Bunco at the Peacocks

So November was my month to host bunco!

It was my first time ever and I LOVED it!

anytime I have an opportunity to entertain I get super motivated to please people with my cooking and fun ideas!

the menu included:

Chili in jars

oriental slaw

pumpkin rolls

& fun turkey sugar cookies

The Chili

I'm going to go ahead and admit I was VERY nervous about the Chili in jars.

The jars read "not for HOT contents"

well....I had to put these jars in the oven on 375* to bake the Jiffy cornbread.

I decided to "google": can you put jars in oven?

some answers were positive saying, "done it many times, no problem"

...

others were extremely negative asking, "are you trying to kill your family? they will EXPLODE!!" 

so obviously I was hesitant

They will NOT explode people!

They were perfect and the hit of the party!!

what I did:

I made chili and let it sit in the crockpot all day

I then put an even amount of chili in each jar

I mixed a box of jiffy

and you may not have to do this next part but I found it made things easier:

I placed the mix in a small ziploc and cut a small tip off one of the bottom edges (making a kind of pastry bag you use for frosting) and then squeezed an even amount on top of the chili in each jar

I then placed the jars in the oven on 375* for about 15-20 mins- until the jiffy comes out clean on a toothpick

soooo YUM

Pumpkin rolls:

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
2/3 cup mashed (canned) pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15 X 10-inch jelly roll pan. Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of the pan and leave an inch overhang on each of the short ends of the pan. Lightly grease the wax paper and sides of the jelly roll pan.
Mix the sugar, flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, eggs and pumpkin in a large bowl. Once mixed, pour mixture over the waxed paper. Sprinkle the walnuts, if using, on top of the mixture. Bake for 14-15 minutes until edges pull away from the sides of the pan and center is done.
Lay a large dishtowel on the counter top (it is best to use a dishtowel without any texture – a tea towel or similar towel works best). Spread a thick dusting of powdered sugar all over the towel. When the cake comes out of the oven, turn the pan upside down on the powdered sugar-laden towel so the wax paper is on the top. Gently peel off the wax paper, being careful not to tear the roll. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the pumpkin cake up with the towel to cool. While the roll is cooling, mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until it is light and creamy. Once the roll is cool, unroll and with an offset spatula, carefully spread filling in an even layer over the cake. Roll it up without the towel and place in the refrigerator (covered with plastic wrap or wax paper) for about an hour before serving.

Turkey sugar cookies:

cookies-

turkey-

candy corn

chocolate icing

orange icing

and candy eyes

First I made the sugar cookies following the recipe of Betty Croker herself, then I let them cool overnight. Squeeze chocolate icing on top to use as a adhesive for the candy corn feather tails. For the eyes I found cute candy eyes in the cake baking dept at Walmart but you could use any candy and place dots on them for eyes, use the chocolate icing to make them stick as well. Then you use the orange icing to make the little nose and little feet

We scheduled our next year Bunco calendar and I have Christmas in 2012!!

Can't wait to start planning that one!!