Winner, winner... game night dinner!

Our fabulous dinner club rotation made it's way back to our house this weekend and Ryan and I were so excited to host. This has been such a great resolution and I am so thankful for the strengthening friendships we have with these four other couples. We gorged on some simple game night classics. I used recipes given to me by Pinny and they were all so good!

 Honey Crisp Sangria

3 Cinnamon Sticks (plus more for garnish)

2 honey crisp apples, chopped

1 orange, thinly sliced

1 bottle red wine (light-bodied Spanish variety)

1 and 3/4 cups apple cider*

1/2 cup brandy

1/4 cup orange juice

juice from 1 lemon

club soda, to taste

This was a last minute menu item. While we were at Spec's buying a rather ridiculous variety of craft beer (gag - please can we just agree to stick with Bud Light?) I thought it would be fun to make sangria. (Because when you are in a liquor store as big as Spec's, you suddenly become Brian Flanagan). This was the first recipe that popped up and we just so happened to have honey crisp apples at home. 

Jesus clearly wanted us to make the sangria. 

We decided to double the recipe since it was relatively simple and inexpensive. Spec's didn't have cinnamon sticks so we left those out. I didn't see the brandy mentioned, so I left that out. We also purchased alcoholic apple cider instead of sweetened cider as recommended (oops) and when we mixed it all together, it was a little tart. So we added a super secret ingredient that I will share with all of you. Capri Sun. Four capri suns, to be exact. 

Delish.

No game night (or any night) is complete without chips and guac. My personal recipe:

4 avocados

Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder to taste

Mash avocado, season and enjoy

Then it was on to the main event. I was going through my boards and realized that I pinned these sandwiches  on five separate occasions so I thought this was the perfect time to try them. 

Ham and Cheese Sliders

24 King's Hawaiian dinner rolls

24 thin slices of swiss cheese

Shaved ham 

1/3 cup REAL mayonnaise

1/3 cup Miracle Whip

Poppy Seed Sauce

1 tablespoon poppyseeds (I didn't measure)

1 1/2 tbs yellow mustard

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tbs minced onion

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl mix mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the rolls and assemble with ham and cheese. We prefer thinly sliced deli meat on our sandwiches. Close rolls and place on jelly roll pan. (You'll need the lip to catch the melted butter). Place them touching each other. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the poppyseed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until soaked in. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

(We assembled the sandwiches in the morning and placed in the fridge so we had to bake ours longer. Watch them closely because all that butter will drip down and the bottoms get browned.)

Ryan also made these random brisket sliders that were amazing.

Brisket Sliders

Pre-cooked brisket

Onion rolls

Assorted cheese

Sautéed Mushrooms

We seasoned the brisket with some BBQ sauce, followed my secret mushroom recipe and assembled. Baked at 350 degreed until crunchy and serve warm.

The Best Coleslaw Ever

1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix

2 tbs diced onion

2/3 cup Miracle Whip

3 tbs vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbs white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

poppy seeds

In a measuring cup combine miracle whip, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and poppy seeds. Whisk together until combined. Place cole slaw in a mid-sized bowl and mix with onions. Pour salad dressing mix on top of cole slaw and stir. **We meant to double the recipe but only bought 10oz bags of cole slaw. I didn't use all the dressing mix because I was afraid it was too much. 

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad

1 pound campanelle pasta

2 Cups mayonnaise

4 Tbs yellow mustard

2 tbs brine from pickle jar

6 large hard boiled eggs

3 ribs celery

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1/3 cup sweet relish

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Dice eggs into large chunks.

Combine all remaining ingredients and pour over pasta. Fold in eggs. Garnish with paprika. 

Now, you can serve this cold and it's fantastic, but y'all. I about died when tasted how good it was warm. SOOOOO good. 

We stuffed our bellies and filled our hearts. And then we laughed until we about died from an unforgettable evening of cards**. 

**seriously the best game ever