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Celebrate Friendship with Fabulous FoodGather your girlfriends to celebrate the power of friendship with giggles, gab, and great food.Written by Nikki Bowman / Photos by Price Portraits 
When Sharon Holcomb thinks about friendship, three things come to mind: sharing, laughter, and food. “When my friends and I get together, we listen to and encourage each other over a cup of tea or a bite to eat,” she says. “We understand each other. There’s just something special about surrounding yourself with good, kind, and interesting women. We lift each other up.” As the demands for our time grow and life gets busier, we often don’t have as much time as we would like to spend with each of our friends, Sharon says. So she decided to host a Cookin’ Up Friendship Party. “My friends range in ages from 20 to 80-year-olds, and it was so much fun having them all together,” she says. “We laughed. We cried. We talked. And we ate delicious food!”
Amanda Casto, one of the three 30-something-year-olds in the group, loved the multi-generational aspect of the party. “Multi-generational friendship is so important,” she says. “It provides a diverse perspective and allows for guidance, wisdom, and often godly counsel that results in a fun-loving and long lasting bond.” A girlfriend get-together doesn’t have to be elaborate. Sharon, who is an interior decorator, loves to set the scene with interesting and unique tablescapes. She chose a retro theme using the colors turquoise, red, hot pink, and yellow. “Retro is back in fashion, so I thought it would be cute to do a retro cooking theme,” she says. Cooking utensils were tucked into oven-mitts and potholders and placed on turquoise melamine plates as simple party favors. Cooking utensils and ornaments hung from the chandelier. And inexpensive plastic cups from the Dollar Store got a makeover with rick rack and retro-style stickers. Several cardboard trees covered in vintage-themed scrapbooking paper decorated the tables and helped set the theme. “My grandchildren helped make the Christmas trees. They are fun and very simple to create,” Sharon says. Once she had the decorations in place, she turned to the menu. “It’s important to keep the food simple,” she says. “One way to make it easier on yourself is to ask each guest to bring her favorite dish or finger food. It’s a great way to share recipes and get ideas.” Betty Proctor’s Hip Chick Salad served on croissants proved to be a favorite. Individual cheese balls and cucumbers topped with cream cheese and strawberries were simple to make and easy to eat. And festive Peppermint Ricotta Cups provided a refreshing low-calorie treat. No girlfriend get-together would be complete without chocolate. Simple Chocolate Brownie Balls smothered in powdered sugar and Chocolate-covered Peanut Butter Balls satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth. “When I was a child we didn’t have much money, but at Christmas time we would make Peanut Butter Balls and take them to school to share with our friends,” Sharon says. “It was such a big treat. To this day, I still like sharing them with friends.” Sharon asked her guests to bring their very first cookbook and share memories about their favorite foods. Sharon says, “We had cookbooks from Clay County to Betty Crocker to Elkview Baptist Church. Some were duct-taped and missing pages, but like us—although they may be frayed around the edges and covered in stains—they are well-loved.” Stress Relief Sangria Cut off ends of fruit and thinly slice with mandolin. In a 3-quart non-metal container, add fruit, white grape juice, and orange juice. Just before serving, add ginger ale. Stir gently.
Peppermint Ricotta Cups Combine ricotta cheese, peppermint extract, and Splenda in a food processor and blend for 1 minute. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Spoon into peppermint cups (can be purchased at www.candyshotglass.com or www.candywarehouse.com) or individual bowls immediately before serving. Top with crushed peppermints.
Curry Cheese Ball Bring cream cheese to room temperature in mixing bowl. Melt butter in skillet and add almonds, constantly stirring until slightly toasted. Combine chutney, curry powder, mustard, and almonds with cream cheese. Mix well with hands. Shape into ¾-inch round balls or one large ball. Roll in chopped cranberries and apricots. If making the individual size, place each in a miniature muffin cup. Refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving. Place on tray and serve with crackers. Brownie Ball Truffles Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine brownie mix, water, egg, and chocolate chips. Pour into 13-inch x 9-inch glass pan and bake for 20 minutes. Brownies will be soft. Cool for 10 minutes. Using a melon baller, shape brownies into 1-inch balls. Place confectioners’ sugar in Ziploc bag. Drop balls into bag of sugar and coat. (Mini chocolate chips, colored or chocolate sprinkles are also great for coating truffles.) Bitty Bacon Cheese Balls Bring cream cheese to room temperature in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well with hands. Shape into ¾-inch round balls. Place in miniature muffin cups. Refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving. Place on tray and serve with crackers. Hip Chick Salad
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