Christmas Decorating

I like to change up my decorating a little every year. This year I'm focusing on using more naturals in my Christmas decor. This is my entry table. The glass jar is filled with vintage ornaments. Very inexpensive but I love their soft patina and it reminds me of the ornaments that were on my parent's tree when I was growing up.

On Monday I hosted a luncheon for one of the volunteer teams I work with throughout the year. The luncheon takes place in a conference room at our office and I do the catering, which is a lot of fun and gives me the chance to try out new recipes. This year I made chicken taco soup (I omitted the beer, used frozen corn instead of canned, added a package of Ranch dressing mix and chopped and cooked the chicken before putting it in the crock pot to shorten the cooking time),  potato-cheese soup, corn muffins, a salad, chocolate-toffee bars and Copycat Cranberry Bliss bars.

I recently came across this recipe and it's a keeper! Easy, pretty and makes a big batch! I had enough for my husband to take a plate full to his office too. 

I often bring soup to potlucks but after a partial pot of soup bounced off a flat bed cart and spilled all over the elevator at church (it was not fun cleaning that up!) I decided to invest in a crock pot with a locking lid. The newer crock pots all seem to have wider bases and transport better than my original, 30 year old version, but the locking lid is even better for keeping soup from sloshing out in the car. I highly recommend this kind of crock pot if you ever have to transport food.