Potluck party food.

I'm so tired from yesterday...... but I forgot to mention all the food that everyone brought for our potluck dinner. Everyone is getting more and more creative with each party, I swear.

There was a huge glass salad bowl filled with bright red chunks of watermelon that had been soaked in lime juice and sprinkled with cilantro--- so Christmas-y looking, and very good as an alternative to a tossed salad.

Our friend C made dozens of bite-sized meatballs that had been cooked in a tomato sauce spiced up with a bit of chili powder and sweetened with half a cup of grape jelly. That sounds so crazy, but the result was a sweet and sour meatball that melted in your mouth-- and the sauce was very thick and syrup-y. She also made a pineapple casserole--- chunks of pineapple drizzled with cheddar cheese and sprinkled with a streussel topping and baked till the top was crisp-- delicious..... only one lonely chunk of pineapple left in that huge baking pan when the party was over.

V's friend brought deviled eggs stuffed with crabmeat, and V brought a taco casserole--- all the fixings you would find in a taco layered into a casserole dish and baked in the oven. I didn't taste that one because I don't like sour cream but at the end of the night there was precious little of that left over.

Miss C's dad made garlic bread--- two huge loaves, one with onions and red and green peppers, and the other with artichoke hearts and cheese. I didn't think anyone would bring bread, so I made dozens of biscuits stuffed with pesto and parmesean cheese. The breads were all so good that everyone tried all three.

I also had lots of canapes--- crabcakes, mushroom tarts, little quiches, cheese puffs. Other neighbors brought a couple of other casseroles that I really don't remember because I didn't taste them-- everything looked so good, but when there's so much food, you just have to pick and choose. K and B made their famous pecan pie, plus they brought a carrot cake for my husband's birthday the day before. The band played Happy Birthday and we surprised him with the cake-- two red and green star-shaped candles on top of that cake.

Our neighbor S made a delicious strawberry shortcake, and our neighbor C baked Mexican cinnamon cookies. There was a green Jello salad (there's always something made with Jello at our potluck parties). J and L brought cheesecakes---- apple, strawberry, chocolate, and plain. J and S brought tiny little fried egg rolls with a dipping sauce, and a bag of just-picked oranges from their fruit trees.

I made hot apple cider (with orange slices, cloves and cinnamon sticks) which everyone was drinking even though it was nearly 80 degrees outside. I also made the Christmas punch-- equal parts pink grapefruit juice and 7-Up, then you add spoonfuls of pineapple sherbet. As the sherbet melts, the punch gets thickened a bit. (Vanilla ice cream makes it thicker, but it's also more calories.)

There was more food on that table, but for the life of me, I can't remember it all. The night was so much fun, and such a blur at times because it all seemed to go by so quickly. I'm usually the last one to sit down and have something to eat because I go from table to table making sure that everyone has enough to eat, plus punch or hot cider or coffee (best investment was that 42-cup coffee maker).

I think I'm even more tired tonight than I was last night. I didn't get to bed till nearly two o'clock this morning, and I was so wired up from the party (or maybe from the carrot cake and pecan pie) that I couldn't fall asleep right away. I think my eyes are going to close as soon as my head hits the pillow tonight. And as warm as it is, the cats can sleep on the screen-porch, which means a really good night's sleep for me.