A Sweet Treat and a Favorite Things Party

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Hey Friends!  Can you believe we have already entered the second week of December?  I seriously have no idea where the time is going.  Well, over this past weekend I had an amazing time hosting an intimate Favorite Things Party.  Have you ever been to one?  It’s my favorite way to host a holiday swap!  It’s an absolute blast and it’s so nice to gather with some of your favorite girls to share a few of your favorite things!

Here’s How it Works:

• Invite a group of friends:  I like to keep it small, so that the budget can be reasonable for everyone —always budget conscious 🙂

• Set a budget range for the gifts :  For this party our budget was between $10-$15 to spend on each person 

• Ask friends to purchase a favorite thing (or a few, if their savvy shoppers) for each person invited.  Each gift should be the same for everyone, but of course can vary in color, etc . . . .  

• Each guest takes turns handing out their gifts and explaining why it is their favorite thing.

• And in the end everyone ends up with lots of fun gifts to take home! 

Now, no party is complete without yummy food!

The Food:

This year, I went the easy route and decided not to cook.  Instead, we munched on an assortment of takeout, which included: delicious flat breads, chicken wings, crab rangoon, and a spinach and goat cheese salad, as we sipped on a spicy sangria–it was perfect!

But do you want to know what made the night even SWEETER???

This decadent platter of dessert!  

While in Target the other day, I came across these Lay’s Wavy chocolate covered potato chips—–ummmmmm, salty potato chips covered in sweet, decadent chocolate, YES PLEASE!!!  

I thought it would be the perfect treat to add to my “favorite thing” gift.  I am known for loving sweet and salty treats, so I immediately knew that I would love these, as would my guests!

These Lay’s Wavy chocolate covered potato chips are available in three delicious flavors: Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and new for 2016 – Milk Chocolate Covered with Almond Bits.  I chose to serve this flavor in my dessert platter along with chocolate covered Rold Gold pretzel rods, and fresh cut strawberries.  

I also whipped up a delicious fruit dip to accompany them and it went so well with the potato chips!  It’s a 3 ingredient recipe and is super easy to make!  

Chocolate Wavy Lays Covered Potato Chips are shown in Milk Chocolate  served with sliced apples and fruit dip

All you need is cream cheese, marshmallow creme, and vanilla extract . . .  that’s it!  

FRUIT DIP RECIPE

• 8 ounce package cream cheese, soft

• 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme/fluff

• ½ teaspoon vanilla

You can whip it up with a fork until well blended or mix it with your hand blender until well combined, and you have a delicious dip!  

For this platter, I mixed the dip with almond extract instead of vanilla, it was a nice accent to the almond bits on the Lays.

The platter was a huge hit, and the girls were so excited to get their own bags to take home.

The Gifts:

For my gift this year, along with the Chocolate Wavy Lays I chose to include my favorite bamboo kitchen utensils wrapped with a flour sack dish towel in twine, and a pretty, tiny, ceramic microwavable bowl with lid, all placed in a “brown paper package” tied up with, well, tulle.  But, you get the gist!  

You can get really fancy with your packaging and decor, however I’ve been on the #keepingitsimple route since going back to work, so what mattered most for me was spending quality time with the friends and family I love.

Some of the other gifts included: an awesome tote bag, a ceramic travel coffee mug with silicone lid, a jewelry dish, a glittery clutch, a mini coloring book and crayons!  It was so fun exchanging and hearing everyone’s reason for choosing their gifts.  All in all, it was an awesome night!

Have you hosted a Favorite Things Party before?  What types of holiday swaps do you take part in?  I’d love to hear what you all are up to this holiday season.