Meg's Sweet Dreams Party

Friends, family and food . . . all three were present at the Sweet Dreams party I hosted for Megan on Friday night. But there is more to this story. Here goes: My mom has great friends, really, really great friends. Amongst this group of friends, they have a special wedding tradition. On the eve of the wedding of a daughter (of one of said friends), they hold a little gathering. Usually there is lingerie involved, and laughter. And always good food.

A tradition this good is worth repeating, so I decided to host one of these little gatherings for Megan, who is related to my husband. I thought it would be a good for her to be surrounded by her friends and family the night before her wedding, in hopes of getting her to slow down and relax. Because here's the thing - she is an amazing gal, but she's such an overachiever . . . you have to make her take a break! In the course of a week, she turned 20, had knee surgery, graduated from college (yes, that's right, at age 20), got married, and moved to Michigan, where she will begin law school in January.

Unfortunately, I was having one of those Murphy's Law-type days, where nearly everything goes wrong. Fortunately, it all worked out in the end (and everyone was full from the rehearsal dinner anyway!).

Here's what I ended up serving: toasted pecans, honey glazed almonds, maple candied walnuts, vanilla popcorn, pretzel "sparklers," sugar cookies, and brownies. And coffee and hot chocolate (Barefoot Contessa, yum!). And little bottles of vanilla vodka, Starbucks liqueur, and Kahlua, for the over-21-and-not-driving crowd.

What a great way to wish Megan "Sweet Dreams" on her last night as a single gal!