Thursday, December 8, 2016

A Christmas Dinner Surprise ~ December 2016


Christmas dinner with friends... a gift swap... cookie swap and cookie decorating!  A full agenda for this evening's cooking club.

Betty and Cindy never fail to surprise or impress us!  They showed up to Jen's home with baskets filled with sugar cookies, paint brushes and food gel.  Time to get creative!  The cookies were in cute bundles - each of us to decorate as we wished.  What a fun surprise.

We started our evening with some festive appetizers.  Angi brought bacon wrapped cranberry water chestnuts... sweet and salty crunchy bites.  Pretty and delicious.

Bacon wrapped cranberry water chestnuts

Betty's savory tarts

Jen's herbed focaccia bread

While enjoying a glass of wine we opened our cookie packages and started paining.  Such fun...
Cindy & Betty

Jeanne

Cindy & Denise

Angi, Nina & Jeanne

Denise showing off her tree


The evening continued with a festive Christmas dinner including a hearty fish stew that Jen prepared for us. Cioppino ~ filled with clams, shrimp and muscles served over linguine.  Yum!
Jen's Cioppino
Denise's vegetable frittata
Jean brought a leek and artichoke bread pudding.  I somehow missed a picture of this item  - but it was fabulous!  (must have been the wine...)


Last but not least... dessert!  Cindy brought a frozen lemon mousse and Jen made hot chocolate and served it along with her homemade peppermint marshmallows.
frozen lemon mouse and hot chocolate

pretty bowl of homemade marshmallows

A fun festive evening with friends....wishing you all a Christmas full of love & cheer followed by   healthy and happy new year filled with health and good fortune!   Merry Christmas xo xo

Jen, Cindy, Angi, Jen, Denise, Jeanne, Nina & Betty

Some of our final displays of Christmas cheer - cookie style:









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