Saturday, February 27, 2016

Dare to Share #202


It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share! 

The party is back, but what a crazy couple of weeks it is has been.. Last week we were unable to have the party because of this.. 



Our power went out Friday evening.  We ended up going to a friend's house who lived 20 miles away.  SInce she was with me, she did not know that her house was without power too until we got there.  We ended up having a camp out in the dark for the night.. 


This week, this happened. It started Wednesday morning. I was called in at that morning for a teacher that got sick during the school day. A few hours later there was already 6 inches of snow on the car, and the roads were in really bad shaped for our drive home.  We ended up getting  about 8 inches more after we got home,   That is how much snow you see on my car.  We did not have school for the last two days because of road conditions. This weekend it is supposed to get up to 50 degrees and we will have to watch for flooding. 


We are still working on candy party posts. Between working almost everyday, some health issues of one of the kids, and just a crazy schedule it has taken a little bit longer than planned.  This was a fun treat to make, for a Wreck it Ralph or Nascar theme.  We got several types of candy at the dollar store and made our own Candy Race Cars. I like activities that have more than one function. Not only would party guests have the fun of making their cars, but they will be able to eat them when they are done. 


There were two yummy Dare to Share Features..    This Cherry Cordial  Chocolate Skillet cookie by Frugal Foodie Mama


and these Chicken Parmesan  Muffins by Just Us Four. Both recipes loo delicious to me! 



Do you have or know a child who loves Minecraft?  You will want to check out my co-host Kim's blog Kandy Kreations this week. She has several Minecraft ideas and free printables. 


Now it is time for this week's party.  You are allowed to link up anything that you would like to share. If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature you post will be featured on the blog and social media. This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.  Kim also chooses posts to share on her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

   
   
Read More »

Friday, February 26, 2016

Mini Chicken Parmesan Muffins - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

Bite size, appetizers, chicken recipes, Chicken Parmesan


I am always looking for new dinner ideas that are not that difficult to make, and that my family would love to eat.  I think these  Mini Chicken Parmesan Muffins by Just Us Four could be one of those meals.  I also love that  they are small  and appetizer size, so they would be perfect to serve at a party.  Be sure to stop over to Just us Four to see the full recipe. 
Read More »

Monday, February 22, 2016

Candy Race Cars


This weekend we went to the dollar store and picked up a lot of random candy. One of the things that i really enjoyed in the movie Wreck it Ralph was the race cars made from candy and treats  If you are having a Candy themed party like Wreck it Ralph, a great activity  would  for the kids to make their own race cars.   I also realized that NASCAR just started back up this past weekend as well.  While I am not a fan or racing,  it wold be fun to make Candy Race Cars for a race viewing party  



Any long cake like treat would work as a race car body.  We bought Swiss Rolls and Strawberry Shortcake Rolls.  Twinkies would be good, and so would some types of donuts.   


Using a small knife and car "glue" my daughter an I started to put our race cars together.  You can use several different things for glue, icing, melted chocolate, ore even peanut butter.  You can also make your cars a lot more colorful.  Since we were only making a couple of cars for this post, I did not think to get a a container of frosting. 



We will be moving again soon! I can not wait!  Where we live now has NO light, very few windows and very little space. I have to take pictures on my dryer. I hope you bear with me with the horrible lighting on my pictures. I could also really use a better camera.  I am not sure where my old one is, and I have been taking pictures on my cell phone.

Hopefully you can see how I made the Strawberry Shortcake Race Car.  I used bite size Vanilla wafers for tires, half of a sugar wafer for a spoiler, sliced gum drops for the headlights and steering wheel, and a peppermint for the spare tire.  This car would be a good one to add colored frosting or sprinkles for a lot more color. 


While the Swiss Cake worked for a race car, it was a little more fragile to work with. I used peppermints for the tires, a peach ring for the spoiler, sour cherries for the headlights, and a sliced gum drop for the steering wheel. 


Race Cars made from candy for Candy Party themes

These cars are just an example of how you can make Candy Race Cars. Pick your favorite candies and have fun with it. 

Read More »

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Power Outage Version of Dare to Share

If you are wondering where Dare to Share is this week.. We are having an unexpected week off..  

Here what was going on last night at our house.. 


A photo posted by Pam (@pamspartyplanning) on


As you can see the last 18 hours or so have been a bit crazy.  I have a very old computer with little battery charge.  I can only use it when it is plugged in, so I was unable to log on to post the party. We went to go stay at a friend's house, but when we got there her power had gone out too. We ended up having a picnic by flashlight.   I still had a little charge on my phone to contact my co-host Kim.  It was a bit crazy on her end as well, so we decided to give everyone the night off..   We WILL  be back next week, so keep all the posts ready to go!

Have a great weekend! 


Read More »

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Cherry Cordial Skillet Cookie - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

Chocoate Cherry Cordial Cookie made in a skillet

Have you ever had a skillet cookie?  I have to admit, the concept is relatively new to me. The name of this treat, and the fact that I may have been eating Cherry Cordial ice cream while looking through the Dare to Share posts, made this post by Frugal Foodie Mama really stand out.  While she shares the recipe for an adult version to be shared with a special person, this would also  make a yummy, family friendly dessert if made without the adult beverage.  Which version would you like  to try? Stop over to get the full recipe. 
Read More »

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Dare to Share #201


It is Friday night, and you know what that means... 
It is time to Dare to Share!  

What a busy, crazy week!  I worked at the same school 5 days in a row. Three days as the Art teacher, yesterday in the  6th grade, and today in the  5th. It also happened to be the day of the Valentine's Day party in the class I taught, and the Tim Tebow Night to Shine special needs prom at my church.  I had another long tiring day, but I ate a lot more sugar so I am still awake. ;) 


One of the girls in the class I taught today made this super cool Minion Valentine Box. I loved it so much she gave me permission to take a picture of it. She made it out of large plastic container, tissue paper, and craft foam.  Another girl made a sweet unicorn using multiple boxes and toilet paper tubes. I might use a variation in a craft post in the future. 



Tonight was also dance night. My daughter and her best friend went to a school dance, and I went to a special dance with my friends too. Our church was part of the Tim Tebow Night to Shine special needs prom.  Churches all around the country hold dances for the special needs people in their area. We made their night super special with a wonderful meal and a night of dancing. It is such a fun event. 



This week I shared a post on how to Make Your Own Candy Themed Decorations





The Dare to Share Feature of this week was Fried Pickle Dip by Lemons for Lulu. I love pickles, so I definitely want to try this one. 





Are you still thinking of what to give to someone special for Valentine's Day.  My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations shared how to make a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Rose Candy Bouquet. 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are allowed to share anything that you would like to share. If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature of the Day, your post will be featured on the blog and my social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts to feature on her page and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   
   



Read More »

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Fried Pickle Dip - Dare to Share Feature of the Day


I love pickles, so when I saw this link for "Fried" Pickle Dip, I knew I had to check it out.  It turns out I really love all of the ingredients in this dip by Lemons for LuLu. This dip would be good for a party, pot luck or just because. It is definitely not your usual boring dip. Be sure to stop over to Lemons for LuLu for the full recipe. 
Read More »

Monday, February 8, 2016

Make Your Own Candy Themed Decorations


Today I am going to share with you how easy and inexpensive it can be to make candy decor for a candy themed party.  I picked up these items at the dollar store. neon straws, colorful balloons, a 2 pack of styrofoam circles, bright colored wrapping paper, and cellophane.  I already had the tissue paper on hand, but they have a large assortment of that as well. 



Instead of painting the styrofoam, the easiest way to make large lollipops is by wrapping them.  I found it easier to work with the tissue paper than the colored wrapping paper, but I like the thickness of the paper.  Wrap the circles as tightly as you can. All of the tape is on the backside of the circle. 



I used a toothpick to form a small hole big enough to fit in one of the straws.  Depending on were you want to use the lollipops you can also use skewers or thin dowel rods.  


To make hard candy, wrap cardboard tubes with bright colored paper. I had the candy cane striped one leftover from Christmas. 




Wrap the candy in cellophane and ribbon.  You could use plastic wrap if desired, but I think the cellophane is easier to work with.   The orange piece of candy is wrapped in cellophane as well, I just taped down the sides for a different look. 




A balloon lollipop centerpiece is a fun touch. I made a simple version with balloons, ribbon and colorful pipe cleaners. Additional embellishments like tall sprays that look like candy can be added to really make it stand out. 




I made these felt M & Ms a few years back for our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. party.  they can be used as decor or for party games which will be shared in a later post. 


Read More »

Friday, February 5, 2016

Dare to Share #200



It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share!! 

Welcome to the I am too tired to move edition of Dare to Share.  

I had a big post planned on sharing tonight..   The problem is I am currently very, very tired.. I taught K-4 art today and was on my feet the entire day except for the time I was eating my lunch, and driving home. I was only  home for about an hour, when it was time to go meet members of church life group to help set up  at a community event. Tomorrow in my county they are giving away a lot of free services to people in need. My church is in charge of setting up all of the clothing portion of the event. .  For three more hours tonight I was on my feet helping to un-bag, sort, organize and set up many tables of free clothing, shoes and household goods. I felt fine on the way home. Once I got home and sat down though, my very long, busy day caught up with me. I am now too tired to move, and I can barely keep my eyes open. As I write this it is about 10:30 pm and I need sleep now. On a normal Friday I can easily stay up way past midnight, so this is kind of weird for me...  

To make sure that the party goes live on time, I am going to add the link now, and then update the rest of the post after I get a little bit of sleep..

Link up and HAVE FUN (and I will see you in the morning with the rest of the post!) 


UPDATED Saturday 2/6..   Thank you for being understanding about last nights exhaustion..  I really needed some sleep after the crazy week we had. A funny thing happened going to sleep much earlier than normal. I woke up in what I thought was the middle of the night. I saw the hall light on, and thought my daughter fell asleep with the lizard. (long story) I went to go check up on her, and saw that she was lying down, but still awake.  I had no idea what time it was and thought she had stayed up most of the night. She looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "mom it is only 1 a.m. and I am trying to go to sleep.  She had already put the lizard back in her cage, she just forgot to turn the hall light off. I took my tired self back to bed, and slept almost 9 more hours.  Today I had the chance to  some quality time with my daughter.  We went to the craft stores to come up with some fun new ideas we will be sharing soon, and taking advantage of some of the Super Bowl party food deals. We also had the opportunity to see this.  



It was definitely a gorgeous site, with the sky a mix of pink and purple  We saw it at the perfect time because a few minutes later it was gone.  


   


I shared our favorite tip for a quick and easy pizza appetizer or weekday meal.. 


I featured this awesome looking Apple Cinnamon Dougnut French Toast Bake by Lamberts Lately


My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has several football post ideas on her blog this week. You will especially like them if you are Broncos fan. 

Now back to Dare to Share! 





   

Read More »

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Super Simple Pizza Bite Appetizers


While making pizza is not a new thing, I am going to share a quick and easy trick we use when make pizza bread that can be used when you need food quickly for a crowd of easy weeknight dinner. Instead of taking the time to roll a crust, there is something much easier.. garlic bread or Texas toast.  What I like about using garlic bread as a pizza crust is that it is already preseasoned with garlic and very often cheese. 



Add a little sauce, pepperoni, and cheese, and in literally a few minutes,  yummy pizza bread.  If serving to a crowd set up an ingredient station for each person to customize their own.  



I got a little impatient with this batch.  I should have waited a couple of minutes for the oven to preheat.  Instead of threw it in a cold oven, so the cheese was almost melted but not 100%. It still tasted great though.   Cut into bit size pieces for a super simple appetizer.   
Read More »

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Apple Cinnamon Doughnut French Toast - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

 

I love breakfast casseroles, especially ones that are easy to put together. They are great to serve for holidays, company, and busy weekends. If you would love to really impress your family and friends check out this Apple Cinnamon Doughnut French Toast Bake by Lamberts Lately.  The mix of flavors, textures and that icing is sure to be a big hit.  Make sure you go to Lamberts Lately to get the recipe.   




Read More »