A Baileys Friendsgiving

Holidays are meant to be a time for spending with friends and family, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of all the planning, cooking, shopping, and driving to and fro gets in the way of really being able to visit and relax.

I’m hoping this holiday season will be different, and I think it can with a little planning, a little of politely saying “no” to some events, and a little realization that spending time with friends or family doesn’t mean we have to kill ourselves preparing elaborate decor or food.

When Baileys® Original Irish Cream contacted me about hosting a Baileys® Friendsgiving, a time to celebrate friendships over a meal or simple cocktails, I was happy to join in for time with friends to share recipes, talk about upcoming plans, and, of course, laugh.

I decided to have a “Let’s share our favorite holiday recipes, eat some tasty food, and make some goodies to share party.” It’s a new theme. They have matching plates, napkins, and everything.

Nah, I jest.

It was a casual affair. The party planning didn’t take much to put together, which meant more time for relaxing and visiting. Nothing fancy. Nothing time consuming. I whipped up a few recipes featuring Baileys to share with my friends, put together some simple party favors, and gathered the ingredients for making “Cookies in a Jar” for us to put together to deliver as a Thank You for teachers, librarians, firemen and others in our community, all while we listened to our favorite 70’s and 80’s tunes.

For a simple party favor, I tied a recipe for the main dessert that I served, Baileys Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie, around some wooden utensils. The pie was delightful. Baileys Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie is seriously simple. It was prepped in no time and refrigerated for a few hours.

Apple cider was warmed along with spices, and used (cooled) as a base with, again (because it’s now my favorite) Baileys® with a hint of Caramel to create a Baileys Caramel Apple Cocktail. Yum!

To top things off, we enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate with a simple Baileys Mint Chocolate Whipped Cream topping. The whipped topping can easily be made with any of the Baileys flavors and used not just for adding to drinks but to garnish pies, fruit, and other desserts. The flavored whipped topping is super easy and a recipe I’ll be using over and over again throughout the year.

After we ate, we set up an assembly line to put together the jars of cookie mix. Recipes and a simple “Thank You” were printed out and attached to each jar. The jars were done in no time and we all had fun working together on the goodies.

It’s amazing how many we made so quickly. Many hands make for light work, and it’s hardly work when friends are involved. We had a fun night. It flew by much too quickly, and I’m already thinking about what we can do next.

I’m thankful for my friends, and our times together, so I hope I can purposefully set aside time for spending with them, not just during the holidays, but all year long. The years pass swiftly. If we’re not intentional about capturing time for our friendships, we’ll be preparing for next year’s holidays before we know it.

I know I’ll be making a point to do that from here on out. A Friendsgiving is a great reason to get together. Will you join me?

Be sure to check out the recipe for the Bailey’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie.

As well as the other two recipes we enjoyed during our “Friendsgiving.”

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

Sponsored by R&A Bailey & Co. and The Century Council support responsible drinking. BAILEYS Irish Cream Liqueur. © 2011 R&A Bailey & Co. Imported by Paddington, Ltd. Norwalk, CT.