The Best Ever Haunted Halloween Party - Simplified

 

We are so excited to partner with Smirnoff to bring you our Haunted Halloween Party.  Party planning is some of the most fun I will have all season long.  To make the party tons of fun and completely memorable I like to simplify the party plan and allow myself plenty of time to mingle and enjoy the event.

Boozy Bloody Mary Salsa

While we were in the midst of planning our Haunted Halloween Party I was brainstorming all sorts of cool party food and I realized that I could turn my favorite salsa into a bloody mary salsa just by adding a few ingredients.  What appetizer could be more fun for an adult party?

The Vampire's Kiss Martini - How to create a blood rimmed cocktail glass

The count has been working feverishly on a new potion in his lair in his castle in Transylvania in honor of All Hallows' Eve.  He has mastered the perfect creepy blood drips on his cocktail glasses this Halloween, let him show you how.  The Vampire's Kiss Martini is sure to 'turn you' with just one sip of this sweet and seductive cocktail.

Italian Sausage and Pepper Soup in Just 30 Minutes

Can you really ever have enough soup?  I think not.  I am not big on whimpy soups.  I like hearty flavorful, 'beefy' soups.  The kind of soups that stick to your ribs that you can walk away from the table without needing to eat a whole loaf of bread too and really feel satisfied.

One Skillet 3 Cheese Manicotti with Meat Sauce in Just 30 Minutes

With a devotion to pasta and cheese it should come as no surprise that I love manicotti.  But like so many old favorites, I just don't take the time to make it.  Well, time is no longer an issue.  I have created a new favorite 3 Cheese Manicotti with Meat Sauce.  Its made all in one skillet and ready in just 30 minutes!

Root Beer Float Martini Dessert Cocktail

Saturday is game night around these parts.  Spades, Poker, Uno, Skipbo, Rummy and even Farkle or Yahtzee from time to time.  I tell ya we are wild and crazy like that!  We invite a handful of our best friends over and we catch up over some yummy snacks that I will serve and from time to time our friends will bring our favorite game night treat.  Root Beer floats!

A 2 liter bottle of root beer and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream is all it takes to satisfy this crew.  But from time to time Chad and I enjoy our favorite root beer float in a grown up version.  The Root Beer Float Martini is a cocktail that will wow you and your guests!

Candy Corn Oreo Cookies and Cream Fudge Bars

My husband is a huge fan of candy corn. As soon as you see them in the stores they will certainly be in my pantry.  Well this year we happened to be at Target and Chad spotted the candy corn Oreo's.  He surprised me with them.  You see he loves candy corn and I love Oreo's.  It is like a match made in a sugar heaven.

Of course I could have just devoured the whole bag of Oreo's, which to be honest did originally sound like the best option.  But I decided to create a fabulous dessert that would combine these fun Oreo's and candy corn.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole in 30-Minutes

I never really embraced casseroles until I moved out on my own.  Once I became a busy mom, simple has become a way of life that carries from the kitchen to travel and back again.  Casseroles truly embody a simple dinner.  Especially on the weeknights after a long day of working, schooling, play dates and taking care of the family a simple dinner is perfect.

Best Ever Top 10 All Time Copycat Recipes

Everyone has their all time favorite dishes, we have many and have created copycats of our top 10 here.  Whether you are jonesing for a cheddar bay biscuit from Red Lobster, Magic Shell, Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars or Chipotle's Cilantro Lime rice have we got treats for you.  Tried and true recipes from scratch that the whole family will love.

Sriracha Honey Chicken Wings

This giveaway has ended.

We are so excited to be partnering with Terrapin Ridge Farms.  We love fun dips, sauces and toppings and that is just the beginning of what we found on their site.  Playing with their sauces, spreads, dips and glazes was so much fun.  I can not believe all the flavors that are available.

I remember, a few months ago while vacationing we ran into this great boutique shop that sold salsas, jellies and jams.  We spent hours in there sampling the different flavors.  I have such appreciation for unusal flavor combinations and we were looking for something to really knock our socks off.

After working with Terrapin Ridge Farms over the last few months I am completely and totally blown away by the fabulous flavor combinations available from one brand.  I was most taken by their commitment to quality.  They use the very best ingredients and most are all natural and gluten free.  Which makes me feel great about serving them to my 3 year old.

While I enjoyed playing with all of their products, and believe me there are an array of amazing flavor combinations, my favorite was their Sriracha Sauce.  I swear it is perfect heat for me.  Living in the southwest we eat a lot of hot peppers, spices and hot flavors.  I like heat but I am more of a medium heat kinda girl.  Where Chad loves Serrano and Habaneros, they can be a little much for me.  This Sriracha Sauce is perfect.  It starts off with the classic sriracha and they add tomato puree and some smoky spices to really knock it out of the park.

Simply Blissful Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies in 30 Minutes

With a love of Strabucks Cranberry Bliss Bars it was only a matter of time before that inspiration carried over to another treat.  These are the epitome of the cranberry bliss bar perfectly packaged in a crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside cookie.

After eating these by the handful I decided it was best to freeze them and keep them out of my sight.  You know they say out of sight out of mind.  Sadly, that doesn't always work.  So now I have started a whole new method to keep from eating them all.