Tuxedo Chocolate Covered Almonds

Oscars week continues on the blog this week, and I am so excited to share these cute treats that I came up with that are perfect for the occasion!  They were pretty easy and fun to make, and I fooled my husband and kids that I had spent hours making them… tuxedo chocolate covered almonds!

My husband bought me a HUGE container of chocolate covered almonds for Valentine's Day, so I decided to get creative with them and make these tasty treats.

Chocolate covered almonds wearing little tuxedos would be great to serve at an Oscar's party, a Hollywood party, prom, a wedding, or any black tie affair.  I mean, who can resist chocolate in a tux?

I made a small handful of these, and then mixed them in with the rest of the regular chocolate covered almonds.  Unless you have a ton of free time on your hands, I think this is the best option for serving these little cuties.

Tuxedo Chocolate Covered Almonds:

• Chocolate covered almonds
• White chocolate melts or bark
• Dark chocolate melts or bark
• Toothpick

First, melt a few of the white chocolate melts or bark according to the directions.  

Use a toothpick to add the white chocolate to the almond and create a V shape coming down from the top.  Repeat with as many almonds as you'd like to use.  

Melt the dark chocolate, and then use another toothpick to make a tiny bow tie shape, along with two or three buttons.  I found that it was easiest to make the sides of the bow first, and then connect them in the middle with a small dot.

I think I'm in love.  These little guys are just so easy and adorable, don't you think?

Here's a quick recap in case you missed the rest of my Oscars posts this week.  So far I've shared free printable Oscars party invitations and printable Oscars ballots.  

Make sure to visit tomorrow to see an Oscars party I put together using amazing finds from one of my favorite stores on the planet- World Market!

xo, Laura

Sharing here:  Show and Tell

Amazing Orange Butternut Squash Soup

Even if you're not a big fan of squash, you have GOT to try this butternut squash soup.  It is absolutely delicious.  There is so much flavor and so many vitamins packed into this healthy soup!

My husband's foodie uncle was recently visiting from Boston, and he made three different kinds of soup for a dinner party for our family.  I don't like squash.  I'm not gonna' lie, I just tried his butternut squash soup to be polite... BUT I ended up loving it and eating two giant bowls because of the amazing flavor.  

The squash and an onion are roasted with a little olive oil drizzled on top, and a little salt and pepper.  Simple, and yet oh so delicious.  One of my favorite parts of the soup is the slight orange flavor of the soup that comes from the orange zest that is added, along with a little bit of nutmeg.  I promise you will not regret making this amazing soup.  Last week it rained (which it hardly ever does here in So Cal), so this hot soup was just perfect!  

To make prep time even easier and faster, I bought a package of the chopped up butternut squash chunks from Costco.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

• 2 Butternut squashes, slice in half lengthwise (or a package of b. squash chunks from Costco)
• 1 Onion, diced
• Olive oil
• Salt and white pepper (or regular pepper world too)
• 2 Cans chicken broth (14.5 oz. each)
• Zest of one orange (I didn't use the juice, but if you want a strong orange flavor, feel free to use)
• 1/4 Tsp. nutmeg
• 1 Cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk (I used 2% milk and it tasted great)

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  If you are using whole squash, then drizzle olive oil over the tops of the squash, add salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet flesh side down.  (If you are using the Costco cut squash, place the squash in a large Ziploc bag, drizzle a couple Tbsp. of oil over the top, add some salt and pepper, seal the bag, and shake until it is all coated evenly.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.)  Add the diced onion to the squash on the baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.

2.  After 20 minutes, remove the squash and onion from the oven and place in a large pot.  If you used whole squash, then scoop out the soft flesh from the squash with a spoon, and place it in a large pot with the onions.  Pour the two cans of chicken broth over the vegetables, along with the orange zest and nutmeg.  Let simmer for 5-10 minutes on medium-low heat, and then add the cream, half and half, or milk.  Remove from heat.  Let cool slightly.

3.  Carefully use an immersion blender, blender, or food processor to puree the soup in batches.  Be careful, because the soup is still very hot!  Only add a small amount of soup to the blender or food processor because it will expand because of the heat.

And that's it!  This soup has so much flavor and depth to it, you would never know it was this easy or quick to make.  Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch today!

How do you feel about squash?  Love it or hate it? 

xo, Laura

Edible Sea Glass Recipe

Are you planning an under the sea, ocean, or mermaid party?  Then I've got the perfect treat for you to serve!  One of my favorite parts of my daughters under the sea party was the edible sea glass that I made.

It is really easy and inexpensive to make, and makes a huge impression on guests because it looks SO realistic!  If you remember when I posted how to make homemade suckers, it is basically the same process, but without the molds.  If you want to wow your guests at your next party, here's the how to…

Edible Sea Glass Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp oil flavor (if using LorAnn's oil, it will be the whole small bottle, 1 dram)- I used mint.
• food color (regular food coloring or gel food coloring both work great)
• Powdered sugar 

Directions:

1.  Spray a light coat of Pam or other cooking spray onto a metal cookie sheet. 

2.  Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup over medium heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Continue stirring, and cook to hard crack (300 degrees F).  When my thermometer is almost to 300 degrees, I go on to the next step, because the mixture will continue heating...

3.  Remove from heat- add flavor and food color.  I used mint flavor and various blues and greens (one color per batch).  When you add the flavor, it's a good idea to turn your head.  These oils are very strong, and when they hit the hot candy mixture there is a little smoke that puffs up that is very strong- best not to sniff it!  Stir approximately 2 minutes, to ensure that the color and the flavor are evenly mixed.

4.  Carefully pour the mixture into the baking sheet, and let cool.  Once it has cooled and hardened, cover the pan with a dish cloth and use a hammer to break up the candy into pieces.  Try to get them the same size as real sea glass so they look realistic.  Don't go too crazy with the hammer, or your candy will get too crushed!

5.  At this point your sea glass candy will look very shiny and sharp.  To make the candy look more realistic, rub some powdered sugar onto each piece to give it that frosted, tumbled look of sea glass that has been battered around for years by the ocean waves and currents.  I also tried to sand down the edges with a dish cloth so that the pieces weren't so sharp.

The kids and parents all LOVED the edible sea glass at the party, and it was so fun to see their reactions when I told them they could eat it!  I told the parents and kids to be careful, because some of the pieces were a little sharp, and as with all hard candy, don't give it to small kids as it can be a choking hazard.  I served mine on a bed of brown sugar and graham crackers mixed together to look like sand, along with some white chocolate sea shells.

You can see more details of the Under the Sea party here and get more inspirations for your next bash!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Sharing here:  Show and Tell

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie Recipe with Coffee-Mate

This strawberries and cream smoothie is brought to you by Nestle and Collective Bias ®.  #WowThatsGood #Collective Bias #shop

I have never met a smoothie I didn't like.  Seriously.  It's hard to beat the refreshing fruit flavor of an ice cold smoothie!  They can be a great part of getting back on track and eating as part of a balanced lifestyle.  I also love making them for my kids because I can sneak in spinach or oats without them even knowing ;)  My kids all love strawberries (except for one), so I experimented in the kitchen and created an awesome smoothie that my pickiest daughter said is "the best smoothie you ever made, mom!"  And that's from the girl who won't eat a strawberry.  Crazy, right?

This strawberries and cream smoothie has only 4 ingredients, and is so smooth, creamy, and delicious- you'll love it!  When I was at Walmart this week I picked up some Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee-Mate, which might sound like a funny thing for a girl who doesn't drink coffee to buy.  BUT, did you know that Coffee-Mate is a great addition to fruit smoothies?  It gives them a nice, creamy taste and consistency.

I hope you enjoy this tasty recipe as much as we did!  This recipe will make one large smoothie or two smaller servings.  You can also use it as a springboard for adding your own favorite blends of fruit (on the second batch I added a banana, which was great, too), and even add in some oats, flax seed, or any other healthy additions you'd like!

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie:

• 2 cups frozen strawberries 
• 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee-Mate
• 1 tsp. honey (or agave nectar, sugar, or any sugar substitute)

Blend all the ingredients in a blender, and blend thoroughly.  Pour, drink, and enjoy!

While at Walmart I also picked up a few other grocery items to help me get back on track.  It is January, after all, and my new year's resolutions are all in full swing!

I bought some Lean Cuisine® Sesame Chicken, Lean Cuisine® Simple Favorites Macaroni and Cheese, Lean Cuisine® Morning Collection Turkey Sausage English Muffins, Lean Cuisine® Creamy Balsamic Chicken Wrap Additions, and Lean Cuisine® Three Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Pretzels…. yum!!

The Sesame Chicken was out of this world, and actually looked just like it did on the package! It tasted really really good, too, and was the perfect meal to eat with my strawberries and cream smoothie.

And for those times when my sweet tooth is getting the best of me, I bought some Skinny Cow Divine Candy, which are basically delicious square chocolates that are filled with caramel and are oh so tasty.

So how do you stay on track with your goals for the next year? I'd love to hear in the comments below!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

How to Make DIY Treasure Stones

I remember watching PBS as a child, and being so excited when the husband and wife "Kid Concoctions" team were on sharing their recipes during PBS pledge weeks.  They made fun DIY crafts and projects like these fun treasure stones that I made for my son's jungle safari birthday party.  I am so excited to share these with you!

I think their recipe is just brilliant!  I'll show you how to make the regular version first, and then show you my unique twist on it that I made for the party.  I've gotten some emails asking for the recipe, so here you go!

This recipe is similar to making play dough, but you can bake different toys or coins inside of the dough balls, and when they come out of the oven they are hard and look like stones.  They can easily broken by kids, though, who love to find a surprise inside waiting for them!  

This craft is perfect for a dinosaur party (as the stones can be dinosaur eggs), a pirate party (as cannonballs), or can be adapted to fit any kind of party, really!  You can let the kids go on a hunt in the yard or house for the treasure stones (like I did for the jungle safari party), or just give them out at the end of the party as a party favor.  Either way, kids (and adults) of all ages will love breaking open their toys and seeing what's inside!  The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make more for a party or for friends.

Treasure Stones Recipe:  (Makes 3-4 stones)

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup used coffee grounds (I get them for free from Starbucks since I'm not a coffee drinker)
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup sand (I've used sand from the beach, the playground, and cornmeal when I didn't have any sand- they all worked great!)
• 3/4 cup water
• Small toys and prizes- marbles, plastic animals, fake or real coins, and play jewelry are great choices!

1.  Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.  Combine all of the dry ingredients, and then slowly add in the water and stir until the mixture becomes a dough.  I mixed up the dough in my Kitchen Aid, but you could also use a mixing bowl and a spoon.  Every time that I have made this recipe, the dough is a little bit too wet, so I just add extra flour or sand (or cornmeal) to get it to the right consistency.  You want the dough to be nice and firm, not too wet.

2.  Roll a piece of dough into a ball, add the toy to the middle, and then roll back out the dough with your hands so that it forms a nice smooth ball.  Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Be sure to let them cool before letting kids break them open.

Now would you like to see the unique twist I gave these for the jungle safari party?  I had my little guests all wearing jungle explorer tags, so I let them go on a hunt around the "jungle" looking for elephant dung "specimen" to do scientific experiments on, haha.  A few of the kids really thought they'd be handling poop and were very concerned, but after I promised them that is was just dough with a toy inside, they were game!  

I made the dough a bit more wet for this party so that it flattened out when it baked and looked more realistic.  I hid the "elephant dung" all over the yard- in the grass, under the plants, on the sidewalk, and the kids had to go on an expedition to find it.  

The adults all thought it was hilarious, thankfully, and the kids loved breaking it open and finding out what was inside!  

You can check out more of the jungle safari party here, where I share the decorations and food...

and here, where I share the activities, cake, and FREE printable safari passes download.

I hope you have as much fun with this recipe as I have!  I have more ideas on how to use this dough that I can't wait to try out and share with you!

Enjoy!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Holiday-Scented Play Dough Recipes

I had planned on posting this earlier in the month, and even though Christmas is only two days away, I just couldn't let Christmas pass without sharing these fun recipes with you!  I told my kids that I was going to make them some scented play dough, and had them brainstorm all of their favorite tastes and smells of Christmas.  They came up with our Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies (one of our delicious cookie traditions), candy canes, the smell of our Christmas tree, and I came up with eggnog, because I just LOVE it! ;)

So off to the kitchen I went to try and turn our favorite scents of Christmas into yummy-smelling play dough for the kids.  I started with the basic play dough recipe that I always use (you might remember it from the cinnamon-scented glitter play dough recipe).

I knew I would be making four different scents, so I doubled the recipe, and then split the finished play dough into four balls, ready to color and add scent to!  The recipe I am sharing below is the recipe for one batch of play dough.  If you are making all four scents, then I recommend doubling the recipe, and halfing each batch.  The scent additions that I am sharing are for one whole batch.  If you are splitting up the batch, then adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Best of all, this is a no-cook 4 minute play dough recipe, so it is really fast and really easy.  You can even mix it up in your Kitchen Aid using the dough hook, and avoid the stirring with a spoon. Couldn't be easier!

Four-Minute Basic Play Dough Recipe:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
• 1 cups of boiling water
• Glycerin (optional- a few drops)

1.  Mix the first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl.  The Kitchen Aid is an easy option- just use the dough hook!

2.  Add the hot water and a few drops of glycerin (optional, but it gives the dough more shine).  Turn on the Kitchen Aid for a few minutes and let it mix and knead the dough.  (If you are not using a Kitchen Aid, then stir until the dough turns into a big sticky ball,  and then knead it for a few minutes on the counter.)  The kneading is what makes the stickiness go away, so don't skip this part!  You can also add some flour if it is still sticky.  This step is when I add the color and flavor, too, and knead well to mix it all in.  Recipe adapted from here.

Now for the fun part- adding the scents and colors!  I used half of a recipe for each scent, but I will give you the proportions for making a regular batch of play dough for the above recipe.  Just be sure to half the ingredients if you are making half the batch one scent and half another scent.

Although the play dough will smell good enough to eat, this play dough is NOT edible! Don't let your kids eat it!

Chocolate Mint Play Dough:

This smells great, just like my favorite Andes Mint chocolate cookies fresh out of the oven!  Very chocolatey with a little hint of refreshing mint. 

ADD:  3 Tbsp. cocoa and 1 tsp. peppermint extract.  You don't need to add any color because the cocoa gives it a lovely brown chocolate color!

Eggnog Play Dough:

I just love egg nog, and this play dough smells JUST like the real stuff, spicy and delicious!  Even though my kids don't like egg nog, they still loved the smell of this!  You just might find yourself wandering over to the play dough to get a sniff, they smell THAT good! ;)

ADD:  1 1/2 tsp. rum extract, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp, cinnamon, 1 tsp. cloves, and a tiny tiny bit of yellow food color.  The spices will give the play dough the speckled look of egg nog, which I love!

Christmas Tree Play Dough:

This one was a little trickier, because I couldn't think of any pine scented oils or spices.  BUT, we have rosemary bushed that smell very similar to Christmas trees, so we used rosemary oil to scent it, and the kids loved the smell!

ADD:  20 drops of rosemary essential oil (available in health food stores or online) and green food color.

Candy Cane Play Dough:

Who doesn't love the minty fresh smell of peppermint at Christmas time?  

ADD:  3 tsp. peppermint extract and red food color.

I hope you enjoy these holiday-scented play dough recipes as much as we did!  If you keep them in an airtight container, they should last you for months.

These would also make great gifts for little ones to pass out to their friends, or to give to cousins or neighbors.  I had some cute little Martha Stewart Christmas muslin bags that were perfect for packaging these up and giving away!  Just be sure so seal them in a plastic bag first so they don't dry out.  If you try them, I'd love for you to let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! 

xo, Laura

Cinnamon Popcorn Recipe with Olive Oil

I made this cinnamon popcorn using Star Butter Oil as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias®.  #STAROliveOil

I have always been a sucker for anything cinnamon flavored, especially around the holidays.  Cinnamon bears were my guilty pleasure in college, and if something is cinnamon flavored, odds are that I will LOVE it!  My daughter is a cinnamon-lover like me, and when she mentioned that she needed to take a treat to school for her friends for a movie they'd be watching, I knew that cinnamon flavored popcorn would be perfect!

Plus, it's red, which makes it especially perfect for this time of year!

When I was shopping at Walmart I picked up some Star Butter Flavored Olive Oil, a new olive oil with a slight butter flavor.  I know that olive oil is healthier than butter, so I thought I would try substituting it for the butter in this recipe.

The olive oil comes with a handy conversion guide to let you know how much oil to substitute for butter in your baking and cooking, which was very helpful.

Cinnamon Popcorn Recipe:

• 1/4 cup Star Butter Flavored Olive Oil (Substituted for 1/2 cup butter)
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 6 oz. box of Red Hot candies (theater size box)
• 8 cups popped popcorn (I popped 1/2 cup kernals and ended up using the 10 cups it made)

1.  Heat oven to 250 degrees.  Pop popcorn in a pan, popcorn maker, or microwave.  To pop in a pan, follow the directions from my kettle corn directions.  Spray a cooking spray onto a baking sheet or in a roasting pan, and spread the popcorn out in a layer in the pan.

2.  Add the oil, corn syrup, and Red Hots to a small pan, and heat til boiling over medium heat.  Boil mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  

It took almost the full 5 minutes for the Red Hots to fully melt.  

Carefully pour mixture over the popcorn in the pan, and stir until the popcorn is evenly coated.

3.  Bake for approximately 1 hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.  Baking takes away the "stickiness" of the popcorn.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Sitr to break up any large clumps of popcorn.

This cinnamon popcorn ends up being such a pretty red color, and is a great treat for a Christmas party, or just for a yummy snack!  The butter olive oil tasted great in this recipe, and I am now going to be on the lookout for more recipes I can incorporate this oil into.

The cinnamon flavor isn't too strong for kids.  Next time I make this recipe, I'll add some cinnamon oil that I had left over from making homemade suckers to give it even more cinnamon flavor.  

My daughter loved the popcorn, and can't wait to take it to school tomorrow wo share with her friends!  So glad she's taking it, because it prevents me from eating the whole batch!

Recipe adapted from here.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe!  Be sure to check out the giveaway that's running on Star's Facebook page.  You can also connect with Star on their:

Website  /  Twitter  /  Pinterest 

Happy baking!  Can you believe there's just 6 short days until Christmas?!?  This December has just flown by, don't you think? 

xo, Laura