January 9, 2017

• Looking for the Epiphany Party

  Last Friday Sparky and I were invited to an Epiphany Party. It was in a very poorly lit subdivision with very few house numbers visible. Our intention was to figure out which house it was by the large number of cars in the driveway. So Sparky slowly cruised as I scanned for a house number. I finally spotted a number which indicated we had passed the location. Sparky decided to pull into a driveway to turn around. Which he did. Except it wasn't a driveway. He had mistaken someone's curving flower bed for the drive! He got a full car length into their yard before realizing his mistake. He slowly reversed course and we fled the scene of the crime! I looked back to see deep tire tracks in the snow covered garden. The party was 4 houses down from the turn around point. Gah. We attended the party hosted by one of the ladies at church. It was a reunion of sorts for all the past and present CHRP (Christ Renews His Parish) participants and their spouses. We were the first to arrive and our hostess welcomed us warmly and was relieved as she thought no one was going to arrive. We were a few minutes late. Soon others showed up and the house was packed! We were all supposed to bring "finger food" and our hostess was providing adult beverages and desserts. Well, I decide to make ham roll-ups. They are quick and easy and they travel well and taste good too.

  Ham Roll-ups
  burrito size tortillas
  thinly sliced ham
  Cream cheese
  Fresh garlic minced
  Onion minced finely

  You mix the onion and garlic into the cream cheese. Spread the cream cheese on the tortillas - a thin layer is all you need. Place the ham on the tortilla making sure you cover the area. Try not to over lap the meat too much and cut the slices to make them fit. Then tightly roll the tortillas. Wrap the rolled tortillas in Saran wrap or some other type of plastic cling wrap. Refrigerate - for up to 2 days which makes these so easy to make ahead! Just before serving unwrap and slice into wheels. Yum.

  So as I deployed my ham roll-up, others began to arrive. Great minds think alike. Mary came in with her version in which she added a layer of spinach leaves and a strip of cucumber. Abby contributed one made with turkey and slices of green peppers. Luckily we were the only 3 to make roll-ups. Beth made pigs in a blanket covered with maple pecan goo. They were delicious. Several brought cheeses. We enjoyed a delicious cranberry log, a cheddar spread that was so creamy that I wanted to get a spoon and just dig in, and some aged Swiss, Brie, goat cheese with seasoned croutons, and a blue cheese chunk. Janet brought rye bread finger sandwiches and Melisa made Antipasto casserole that was devoured. Barb arrived with a breakfast casserole kind of thing that reminded me of a western omelet that you could eat like brownies. Martha contributed a corn dip that everyone loved (so much so that I wanted to get a photo and the recipe). The desserts were mostly made of chocolate - chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate filled cream puffs, Lindt chocolate filled chocolate balls, chocolate kisses, and chocolate covered pretzels.

  I got to visit with a few women I hadn't seen for a long time. It was a very enjoyable! Sparky even had fun. The host and several others brought their instruments and we were provided live music - piano, 2 guitars, a bass guitar and a violin. Since most of the people there also sang in the choir there ensued a lively sing-along of a mix of Christmas carols, Broadway show tunes, and some pop music favorites too! We laughed and had a great time! A perfect ending to a back-to-work-week.

  • 6:04 am
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