The Ugly Christmas Sweater Making Party

As this blog is not about food, but more rather about events, I had a little trouble coming up with an event for which my liege waffles would shine. Then, it came to me...It must be wintery and cozy. What can be more cozy than crafts by the fireplace? Buoyed by hot chocolate? Or chocolate milk laced with peppermint schnapps?

Satisfied with this idea, I then started to wonder what crafts? Knitting requires people who knit, and not everyone knits or crochets. Not everyone embroiders. There must be a common goal to make for an adventurous night. And it must get funnier as the booze sets in (not mandatory, of course). Also, as a requirement for me, there must be a tongue-in-cheek twist. SO, why not an ugly Christmas sweater MAKING party?

A little--very little--history lesson about the ugly Christmas sweater:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4679082_wear-ugly-christmas-sweater-style.html

Ugly Christmas sweaters have been around for as long as I remember. Everybody's mother or grandmother owns an ugly Christmas sweater. Some come with gaudy wintery images, some even count out the "12 Days of Christmas" gifts. The one thing that they all share is that they are over the top and ridiculous, but in a very good way.

I'm sure you all have heard of the Ugly Christmas Sweater themed parties. They've been popping up and gaining in popularity for years. I couldn't find who was the original, but the guys at uglychristmassweaterparty.com kind of got the credit for it because they bought this domain name a few years back (they didn't know who was the first, either). Just this past Christmas, their website exploded as they started selling these ugly sweaters for $25 bucks a pop. They were featured in several morning shows.

So...with that history lesson, I'll move onto the equipment for what you and your guests will need for your sweaters.

1. A sweater or sweatshirt. It could be a plain sweatshirt, an old sweater you don't want to wear anymore, or an already ugly Christmas sweater that you want to make uglier. You can provide these sweaters or guests can each bring their own. Either way, I've an amazon link for the cheapest crew neck sweatshirt.
   http://www.amazon.com/Jerzees-Sweatshirt-4662M-Available-Colors/dp/B00084Y4L4/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1265577879&sr=8-14
   
2. Jingle bells. Essential. If it doesn't jingle, it ain't ugly, in my opinion. http://www.amazon.com/JINGLE-BELLS-CLASS-PACK-MULTI-COLOR/dp/B000F8X9T6/ref=pd_sim_dbs_k_1
   
3. Craft felt. Perfect for making Santas and reindeers.
   http://www.amazon.com/ASSORTED-PACK-ACRYLIC-CRAFT-FELT/dp/B0025Z4OVE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265579410&sr=1-2
   
4. Embroidery floss. You can use regular thread you find around the house as well, but I think that these embroidery floss serves two purposes: To attach your oh-so-ugly designs to your sweaters...and to add contrast in the stitching for more...pop.
   http://www.amazon.com/Cotton-Embroidery-Floss-Primary-Skeins/dp/B001689HX6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265579582&sr=8-2
   
5. Embroidery needles. These are better than regular needles because the loops are bigger to accomodate bigger threads.
   http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Eye-Embroidery-Needles-Size/dp/B000YQEVYQ/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265579735&sr=8-13
   
6. Stuffing. For added flare, stuff your felt creations, or better yet, have an arm or an antler actually reach out from the sweater for a more 3D effect. The world is at your fingertips.
   http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Mist-Fiberloft-Premium-Stuffing/dp/B00114ONKM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265580122&sr=1-2
   
7. Pom poms. Classics.
   http://www.amazon.com/Pom-Pon-Variety-Pack-Pkg-Multi/dp/B000Y3F3W8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265584572&sr=1-9
   
8. Any fabric scraps, leftover yarn, ribbons, bows, etc. that you and your guests can pool together. The more colors and textures, the better.

You can also find these items at your local crafts stores. As always, do your research to find the best prices. The best time to buy these items, especially the more seasonal ones, is right after Christmas.

Drinks:

Hot chocolate is always good in the winter. You can also add alcohol to it. I suggest a shot of peppermint schnapps or Kalua.

Milk chocolate is great with a shot (or two) of peppermint schnapps as well

Game:

uglychristmassweaterparty.com mentions a game that would be fun to play as you and your guest make your ugly sweaters. This seems like a good game to play anytime, anywhere. Here's the direct quote from their website:

"Holiday Sausage Game

This game was clearly created by a genius from Wisconsin...Here are the rules.

Divide everyone in the room into two teams. A player from team 1 may ask any question to any player on team 2...However, the player from team 2 must answer that question with "Holiday Sausages"...no matter what the question. If player 2 is able to answer "Holiday Sausages" without laughing, team 2 gets a point (or player from team 1 takes a drink). Simple. Hillarious when you get creative. Good times."

You can also have slideshow of ugly christmas sweaters on your tv or computer for inspiration. uglychristmassweaterparty.com also has a short but sweet slideshow of their parties.
http://www.uglychristmassweaterparty.com/these-are-ugly.html

The waffles

Now, the part that inspired all of this: The Liege Waffles. As I mentioned earlier, this is a semi-modified recipe from another blog:
http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2009/04/brussels-and-liege-waffles.html
I finally got to make them for a good picture, taken by my brother, when my family went on a ski trip. This recipe makes about 10 waffles.

Sponge:
4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1-1/3 cups warm milk
1-3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (I've doubled the sugar)
1 egg lightly beaten (I usually just crack it straight in)

Batter:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons granulated sugar (I've doubled the sugar)
3/4 cup pearl sugar, or cubed sugar, individually crushed to hail sizes if you can't find pearl sugar.
Directions:
Sponge:

1. Warm the 1 1/3 cup milk in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, until you can feel the heat emanating from the surface, then add the 4 1/2 tsp. yeast, 2 tbsp. flour, and 2 tbsp. sugar. Stir the ingredients to combine then let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy. There should be this weird, beige crust at the top of the milk.
   
2. Sift the remaining flour (literally 1 3/4 cup flour - 2 tbsp flour) into another bowl, make a well in the center of the flour, then add the yeast mixture and the egg into the well.
   
3. Stir to make a smooth mixture. Cover with a plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm spot for 2 hours. The mixture should double in size and look literally spongy.

Batter:

1. Mix the butter, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, flour, and vanilla extract to form a paste, then add the pearl or crushed cubed sugar.
   
2. Add the paste mixture to the sponge and combine to make an even mixture.
   
3. Start heating the belgian waffle iron (it has bigger indents) at the medium setting. Don't set the heat too high because the sugar will burn, which will taste bitter. I've never timed to see how long to cook the waffles, but a good indication of when the waffles are done is to watch the steam. A short time after you close the waffle iron, steam will start billowing out. I watch the steam until it starts to subside, then I check it for brownness. I usually take them out when the ridges turn a light golden brown and the bottom of the indents are a deeper brown.

I recommend starting the sponge 2 hours before your party. And start tossing the batter on the waffle iron as your guests start arriving. That way, you don't have to worry about keeping your waffles warm and crispy. Enjoy! If you ever try throwing this party, let me know how it turns out!