And the Wamplers Take the Night

Our ward had a St. Patrick's Day party tonight. Rumor had it that there would be a variety of contests, including best dressed. Given that I already had a collection of matching St. Pat shirts from last year, I figured that was a good starting point. Chris and I spent a good portion of the afternoon making bows--I made the hair bows, he made bow ties.

It totally paid off--we won the award for best dressed!

But, the goodness doesn't stop there. There was a limerick contest. Guess what? I won that one, too.

Here's my limerick:

There once was a dog in Kentucky.

His owners thought him 'specially lucky.

They put him in a race,

but he fell on his face.

So they traded him in for a ducky.

Dinner at the party was a potluck--awards to be given for the top three dishes. Third place, corned beef. Second place, green dinner rolls. First place, broccoli salad.

Guess who brought the broccoli salad?

Yep, that was me.

As per request from others at the party, here is the recipe. P.S. It's delicious.

**cough cough Award Winning cough cough** 
Broccoli Salad
from The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Makes 6 servings

2 bunches fresh broccoli (about 1 lb), cut into small flowerets
1 medium purple onion, finely chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I suggest a very thin grating)
6 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or raisins (optional--I did sunflower seeds)

Combine broccoli, onion and cheese in a large bowl. Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in bacon and sunflower seeds/raisins. Pour dressing over salad and mix. Serve the same day.

Broccoli Salad Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar (I used red)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients. Chill at least one hour before tossing with salad.

So, yeah. Pretty much we made bank at that party. Came home with two pots of gold and another festive bow tie. I might have felt a little guilty, but it's my birthday tomorrow, so...I don't.

Just as a perk, Heather and her boyfriend Brandon came with us to the party. Yay! Didn't manage a picture of them together, but I promise they are an item.

Even better perk, they came to our house afterwards. Once the kids were in bed, we played chess. Guess what?

I BEAT HEATHER.

If you know Heather, you'll know that she is quite skilled at chess. As in, she hardly hardly ever loses. Like, never. If you know me, you may know that I've only played chess roughly three times in my life. This was a big deal. Even if I did have Chris and Brandon coaching me all along the way. I'm still taking credit for the win. See how awesome the end turned out?

So...pretty much we had a delightful evening. One for the history books, I'd say. *happy sigh*