A Holiday Party

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love occasions. You know, birthdays, parties for a reason, events, that sort of thing. I'm a planner, so spontaneity doesn't always work for me. Pre-planned things, however, right up my alley.

Amie and I always have these grandiose ideas. Dinner parties, wine parties, cook outs, you name it. Well, of course we needed a holiday party, and to save time and money, potluck was the theme. My friends are well represented when it comes to food, so don't expect to see much store bought anything at our gatherings. I've managed to get my hands on a few of the recipes for the night, so I hope you enjoy! Here was our menu:


Spiked Cranberry Punch
Cheesy Crab Dip
Shrimp Salad
Pasta
Lasagna
Panko Crusted Chicken with Spicy Sauce
Dinner Rolls
Red Velvet Brownies
Sprinkled Cupcakes

This was some tasty punch. I'm not much of a fruity drink type of gal, but this was the balanced mixture between spicy, sweet, spiked and bubbly.

Spiked Cranberry Punch
1/2 bottle of spiced rum
1/2 liter of lemon lime soda
1/2 big container cranberry juice
1/2 liter club soda
Squeezed some lemons and added lemon and orange slices


1. Combine all liquids over ice (add more to taste)
2. Garnish with sliced oranges

Shrimp Salad, refreshing and light! I don't have the exact recipe but I believe it was shrimp, dill, salt and pepper and some sort of milky sauce (maybe sour cream?). Whatever the case it was a wonderful combination.

This crab dip was literally impossible to resist. My friend Rachel made it and served it as an appetizer and it was very popular. Creamy and cheesy but not heavy. Perfect party food.

Cheesy Crab Dip
11 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 (6 ounce) cans crabmeat, drained and flaked
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese 
Old Bay Seasoning
Crusty Italian bread sliced into thin pieces


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, onion, mayonnaise, crabmeat, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spread mixture into a 1 quart baking dish. Top with cheese and old bay and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Remove baked crab dip from the oven, and stir well. Serve alongside bread or chips.

The chicken and sauce were made by Amie. Amie and I used to work at Outback Steakhouse. Oh wow I just admitted that. Well, truth be told, we sort-of loved it. And maybe ate too much of it, but that's neither here nor there. When Amie made the sauce for this chicken, she had Outback's Bloomin' Onion on the mind. The sauce is almost exactly the same! The chicken was a simple breaded chicken. Panko is crispier than reguar breadcrumbs and I actually much prefer it. This could easily be morphed into a chicken parm.

Panko Crusted Chicken with Spicy Sauce

Cooking spray
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko crumbs or unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Season both sides of chicken with salt and black pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place eggs in a separate shallow dish. Combine panko crumbs and Parmesan in a third shallow dish.
4. Dip chicken first in flour, then in the egg and then panko crumb mixture. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking sheet and spray the surface with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven, serve with sauce.


For the sauce:
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons ketchup
dash of salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Dijon mustard... enough to get a small kick


1. Whisk all ingredients together and serve alongside chicken.

Happy Holidays From Fairfax!

You could easily serve this menu at your next dinner party. It's festive but not overly holiday. Maybe for your New Years bash? Eh eh? Think it over. And look for a fantastic dessert recipe coming at you tomorrow!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Hello all my lovely readers! Isn't this the perfect fall weather? Well, it is here in Virginia, and I am loving it! Except, well... I've done it again. What, you ask? I've hurt myself. I went white water rafting last weekend and had a traumatizing fall out of the raft, under the water, into a rock, and stuck under the boat. Definitely my nearest-death experience. I do not recommend falling out of a raft on the rapids. Never-the-less, a wilderness doctor just happened to be milling around the scene two hours later, and he stitched me right up!

Although I'd love to post the pictures here, this is a food blog, and I don't want any gag reflex responses. Click here to see them.

I am now hobbling around again, stuck in my house for the past two and a half days. I get stir crazy, as most, but I've also taken the opportunity to enjoy a little quiet.

I've read through Southern Living, Cooking Light and Better Homes and Gardens. I've lit scented candles and listened to the sound of the wind blowing in my window. I've discovered a pumpkin spice latte.

Wait. What? A pumpkin spice latte? You know... those things that cost about $4.00 from our favorite coffee place?

Now you can make it at home-- and you may never go back to Starbs again.

What ya need:
2 cups of vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2-to-1 cup strong hot brewed coffee

What ya do:
Combine the milk, sugar and canned pumpkin in a medium sauce pot over medium heat until liquid steams
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Whisk quickly for about 20-30 seconds to make a frothy consistency. Divide milk mixture between two mugs.
Top each mug with desired amount of coffee. (The less coffee you use, the sweeter it gets)
Top with whipped cream, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice!




Oh and what to do with the leftover canned pumpkin? Well, try my pumpkin spice biscotti or chocolate chip pumpkin muffins!


Ta-Ta! Happy October!