I have time for a post, can you believe it!?!  The food is all prepared and the house is cleaned, all that’s left is getting dressed so I figured I might as well stop in and share some recipes.

I drove Adam to school this morning so we had to be out of the house at 7:30.  My alarm broke and his didn’t go off until 7:20 leading to this outfit –

Yep, I slapped Uggs on my pajamas and called it a go.

During our drive I drank this purple Rockstar for an energy boost.

And that’s all I’ve eaten since then.  All day.  I did some nibbling while I made dessert but other than that I’ve kept my hands out of the food.  All I’ll say is this: thank goodness for Rockstar!

Tonight’s surprise party is going to be tiny, but very well stocked with food and booze 🙂  In addition to the rum, vodka, etc. we have around the house I bought three kinds of Christmas beer.

Appetizers:  buffalo chicken dip with Food Should Taste Good Olive Chips and Sociable crackers; devilled eggs.

Dinner: salad with red and green peppers; garlic bread; vegetable lasagna.

Dessert: ‘smores pie.

This party is about Adam, not me.  I choose things that he liked and made them the way he likes, without healthy substitutions.  I didn’t cut back the cheese (there is LOT of cheese in this menu) or use plain yogurt in place of mayo.  I did buy low fat or fat free versions of most everything.  Also, as usual, nothing has trans fat; Adam doesn’t eat it either.

Buffalo Chicken Dip  I got this recipe from Tina’s blog.

I basically followed it except that I don’t have a slow cooker, so after the stove top I put mine in a small casserole dish and baked for 20minutes, uncovered, at 250*.  Also, I used fat free and 1/3 less fat cream cheeses.

Devilled Eggs

• 7 large eggs
• 2 T Miracle Whip Lite
• 1 t mustard (I used Jack Daniels)
• ½ t olive juice
• 7 pimento stuffed olives, cut in half
• paprika 

1. Hard boil the eggs.  When they are finished, run them under cold water for 1-2 minutes.
2. Carefully peel and discard shells.
3. Cut each egg in half lengthwise, dumping the yolks into a small bowl.
4. Mash yolk with a fork.  Add mayo, mustard, and olive juice to the bowl; mash to combine.
5. Spoon a bit of the yolk mixture into each egg half.
6. Top with an olive half and a sprinkle of paprika (I only put paprika on half).

Salad

For the salad I bought two bags of mixed lettuce and four bell peppers (two red, two green).  I chopped up the peppers and tossed.  I’m setting out the bowl with a variety of dressings.

Garlic Bread

All you need is a loaf of Italian bread, SmartBalance Light, and garlic powder.  Cut the loaf into slices.  Spread each slice with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Reform into a loaf and wrap tightly with tinfoil.  Warm in oven for the last 10minutes of cooking time of whatever you’re serving it with.

Veggie Lasagna  This is Adam’s mom’s recipe, but I’m writing it with the several changes I made.

• package lasagna noodles (you need 10noodles)
• 15oz fat free ricotta cheese
• ¼ lb parmesan cheese, shredded.  Reserve half
• 16oz part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ½ cup fat free cottage cheese
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ t salt
• ¼ t pepper
• 1 T oregano
• 1 T garlic powder
• 16oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and strained
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• jar spaghetti sauce (I used garlic flavored) 

1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
2. Cook the noodles according to package directions, for half the time instructed.  Add evoo to water before boiling.
3. Drain noodles and lay flat.
4. Combine cheese, eggs, and seasonings in a large bowl.
5. Brush a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
6. Put down a layer of pasta, followed by half the spinach, then all the carrots, then half the cheese mixture, then a thin layer of sauce.  It’s easiest to put the cheese and sauce layers down in small spoonfuls and then spread with your fingers.
7. Repeat layers again – pasta, spinach, cheese, red sauce.  Top with the reserved parmesan cheese.
8. Bake uncovered for 25-35minutes, or until set and lightly golden.
9. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

‘Smores Pie.

Click the link above.

Everything is prepped, but the lasagna, dip, and bread still need to go into the oven as it gets closer to party time.  I’m a little bit nervous, this is literally the first time I’ve ever made most of these recipes!  I hope that Adam likes everything and that he’s surprised.  I’ll be back tonight with a recap.

What dish do you take to parties?  Do you have a special one for the holidays?