Rural South Dakota friends since kindergarten and K-mart co-workers in high school, Carissa Trygstad and Val Ellens have a bond that even Val’s dense molasses cookies can’t break.  They’re joining me today because I heard that Carissa hosts an annual ranch cracker snack mix tossing party, and to top it off, she weaves in a Christmas cookie exchange and an evening of cocktails and appetizers with their friends. Get the recipes and photos on ⁠randomsweets.com. It hasn’t always gone as planned though, so along with Carissa’s snack mix recipe from her friend Lorna Nielsen and Val and Carissa’s tips for planning a successful night, these BFFs share some pretty funny stories from over the years. Like how they define the 5-second rule and why scented garbage bags aren’t on the list.  Carissa has done this enough years now to know a few things about what works, what doesn't, and what to do when things go hilariously wrong. Like how a bag of snack mix ended up on the floor so now they use the large, heavy duty Ziplock bags.  Carissa Trygstad: @carissatrygstad Val Ellens: Instagram @valellens Showplace Cabinetry: Instagram @showplacecabinets Form Fitness: Instagram @formfitnessboutique Staci Mergenthal Randomsweets.com #ourSweetMidwestLife Website: randomsweets.com  Instagram: @potatoesandmittens Instagram: @randomsweets Facebook: Random Sweets Email: staci@randomsweets.com — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/potatoesandmittens/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/potatoesandmittens/support