It’s December. Can you believe it?
I went to a Christmas party last night with some local Christian writers, and it was awesome. We laughed, we ate, we laughed some more, and… Well, you get the idea. Good food and good company.
I had to think of something to bring to the party, and because I’m never entirely sure which direction to go, I ended up picking sweet AND savory. So I brought Wookie Cookies (chocolate chip w/ a delectable dash of cinnamon) and homemade hummus. I threw in some pita chips and pretzel chips for good measure because, well, nobody wants to use their chocolate chip cookies to eat hummus, right?
This was my first time making hummus, and I had a little trouble finding one of the ingredients. At the grocery store, when I asked where the tahini was, they thought I was saying Tahiti. I’m from out west, but I don’t think my accents is THAT bad. (Actually, I don’t have an accent at all. It’s all these people from the east coast…where I live…that have accents.) Anyway…three store clerks and one random woman later, I found the tahini, and the adventure to homemade hummus began! Of course, the only reason I made it for the party is because nobody else in my house eats hummus, so there was no point in going through all that effort just to eat it myself. (Besides, other people make better guinea pigs!)
So what’s your go-to dish for Christmas parties? Do you have a favorite sweet treat or savory sensation that gets all the rave reviews at your holiday gatherings? Do share! I’m not above admitting that I’m looking for recipes to steal. Ah-hem. I mean borrow. Recipes to borrow. :)
Happy December!
Heather
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Last Week
On Monday, JoAnn Durgin previewed The Christmas Challenge.
On Tuesday, Autumn Macarthur gave us a peek at Dr. Seuss and The Places God Takes Us.
On Wednesday, Ginger Solomon talked about some of the challenges of Real Live v. Writing.
On Thursday, Staci Stallings shared why she writes in a Behind The Story post.
On Friday, Deb Kastner told us about her latest release Mistletoe Daddy.
On Saturday, Narelle Atkins opened the blog to fellow Aussie author Meredith Resce.
Next Week
Monday: Jessica Keller
Tuesday: Carol Moncado
Wednesday: Cheryl Wyatt
Thursday: Marion Ueckermann
Friday: Lee Tobin McClain
Saturday: Lindi Peterson
New Releases
November 2016
The Ranger’s Texas Proposal (Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch) by Jessica Keller
Operation Back-to-School (Operation Romance book 4) by Elizabeth Maddrey
Other Than a Halo (Christmas in Montana 2) by Valerie Comer
An Informal Date (Informal Romance 4) by Heather Gray
Mistletoe Daddy (Cowboy Country 5) by Deb Kastner
Least Expected (Love in Store Novella) by Autumn Macarthur
Melbourne Memories (Heart of Australia) by Marion Ueckermann
December 2016
It Was You (King’s Cove Collection) by Jessica Keller
An Aspen Creek Christmas (Aspen Creek Crossroads) by Roxanne Rustand
Apple Orchard Bride (Goose Harbor 5) by Jessica Keller
The Nanny’s Texas Christmas (Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch) by Lee Tobin McClain
A Family to Call Ours (Front Porch Promises 3) by Merrillee Whren
Manuscripts & Mistletoe (Serenity Landing Teachers 2) by Carol Moncado
Pursuit (Lewis Legacy 8) by JoAnn Durgin
The Christmas Challenge by JoAnn Durgin
A Hero for Heather (Seven Suitors for Seven Sisters 3) by Marion Ueckermann
A Husband for Holly (Seven Suitors for Seven Sisters 4) by Marion Ueckermann
Heather Gray loves coffee, God, her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that order! She writes approachable characters who, through the highs and lows of life, find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her. And, yeah, her books almost always have someone who's a coffee addict. Some things just can't be helped. Despite their different lives and situations, Heather’s characters have something in common. They're all flawed...but loved anyway.
Wookie Cookies sound yum! We make Christmas Balls (sometimes called Rum Balls, but I don’t use the Rum)- basically crushed weet-bix, condensed milk, dried fruit- all blitzed together, rolled into balls, then rolled in coconut to cover them, YUM! Because it is Summer here at Christmas, we do lots of fresh salads and fruit- trifles, pavlova and so on. Dips are always good too, along with cheesy cob bread- a cob loaf hollowed out and filled with cheese that is used as a dip. We have one more week until summer holidays- YAY!
Wemble, Google tells me a cob bread is some kind of round loaf. Is that right? I sometimes make a round sourdough loaf, hollow it out, and (re)bake it with a spinach dip filling. Now I’m really curious if a cob load is something similar!
Heather, you never said – how did the hummus turn out? LOL, I usually cheat and make mine without tahini!
My current favourite homemade dip is sweet potato. Cook a whole sweet potato in the oven till it’s soft right through. I just cut the very ends off, and stick it straight on the over shelf when I’m cooking other food the night before. Once it’s cool, the skin peels straight off. Mash the soft sweet potato with some mayo, and a little sweet chilli sauce. It’s super-easy and surprisingly good!
Valerie, yep, a cob loaf is a round loaf, like a dome.
Yes, it sounds the same. I basically do the same thing, but with a cheesy dip. I will have to try a spinach one!
I enjoy taking sugar cookies or homemade fudge to various events. Yummy!
Happy SONday Heather!! I can’t believe it’s December already either…where does time go? Maybe right up there were missing socks go…haha!
We don’t really attend any Christmas parties & we are avoiding tons of sugary stuff. So I’d have to say I’d bring something a little healthier to the table, maybe a plate of fruit or veggies, or even crackers, cheese and summer sausage. Now hummus & pita chips I definitely can go for!! I’ve never tried making it homemade, I’d be the only one eating it so I stick to the store bought where I can buy a smaller package. Talking about all this food is making me hungry :-)
Congrats to this weeks winners! Here’s to another fun week at Inspy Romance. Maybe I can stay caught up with them this week! Blessings everyone :-)
I like to bring fruit or cookies . I’m thinking of bringing a hot fudge cake that i love. You make a batter and then put cocoa,sugar and hot water on top. When it cooks the batter rises up and the hot fudge sinks. It’s great!
Pretty much everything you named sounds delicious. But then, I’m a sucker for any food I didn’t have to cook and don’t have to clean up after. :)
The hummus was a hit! I thought it tasted good when I made it, but the test is always when other people try it. Luckily it passed the test. A few people even went back for seconds. :)
Sweet potato dip sounds awesome! I have to bring food to my small group every week. Sometimes it’s main dish, sometimes dessert, sometimes a side dish. I’m thinking of doing chips and dips…or pita bread and dips the next time I’m assigned a side dish. Hummus, sweet potato dip, and maybe something fruity. I could do that. (I really like recipes that have fewer than 5 ingredients, too!) :)
Yum! I love homemade fudge, but I’ve never attempted the art of trying to have the patience to make it myself. ^_^
Fruit is ALWAYS a welcome addition at any gathering! :) I like to get my fruit at Aldi. They don’t always have a huge selection, but what they do carry is good quality. (And now I’m craving blackberries…) :)
I’m supposed to bake some mini cake loaves this week for some baskets being assembled for some of our church’s homebound folks. Your hot fudge cake sounds so good! I might have to experiment with that. :)
Easy peasy recipe using marshmallows, sweetened condensed milk and mini morsels. :-)
I’m behind on blogs because of all the “Christmas” busyness. I like to make Coke meatballs, using Coca Cola for the broth they cook in. If it’s at my house, I fill (about 40) Tostitos Scoops with a mixture of 8 oz. cream chees, 1 egg, 1 can corn, 2-8 oz. pkgs Pepper Jack cheese, and sprinkle chives on top. Then I bake them at 350 for 20 minutes. Last Christmas they were eaten so quickly that I had to make a second batch, which also disappeared. I love your books, Heather! Have a Blessed Christmas!!!