Cookie Exchange 2011: Recap

My life has consisted of lots of this lately. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

Because Logan's party is this weekend and my to-do list is a mile and a half long, this update will be mostly in pictures (which everyone prefers anyway!).  The party was a blast and we had a fabulous time.  Cookies were delicious!

These place cards were used to label the cookies so everyone knew what the choices were:

My cookies (White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread). I had a minor disaster with them and the amount of butter needed.  So they don't look nearly as pretty as they should, but they still tasted yummy.  Sitting on our Cookies for Santa plate:

Exchanging cookies!

A peak in to how the living room looked before everyone got there:

Love my new Christmas pillows:

Here is how the buffet in the dining room is set up:

Just a portion of the many dishes and wine glasses the night generated:

My snowflake tray that I had plates, cups and silverware on:

The menu ended up consisting of:

• Veggies and fiesta dip
• Brie en croute with green apples and crackers
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Tortilla roll  ups
• Spinach dip with pumpernickle bread
• Sausage cups

And my two boxes of cookies!:

Cookie Exchange 2011: The Menu

A few weeks back, I posted my menu inspiration for my annual cookie exchange.  I am going to definitely give a few of those ideas a whirl, but attempt to keep things simple at the same time.  Last year I planned my menu, but since I was induced two days after the cookie exchange, I never did a recap of the event.  And in all honesty, I have no idea what I even made...I have a few guesses, but no concrete idea.

So, without further ado, here is the planned menu for Saturday night!

• Cheese and grape tray
• Spinach dip with pumpernickel bread
• Tortilla roll-ups
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Buffalo chicken dip
• Veggie pizza
• Assorted beverages
• Hot chocolate bar

I will be back tomorrow with our agenda for the rest of the week, which includes our cleaning list and decor ideas!

Cookie Exchange 2011: Menu Inspiration

Wait, what?  How am I already getting ready to plan my menu for my annual Cookie Exchange?  Well, because it is December 3...and Logan's 1st birthday is December 11.  And we are having "Christmas Dinner" at our house on December 30.  And Kid-Friendly New Year's Eve.  So...yeah.  Four parties in one month.  You heard me right, folks.  The method to my madness?  Lots of planning ahead, and this includes planning our menus, prepping and freezing lasagnas, buying in bulk, and doing as much as possible ahead of time.

I will be honest.  I was so pregnant and was three days from being induced last year when I had my cookie exchange.  And I have no idea what I actually served for food.  I am pretty sure it was veggies and cheese.  And that I sat around and let everyone else do the work.  That was a Saturday night and on Monday, I was induced.

I am trying to make some new appetizers because I feel like I make the same ones constantly.  Here are some Pinterest-discovered inspiration pictures for my menu, which I will be working on finalizing this weekend. 

What are your go-to, no-fail, easy appetizers?  Share with us!

Source: realmomkitchen.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: cabotcheese.coop via Gia on Pinterest

Source: bowerpowerblog.com via Gia on Pinterest

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Kate on Pinterest

Cookie Exchange 2011: The Invites

I can hardly believe that it is that time of the year again! Time to start planning for my annual COOKIE EXCHANGE!! As always, the first step in planning a successful party is to choose the perfect invitation! My first year hosting in 2009, I had plenty of time on my hands and made my invitations.   Last year, I was extremely pregnant (in fact, the party was Saturday and I was induced on Monday!) so I ordered my invitations from VistaPrint.  This year, my time is going to be limited again (with Logan's 1st birthday party the weekend after that), so I again ordered from VistaPrint!  Here they are!

VistaPrint always offers awesome deals and I got 100 of these for DIRT CHEAP. No worries...100 women are NOT invited but it is nice to have extra! It i actually a postcard, but I always order the envelopes to put them in.These will be going out on Saturday! I send them out early because the holiday season books up so quickly.

Are YOU planning a Cookie Exchange this year? Share your tips and tricks with us!

Cookie Exchange 2010: The Menu

Well, our invitations have been sent, so now it is time for my favorite part of party-planning!

Planning the menu!

Since I will be 39 weeks pregnant at my party (or lets face it, a new mom because it COULD HAPPEN), I am keeping it simple this year.

Or, that is the plan right now. But who am I kidding? That never happens. Last year's menu ended up being completely different than what I planned originally, which was just fine. I changed things up as I came across recipes I wanted to try or things I didn't have the ingredients for.

Since the party starts at 7, I focus on appetizers and drinks instead of a meal. Here is what I plan on making this year:

• White bean dip served with crudite
• Sausage cups
• Caprese skewers...red, green and white!
• Fruit salsa with cinnamon baked pita chips
• Tortilla spirals
• Hot chocolate and coffee bar
• Assorted sodas and beverages
• Plenty of cookies!

For right now, that is what I have planned. I am sure I will be making some changes and I will update as the next two weeks go along. I am going to spend some time perusing my cookbooks to see if anything strikes my fancy.

Next step? The decor! Stay tuned until next week's update!

Cookie Exchange 2010: The Invites

It is that time again! Time to start preparing for my annual Cookie Exchange! Yes, I will be about 38 weeks pregnant for my exchange, but you know what? It will be something to take my mind off of the baby coming and being uncomfortable at the end of my pregnancy. Plus, with all the nesting and cleaning, my house will probably be spotless! I will be doing my best to keep things simple and will be doing TONS in advance!

When planning your party, be sure to allow PLENTY of time for guests to mark it down on their calendars and schedule the party in. Weekends around the holidays book up super-fast, as we all know, so I like to allow 3-4 weeks for my guests. I wanted my invitations to go out at the LAST minute this year, just to be sure that I was not having any pregnancy complications. It is looking like Little Dude is nestled in for the time being, so I will be addressing and sending out invitations this week!

One month in advance, send out your invitations!

Last year, I handmade my invitations for my first Cookie Exchange. This year, since I am pretty far along in my pregnancy, I decided to use VistaPrint's always awesome deals and order them. I got 100 invites for free, plus the envelopes and return address labels. All for around $15! Here is the front of the invitation:



And the back with the rules for the Exchange. Sorry for the terrible picture quality. And I am just too sick right now to fiddle with it and my limited Photoshop skills.

Stay tuned as next week I plan our menu for the cookie exchange!

Cookie Exchange Recap!

My first cookie exchange was a huge success and I can not be happier! Everyone left with full bellies and at LEAST one box of a generous assortment of cookies. Here is the breakdown and a few things I am going to change/tweak for next year.

My entryway table

First, I was able to prepare almost all of my appetizers, or at least part of them, the night before. My menu changed slightly, but here is what we ended up with:

• Bacon cheese dip served with crackers
• Crudite with ranch dip
• Sausage cups
• Cucumber pumpernickle squares
• Tomato bruschetta (which I could have left out)
• Mini twice-baked potatoes

My goal was to have everything out by the time guests arrived, but since EVERYONE seemed to arrive exactly at 7 (which NEVER happens), a few things were late getting out. So, I have learned that I need to have everything out and ready to go 10 minutes before the scheduled arrive time! It was no biggie. People were getting their cookies set up and were chatting with one another. Here is a shot of my living room, waiting for guests to arrive:

And speaking of tables...check out our table PACKED with platters! If ONLY my new table would have arrived, but alas, it has not been delivered yet.

Anyway, I had appetizers set up on the buffet, with the crudite platter and bruschetta in the living room on the coffee table, and drinks (sodas, coffee, and wine) were in the kitchen. I had a smaller table set up for the samplers of the cookies and people just kind of hung out and wandered around and mingled.

After everyone was settled in and had a chance to get some appetizers and sample the cookies, we did a secret ballot for best cookie. I had made up a prize for the winner, which included a gingerbread man potholder and spatula, as well as snowmen measuring spoons, a set of cookie cutters and two Christmas cupcake liner packages in a cute basket, and was very excited to award it to my friend Angela for her White Chocolate Cherry Chip cookies!! She won by a landslide!

I had purchased 10x10 cardboard pie boxes for everyone, and after I distributed them, everyone went around the table taking about 4 of each kind of cookie, then we had so many that some of my guests were able to fill up a second box!

Overall, it was a very successful night. I did not make too much food, and everyone seemed to enjoy how the cookies were set up, so I think I am going to keep this system. I am very much looking forward to hosting another exchange next Christmas season!!

Hosting a Cookie Exchange: The Menu

Previously, we discussed the guest list and creating invitations for your cookie exchange. Hopefully you are receiving RSVPs with the types of cookies that will be brought with guests.

The next step for you as the hostess is to plan your menu!

Because we will have a variety of cookies, with each guest bringing a dozen to share and sample, and the party is after dinner, we will be serving only appetizers, along with several warm drinks for what will more than likely be a cold evening!

Cookie Party Menu

Appetizer buffet:

Crudite with white bean dip

Olive tapenade with crusty French baguettes

Mini twice-baked potatoes

Tomato and bacon cups

Vegetable pizza

Assorted cookies brought by guests

Coffee service (with Bailey's and Frangelico, of course)

Hot chocolate mix take-home bags

Because my dining room is on the smaller side and we will have the cookies spread on the actual table, I might need to set up a separate table. I am hoping that if I keep the drinks in the kitchen and set up the appetizers on the buffet in the dining room, that I will have plenty of room!

I am always on the hunt for more crowd-pleasing appetizers! If you have any winners, post them or link us to your recipe in your comment!

The big exchange is swiftly approaching! In case you are curious, here are the cookies that people who have thus far RSVPd are making:

Eggnog cookies

Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints

Cherry Winks

Butterballs

Thumbprints

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Hosting a Cookie Exchange: Invitations

This, my friends, is something I have never done before. Dark waters into which I have never traveled.

The cookie exchange.

As I plan my big event for December 12, follow along as I share tips and tricks with you on how to host an exchange and a fun winter evening gathering for your friends!

One month in advance: Send invitations!

I chose to host my party on a Saturday evening, so I sent the invitations out super early. December books up rather quickly, so I wanted to be sure everyone could attend. Prior to this I had emailed a few close girlfriends to find out what day was best for them and if they already had any holiday plans. Once the date was settled on, I designed and created my own invitations:

I also created a separate card to insert into the invitations with the "rules" of the exchange. Here are the guidelines that I instructed my guests to follow for our first Holiday Cookie Exchange:

• Homemade cookies are preferred!
• Please bring 6 dozen cookies to ensure that everyone has several of each kind to take home, along with an additional dozen so people can sample! (7 dozen total)
• No chocolate chip cookies (unless they are a creative spin-off)
• Take-home boxes will be provided.
• When you RSVP, please be prepared with which cookie you will be bringing so we don't have repeats
• Please bring your cookies arranged and on a serving dish for the exchange.
• An award will be given for Best Cookie Recipe
• The goal is to have a generous assortment of cookies to give as gifts, take to the office, or use when entertaining friends!

If you Google Cookie Exchange Invitations, you will find plenty of resources! I went with 6 dozen to share because a dozen per person seemed like too much, and for our first exchange, I didn't want it to be overwhelming.

Are you hosting a cookie exchange this year? Have you attended one before? What advice can you offer?? Leave a comment linking to your posts or blog with Cookie Exchange information!

The next step: Creating a menu! Stay tuned!