Gift Kit: Simple Girls Night Kit

No matter how old you get, there's nothing like a girls night that makes you appreciate the good things.  Like the grownup version of a sleep over where you talk about "boys/girls/romantic interest" (they still have cooties), work (isn't it funny how homework never really leaves you), and how your extracurriculars are going (how much sleep you're getting after rush hour).  However, one startling departure is everyone actually listens to their bedtime.
<pic complete kit in somewhat of a use>

Juice and snacks have been partially supplanted by wine and snacks that you get to pick out.  Even if they're the same snacks you had before minus the oatmeal raisin cookies.  No more will they masquerade as the superior oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.  Celebrate friendship and a night out-yet-in by supplying the hardware.  Cheers!

Components
Wine glass
Wine Charm
Cloth Napkin
Coaster

Wine Glass and Charm

You can always get incredibly fancy and paint the wine glass's base and use that as a marker so you don't accidentally (I see your "accidentally") drink out of someone else's glass.  I like to go the wine charm way because a) whenever I try painting it never turns out the way I want it to, b) I have lots of supplies for making wine charms holed up in various places around my crafting materials.  I made this really easy: just add some seed beads to a wire ring in different color patterns.  You can add a charm for personalization.  Or make some using shrinky dinks.

Cloth Napkin

Feeling classy with your wine?  You're already getting fancy with the charm.  Plus you need something with which to wipe up the crumbs of baked brie.  That was a bad example, you should never have crumbs of this god-like party food.  Maybe from... carrots.  Yeah, veggies.... *chews more baked brie*

Yeah I did it first.  My Bad...

Materials
pencil with flat eraser
blank cloth napkins
fabric paint

Using the rubber eraser of a pencil as a stamp, create rows of dots across the napkins.  For bonus points, measure how long each end of the napkin is and place dots evenly down the row.  Combo breaker: draw on a grid in pencil over your napkin and stamp the corners.  I went with option 1; the rows have "personality" even if a few of them are of someone who didn't have a firm grasp on the concept of straight.

I decorated this bag with the same pattern.  And I might have totally repurposed a Brit Kit for this.  Which is more fun: popcorn or wine?  Popcorn with beer is also an accepted answer.  I used the white chocolate for the covering of Irish Car Bomb Cake Balls.  Appropriate.

Coaster

Because putting the glass down on a nice wooden surface is the ultimate faux pas (It leaves a ring!  It's not even your furniture!  Coasters are the coolest!  Respect the bar!), if you're going to provide glassware, you should provide the accompanying coaster.  You can make some bottle cap coasters if you know the gals in question are beer or soda lovers.

Or Cheerwine lovers!

Or you can take ordinary tiles to new heights by using alcohol inks.  These work wonders with rubbing alcohol and non porous surfaces.

Materials
alcohol inks
white or light tile
rubbing alcohol
sealant (like ModPodge)
sugru, small rubber feet, or no-skid pads (4)

Pour a bit of rubbing alcohol on tile & spread around.  Before it dries, apply drops of color across the tile itself.  I went all of one color, then added the next 2.  Sometimes the later color would "eat" the space you thought you had for one of the first colors.  In that way I recommend not going overkill on the darker colors.

It spreads all over the place

After the ink dries, seal with the sealant.  Put feet into each of the corners or use the sugru to make small equal-sized balls for the feet.

Extras

Because nothing is complete without some emergency chocolate, put in your favorite candy bar.  Add some for this kit and it's complete!  You can wrap the wine glass in the napkin for some protection, or fold it nicely and place it in the glass

Bring gifts + good wine to your next event because you know as soon as these are opened, they're going to be put to good use.  & don't forget the brie.  & sampling it to make sure that this batch was good cheese.

</sidebar>

Quick Veggie Dip

Sometimes you find out the day of you're hosting a party.  At moments like that you've got to bust out your best Martha and set a good spread for your guests.

Money is on the potato skins going first
<http://blog.tribridgeresidential.com/around-town/throw-an-amazing-super-bowl-party-in-your-apartment/>

While napkin folding isn't always required, think like the Nationals and keep some clutch players in reserve.  Essentials you say?

Like the guy with the best celebration face.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2012/10/23/nationals-season-in-review-best-comeback/>

Luckily you can pull together a great dip with a few things on quick reserve.  Sour cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese melted alone makes a good 3 cheese dip.  For more advanced rush orders, it's good to keep packets of "recipe essentials" around that can normally be used to flavor crock pot dishes or instant soups.  These can also very effectively flavor the 3 cheeses mentioned above.  For this dip, I went veggie and barring more time, could have sprinkled in bacon bits.  Because everything's better with bacon bits.

Ingredients
1 cup spinach
1 packet dry veggie mix (I used Knorr's Vegetable Mix)
2 cups of sour cream
2-3 tbsp of dressing (used Bacon Onion Ranch.  Everything's better with bacon)
2 tbsp bacon bits (optional)

Pour the sour cream into a small serving bowl.  The bonus of this recipe is it's also a one-bowl cleanup.  Yes, I know, extra puntos. Add the packet of veggie mix.

If the doorbell rang, stop here

Mix well.  Chop the spinach into fine pieces.  I find it easy to use kitchen shears when cutting up spinach for these types of dishes

You can pick out ones to cut again when they're in the bowl

Mix well.  Add dressing.  After adding the initial amount, you might want to add more for taste purposes.  Don't go over 3 tbsp because it's a complement flavor to the veggies.  If you have to add dressing to your dressing, then you might want to consider queso for your emergency dish

Because veggies taste better with dressing.

Add the bacon bits or other optional things (like finely chopped sunflower seeds) and stir.  Chill for as long as you need; 30 minutes to and hour is great if you have the time.  Otherwise, it works fresh from the kitchen.  Serve with chips and you've got a dish no one would have guessed you just planned out the afternoon of.

Strong Serving Suggestion ;)

</sidebar>