Christmas Cookie Round-Up

With only 10 days until Christmas I thought it would be nice to round up all the

cookies of Christmas past for easy baking reference. [The holidays kinda snuck up 

on me this year, but last December I was a cookie-baking fiend.]

chocolate gooey butter cookies

pumpkin pecan cheesecake chocolate pie

Husband and I wanted to make pie for Thanksgiving.

We decided regular pumpkin pie just wasn't enough, so we added a 

layer of cheesecake and topped it with pecans and chocolate.

seven layer salad

The Holidays are fast approaching, and so is the season of holiday parties.

Husband and I attended a potluck party this weekend, and [since dessert was spoken for] 

decided to bring a "traditional" potluck dish: seven layer salad.

Everyone has their own version of seven layer salad. It's a great canvas 

for mixing and matching different vegetables and cheeses. You can pick and choose 

the layers according to your [or your guests'] taste. In my opinion, there are 

only 2 "must-haves": frozen peas, and a mayo dressing. Everything else is up for grabs!

Here's the anatomy of MY version of seven layer salad:

For the dressing, I used 3/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with

a tablespoon of dijon mustard and a squirt of hot sauce for a tangy kick.

Layer everything in, spread the dressing on top, cover and chill.

Works best in a big glass bowl so everyone can see how pretty your work is.

Mix right before serving, collect complements all evening :)