread slice with 1 1/2 teaspoons fig mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoons goat cheese. Arrange bruschetta on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with walnuts. Broil 2 minutes or until nuts begin to brown. Serve warm.

recipe courtesy of cookinglight.com