Ugly Sweater Party

Our friends are always looking for a reason to celebrate - read: if there's a party, they will come.

With winter on its way, and Mother Nature once again showing us who's boss with her blows of snow and cold, my husband and I decided that an Ugly Sweater Party would be the theme.

This menu was one of the easiest ones I have ever had to prepare. I spent probably 2 hours in total in the kitchen before and during the party. I wasn't interested in putting in a ridiculous amount of time when we had many other things going on.

The food and drink included:

Jillian's Mulled Apple Cider

Spiced Nuts (see recipe below)

A platter of charcuterie, cheeses, toasted breads, crackers and toppings

(More specifically: aged gouda, local chevre, Mexican salami, spiced pork loin, prosciutto, grainy mustard, Polish dill pickles, tapenade and fig jam)

Crispy parsnips and sweet potatoes with spicy aioli

Bakerella's Famous Cupcake Pops

A fruit tray with grapes and pineapple

*Faces have been cut out to protect the innocent.

Spiced Nuts

4 c of assorted nuts

1/2 c roasted pumpkin seeds

3 T butter

4T brown sugar

6 dashes Worcestershire

1 t ground black pepper

1 t sea salt

1 t cayenne

Melt the butter and sugar in a pan on the stove and stir until bubbling. Add the nuts and the rest of the ingredients. Stir to coat the nuts and then place on a baking sheet covered in wax paper. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes.