Yes, I realize that it's not Sunday, but as in with the underwear, these could be read any day of the week, so pretend that I wrote this on Sunday and you're reading it on Tuesday! This weekend was full of events and spring cleaning, so I didn't get around to starting on time. I began the spring cleaning festivities on Friday night and had so much fun deep cleaning (yes, I'm sure I'm in the minority with my love for cleaning) that I stayed up past midnight only to arise early Saturday morning to continue the good times. The cleaning only could have gone better had I found my mp3 player (I lost it in the move) so I could listen to some music.

Sunday was the big day. Our friends Ben and Smita and Chris and I threw a couple's shower for our good friends Dane and Jessie. Smita and I cooked all of the food and had fun doing so. We should have started a little earlier as we weren't quite done with the last appetizer by the time people began showing up. Everyone raved about the food though, so we were quite excited that it went over so well. Our menu was as follows:

Appetizers
Veggie tray with a homemade basil-yogurt dip
Potato chips for "the men" (per Chris' request)
Boursin and roasted red pepper crostinis

Dinner
Chris' secret-recipe grilled burgers
Pasta salad
Swiss and cashew salad with homemade poppy seed dressing

Dessert
Kylee & Nora's Fruit Pizza
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops*

Overall the party was great. The weather wasn't too cooperative, so we moved the party inside just in case it decided to rain as it had been doing off-and-on throughout the day. Thanks to our large great room, we were able to set up the two eight foot cafeteria tables and chairs and comfortably seat all 20 of us inside. It never did rain, but it was a little chilly, so everyone stayed indoors until after dinner. After dinner, the party really began. The girls took to the horseballs set (or ladderballs, or whatever else you call it) while the men got a pretty heated basketball game going. The night ended with the lowering of the hoop to kick off a slam-dunk competition. Some of the guys were pretty good, while some could use some work, and one only never had to leave the ground (he's 6'5").

We have a pretty nice set up in the backyard for basketball (about 1/3 of a court) which is perfect for a game of 3-on-3. Chris and I originally wanted to tear it out as it takes up a lot of our yard, but we've found ourselves getting a game of Horse or Around the World on nearly every night. For the record, I'm the current champion of Horse. I think Chris is jealous of my mad skill, or at least was until he started dominating me in Around the World.

*The Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops (what a long name!) actually never made it out to the guests. Smita and I neglected to notice that it needed to set for 8 hours in the fridge, topped by one hour in the freezer before being served. However, Chris and I ended up trying them last night (and by trying, I mean eating half the pan - whoops!). They were quite delicious, so I thought I'd share the recipe.


Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops
Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

Cheesecake:
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter (the original recipe calls for 1 3/4 cups, but I thought this was the perfect amount to save it from being overpowering)


Chocolate:
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
Wooden pop sticks


Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325F. Line an 8"x8" baking pan with foil letting long flaps overlap on each side. Spray foil with nonstick spray.
Break up the brown sugar to remove all lumps. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until very smooth. Add the cream and beat slowly; then add the yolks and vanilla mixing until just combined. Gently stir in peanut butter. Take care not to over beat the mixture; this incorporates too much air and causes the cheesecake to crack.
Pour and evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven to release some heat, then lower the temperature to 200 degrees F. Continue to bake the cheesecake until the outside is set but the center is still loose, for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and cool cheesecake in the oven for 45 more minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Lift cheesecake from the pan by lifting up the foil. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into
1 1/2-inch cubes. Stick a wooden pop stick halfway into each bar and freeze for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, put the shortening and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.)
Dip the pops into the chocolate mixture, and stand on waxed paper to set, about 5 minutes. Serve cold (straight from the fridge), or freeze up to 2 weeks. Frozen pops make a cool summer treat, or can be allowed to temper for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Upgrade: Coat the pops with chopped nuts or candies for a really decadent finish. To do this let the dipped pops drip over a bowl for 15 seconds before rolling them.

I forgot to line the pan with foil, so mine were very difficult to remove from the pan in neat squares. They came out pretty lumpy looking, hence the stock photo instead of one of my own. However ugly they may have been, they were still delicious to eat!