Oh, Geeze...2 posts in one day...

..but I guess when one gets up too early, it does seem like 2 in ONE day..huh?

I thought I'd post my recipes for some of the treats served last night - and I have to give credit where credit is due -

.......the following candy recipe was "gleaned" from Brin's blog, http://messythrillinglife.blogspot.com/ and she got it from "Debbie Sue" - although I don't know of her blog (sorry!)

Debbie Sue's Crockpot Candy

1 (16 oz.) jar unsalted peanuts
1 (16 oz.) jar salted peanuts
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (12 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
2 (12 oz.) bags peanut butter chips
2 (1 lb.) packages White Almond Bark, broken in pieces
(You'll sometimes find this called Vanilla Candy Coating)

Layer ingredients, in order listed, into (4 quart or larger) crockpot.

Turn the pot on low, cover it with a lid, and walk away for two hours. ( I told my youngest daughter to "go away for 2 hours", instead of "walk away.." she asked if she really had to leave...LOL)

After two hours, (when you come back Brandi..) remove lid and stir to combine.

Replace lid and walk away for another 30 minutes. (gotta find somewhere to go for a short time, now...)

Check to see if almond bark is melted, and if so, stir and spoon mixture onto wax paper.

(Decorate, if you wish, with holiday sprinkles or additional chopped peanuts.) Allow to harden - 1 hour or so - before enjoying.

I tried this and it worked like a charm -probably the easiest and most popular candy I've made.

(Mr. B did have problems finding unsalted peanuts, so we just used salted for the first 2 ingredients yet the candy was NOT salty...)

The other "hit" of the night is a Mexican Soup ( inadvertently called it "taco soup") and this one comes from a good friend and fellow blogger, Kristina of http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/

(She even designed the recipe page for a recipe swap where I used to work...)

I served it with sour cream, grated cheddar and chips to be added if wanted. YUM-O! And sooo easy! For the party, I cooked it on the stove top then transferred it to the crock pot- mostly just for maintaining the temperature.

So, while I have you here, I'll tell you what I did for "door prizes" - because I didn't want the guests to go home empty handed - Mr. B purchased some inexpensive items that I had found cute poems or sayings for ( you know - like "May your Christmas be Merry and 'Sprite" on a bottle of Sprite. Or, "Merry Christmas & Happy Root Beer" on a root beer bottle. Had a wire wisk filled with Hershey kisses, wrapped in red saran wrap with "We 'wisk' you a Merry Kiss-mas'")

I printed the sayings (or poems) then Mrs. P and Mrs. B helped with the numbering and the keeping track of what's what. When each guest was ready to leave, they pulled a number and received the coordinating token gift. It was a lot of fun and totally random. We had mints, nuts, candles, kitchen towels, apple cider, Jolly Ranchers, and so on.

Here's the "goodie Basket"...

I heard about the police force in many cities asking that you don't put the presents under the tree where they would be visible by the 'Grinch's' out there, but my tree looked empty ...and sad...so I put small decorated pillows, some with ribbons wrapped like packages, under for effect. I think it looks good....what do you think?

I love how the tree reflects in the mirror- which is directly in my viewing pleasure when I sit in the "Santa" chair...
OK, so that's enough boredom for one Sunday evening.

I'm kinda pooped and the last party dish is washed & put up, so I think I'll call it 'all good'.

g'night and sleep tight...

-me