Festive Merry-Making

I felt festive this week, and wanted to share a little merriment with some friends I've known for most of my life.

Plus, since the Sailor isn't home, somebody needed to eat all of the goodies I've been making. 

 What better way to share the joy than by having a little holiday-inspired soirée?

I made these brilliant little sugared-cranberries, thanks to 
one of my favorite food blogs: Annie's Eats. 

I used them to decorate the otherwise bland cracker tray, and then I also made a ring around the orange marmalade poppyseed bundt cake. I originally planned a different cake, but it was a complete flop, so I went with the old standby -- this is the third one I've made in two weeks. (Stay tuned for a post on kitchen disasters...)

The cranberries that didn't make the sugared-cut got left out for the birds. 

They didn't seem interested though. 

My friends, however, devoured the sugared cranberries. 
Who knew such a simple decorative dish could be so delightful?

I also made some cheesy onion pull-apart bread, and at the last minute, 

threw together a simple (and delicious) roasted chickpea salad.

There were also chocolate truffles.

(Half of which did not go as planned -- again, stay tuned for kitchen disasters...)

 

And of course, what's a holiday party without cookies? Check out how I scored this lovely vintage pink fridge dish, plus more baking prep photos here. 

 Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!