Well, Christmas is officially over…

…but not for my group of pals and me! Enter: Our Annual Secret Santa Soiree! With family holiday events and hectic work schedules, it was hard for all of us to get together prior to Christmas this year. However, it ended up working out for the best. We not only celebrated a belated Christmas with our Secret Santa gifts, but also two of my best friends’ birthdays! Because I was hosting this multi-celebration, I decided to make a lil’ somethin’, somethin’. Bring on the savory snacks, sugary sweets and a shit ton of wine!

Fiesta Ranch Dip

I am sure you have seen this all over Pinterest but it is just so simple to make and just so tasty. This is my go-to dip for work parties or even a last minute crap-I-should-probably-bring-a-thing thing.

Recipe:

16 oz. of sour cream

1 small can of Rotel (I use mild)

½ cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 packet of Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch dry mix (or just normal ranch mix)

Fritos scoops for dipping

Take a bowl and mix the first four ingredients together. Boom goes the dynamite!

Who doesn’t like a salty crunchy chip dipped into a ranchy cheese mixture? Unless you are lactose intolerant…then steer clear my friends. This is a pretty thick dip so Fritos scoops are my chip of choice.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Another Pinterest and Tasty video inspo. But seriously, these things are perfect for get togethers and take no time. Can you tell I am all about the easy recipes?

Recipe (makes 30 poppers):

15 jalapenos

Bacon

Cream cheese

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Then, put on some food prep gloves. I sliced up the jalapenos once with no gloves and miraculously nothing happened, but the next time? My hands tingled and burned like Hades for hours.

Anyway, get a cutting board and knife and cut the tops off each jalapeno. Then cut each jalapeno in half length-wise.

Now, take a spoon and scoop out the insides. Spray a sheet pan with non-stick spray or use parchment paper and transfer the poppers onto the pan.

Once the jalapenos are hallowed out, grab a butter knife and start spreading the cream cheese into each jalapeno half.

Now it is time for the bacon! I cut the bacon strips in half but feel free to use a whole piece. Take each bacon strip and wrap it around each jalapeno so that they are almost completely covered. Pop them in the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes until the bacon is fully cooked. I decided to leave some without bacon just for a little variety.

Smoky, cheesy and a tad spicy. Yas, yas, yasssss.

Trix Krispies

I love Rice Krispie treats. The melty sugariness reminds me of childhood and as a grown ass adult I still enjoy them. For the party, I wanted to do the same thing but with a different cereal. I give thee…Trix! Another childhood fave.

Recipe:

8 cups or so of Trix cereal

10.5 oz. bag of mini marshmallows

¼ cup butter (4 tablespoons)

Take a microwaveable bowl and add in the butter and marshmallows. Put in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or so. Remove from the microwave and stir. I like when some of the marshmallows aren’t completely melted so I microwaved for only one minute. Then add the Trix into the bowl until it is all thoroughly mixed. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and spoon the Trix mixture in. Press it all down with a spoon and let it completely cool.

Cut into shapes and serve. Ahh…brings back days of watching Nickelodeon on the couch.

Last but certainly not least, wine, wine and bukus more wine.

Hopefully you got some new ideas for your next kick back. I hope you enjoyed!