Dinner and a Movie (or Two)

When you think Saturday night, you wouldn't think "staying in" would be at the top of the list of uber fun things to do. But let me tell you, this Saturday night was one of the best I've ever had.

Three of my most favorite people came over for a night of cooking, laughing, and romantic comedies. We started by watching the USA play Ghana in the World Cup (something we might all like to forget), then we made jam thumbprint cookies, took a visit to the local Blockbuster (one of the most eventful ones I've ever had), and finally made a simple yet yummy dinner with biscuit dough. Where was the bf, you wonder? In the next room killing zombies with a friend. My girlfriends and I got a kick out of hearing their strategic attack calls during lulls in the movie :)

Below you will find the recipe for the biscuits and cookies.

Jam Thumbprint cookies:

For these I used a recipe by Ina Garten found here

• The great thing about these cookies is that there isn't any egg - meaning you can eat the dough!!! My friend and I, as the designated "pickers" of the bunch, took advantage of this convenience quite a few times :)
• I like using raspberry jam, but any jam you like is fine
• Note that the cookies don't spread in the oven, so you can place them pretty close together.
• Also, I refrigerated the cookies after forming them so they REALLY wouldn't spread all over the place.

Sausage Biscuit things:

Thanks to a friend's friend, I was introduced to this recipe which is going to be a staple at any party I host in the future. The great thing is, you can cut the biscuit dough in half and use mini muffin tins and then fill with different mixtures - for example: ham, cream cheese, and scallions or sauteed onion and goat cheese with sundried tomatoes.

• You just take store bought biscuits and press them into a cup form and then into a muffin tin
• Brown about 1 package of free sausage - along with a sprinkling of pepper and salt. Drain and put this in a bowl and let cool somewhat.
• Add 1 package of 1/3 fat cream cheese and mix together
• Press 1 spoonful of this mixture into the biscuit dough (which is easy since we already formed a bowl-shape)
• Put in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes
• At 12 minutes, take them out of the oven and press the filling down (the biscuits have baked somewhat at this point and pushed the sausage mixture up - the idea here is to keep the filling from oozing over)
• Bake another 10 minutes until golden brown

Tips from the Cook:

1. When hosting a baking party, it's a good idea to pick your recipes beforehand - easy ones that involve lots of hands, so everyone has a job to do and feels included - even if one of these jobs is taste-tester :)
2. Divy up the ingredients before as well - this way one person doesn't have to buy everything and figure out pay-backs, etc. when friends are over. Also, it's kind of awkward to ask for money when you're all having a good time together!
3. Pair with a good movie - we watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and The Proposal - and some great conversation and you have a fun, relaxing, tasty evening. The last thing we decided before heading our separate ways was that baking night will be a monthly event for sure!