Dinner with friends...

I'm not trying to brag, but I have some pretty awesome friends. In the mile-long list of things to be thankful for, I could the friendships of my life in the top. My friends have sustained me, challenged me, nourished me, supported me and most importantly loved me. Because of that, we prioritize making time for our friendships. We have a group of dear people that have formed our CK dinner club that we try to break some bread with every few months. Our October date had to shift a little to accommodate a few extra friends because our buddies Jimmy, George, Bill, George Jr. and Barak were in town. Turns out they invited 1000s to their party and we clearly wanted a seat at THAT table!

As we were waiting in line to grab a quick refreshment we heard one of the entertainment guests warming up... we didn't pay too much attention until someone basically declared a stop in all activity with "HOLY COW THAT'S LADY GAGA!" We decided the drinks could wait, made our way to our fabulous seats and enjoyed the view. 

Since the event was high security ticket holders were encouraged to arrive early. Like 3 hours early. And when you are anywhere 3 hours early you need to figure out how to entertain yourself. For Cindy and I this meant practicing selfie skills and "woooo girl" faces. We clearly have them down. 

And what's dinner club without dinner... I present the most expensive pizza rolls you will ever taste. And honestly, they were awesome. 

My dear husband did not listen to the same music as I did growing up. I was giving him a quick history lesson on all things country. I'm a lucky girl - I can take him anywhere and he's always happy to just be with me. The feeling is mutual. 

And then the show began and we were on our feet. We were obnoxious, and loud and sang along with every single word and I loved every single minute of it. 

Cheers to good friends, good food, cold beer and America. 

We decided that no dinner party will ever top this night. You picked a fabulous theme, Fords. I mean, you didn't need to go to all this trouble, but we really appreciated the fun!

Next time, though, can we get seats at the "head table?"

This has been an awesome year of music for me. In November Cindy, Angie, Melinda and I got to see Adele and then we were graced with Gaga. Y'all. She is amazing. Her heart is so grand. She is graceful and dear and full of love. She addressed each President, she showed a message of respect and she set the most beautiful example for us all to be kinder whenever we can. 

My sweet Mom and Dad stayed home with the kids and I got this message when Gag made her debut. My mom was watching the show from her phone and sending me messages from my Dad's phone. 

I didn't think the night could get better, and Gaga is really really awesome. But y'all....

ALABAMA!!

I remember listening to Alabama and Ronnie Milsap in my dad's gold Corsica on our morning drives out to Rosenthal. Music was always on in our car and still in our home and the sounds of Alabama are some of my favorite. Even Ryan was rocking out with me. 

The night was one for the record books. What an honor to be part of such an amazing event. To stand united despite our differences and come together to focus on the similarity of helping our neighbor. 

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