Social Fabric – Page 2

My Favorite Things Spa Party with NIVEA

November 19, 2012 by Danielle

As a mother, one thing we often forget to do is pamper ourselves. We spend so much time making sure everyone else is being taken care of that we forget to take a few moments for us.

This weekend I decided to take a few moments for myself. And invite a few friends over to enjoy themselves as well.

One of my favorite types of parties to throw is a My Favorite Things party. Each guest brings their favorite item to share with the others; 5 of the same thing $6 or under in value. Since we’ve already shared our favorite thing, our favorite baby item, and our favorite children’s activity, I thought that we could spin the theme a little differently this time.

A My Favorite Things Spa Party!

Sparkling Lemonade Iced Tea and Honey Recipe

November 12, 2012 by Danielle

Sparkling Lemonade Iced Tea and Honey

Our family has one passion and that’s tea! Yes, I’m known to have a love of coffee, but my roots have always been with tea. So when I saw these Lipton Tea & Honey iced tea mixes on the shelves of Walmart I knew I wanted to try something new and test them out.

But it wouldn’t be fun to simply mix the Tea & Honey packets with just plain water. No… I wanted to make something that would be tasty and fun for the whole family!

So I started thinking about some of my families favorite flavors and two things immediately emerged… lemons and iced tea! How perfect is this combination? Simple, classic, and refreshing. Instead of simply mixing the iced tea with lemonade, I decided to kick it up a notch and add a little sparkle to the mix.

What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is! With so many Lipton Tea & Honey varieties, there are so many combinations of flavors you can make with this one recipe.

I served this pitcher to my family as a taste test first and then served it at my My Favorite Things Spa party. It was the perfect refreshment for the mamas-to-be who attended and were looking for something fun and bubbly to enjoy.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Collective Bias, Drinks, lemonade, lemons, Recipe, refreshments, Social Fabric

Baby Back Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce

November 7, 2012 by Danielle

There’s one meal that I wish I could cook better. And that’s baby back ribs with bbq sauce. I absolutely love ribs. Love the taste, the mess, and the pile of bones left over at the end. I know, I know… I’m weird. But a good plate of ribs just hits the spot.

And they’re the perfect dish to make for tailgating! So when I was planning my menu for my tailgating party I knew we had to serve ribs. Not only can they be made at home, but they can also be made on the grill and in the crock pot. So many different ways to make one delicious dish!

These ribs are even tastier because of the homemade barbecue sauce I made to go with them. And I have two surprises… my secret ingredient! Total Iron Chef moment here.

We headed out to Smart & Final for our ingredients and I knew I wanted to pick up some flavored preserves. As soon as I saw the First Street apricot pineapple preserves I knew I needed them for my sauce. And it was the best choice I made! While you can use peach, apricot, or even raspberry preserves in this recipe, the combination of the apricot and pineapple gave this sauce an amazing flavor.

You can check out my whole shopping experience by checking out my Smart & Final Tailgating Google + Album.

Delicious Pumpkin Bars with Cool Whip Frosting

October 17, 2012 by Danielle

Oh Fall! I’m so happy you’re here again. We could definitely use the cooler weather (if that ever happened) and I’m very excited about the upcoming holidays. But a more important reason why I’m here… is because with Fall comes pumpkins! And canned pumpkin is on the shelves in full force.

That means I get to try a whole new batch of recipes out on my friends, family, and playgroup and this year is no different. I decided to go with a pumpkin bar. But the special ingredient isn’t the pumpkin, it’s the Cool Whip Frosting on top. If you want the perfect pumpkin treat this season you need to try this recipe.

Pumpkin Bars with Cool Whip Frosting

3 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan with butter or cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together sugar, pumpkin, oil, and eggs on medium until light and fluffy.

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

4. With a spatula, add flour mixture to liquid mixture until just combined. Make sure not to over-mix.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

6. Once the pumpkin bars are cooked, transfer to a cooling rack.

7. When completely cooled, cut off top to make an even, flat surface.

8. Cut into squares.

9. Grab the Cool Whip Frosting and start spreading it on.

10. Top each bar with a pecan and serve.

This recipe makes 16 servings.

Note:
You can easily bake in a 9×13 pan instead for thinner bars to feed a larger crowd. Simply reduce cooking time to 20-25 minutes. Feel free to frost then cut if you feel that frosting each individual bar will take too long. I just hate dealing with crumbs in my frosting.

What do you love to make with pumpkin?

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Collective Bias, Cool Whip, Cool Whip Frosting, Fall, Pumpkin, Recipe, Social Fabric

How to DIY a Smarties Wreath this Halloween

October 11, 2012 by Danielle

When we get ready for Halloween, decorations in our home are up there with Christmas. We decorate the whole house inside and out to celebrate for the whole month of October. Many of the decorations we use can be carried into November as well with a festive Fall theme but a few we make just for Halloween!

This Smarties Wreath is just that. The perfect celebration of Halloween and the excitement that each child feels as they go from door to door saying, “Trick or Treat!” This wreath is not only festive, it’s easy to make as well! You only need a few simple items to put it together and it takes less than 30 minutes to make!

As an added bonus, it only cost me $5 to make. The $1 Spot at Target has these foam wreaths and the Smarties candies are only $7.99 for a huge bag and I only needed 1/2 the bag to make the wreath. I had the ribbon on hand from the end of season sale last year. And the left over Smarties will be passed out to trick or treaters on Halloween! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Collective Bias, Fall, halloween, Smarties, Social Fabric

Low-Fat Turkey Chili with Beans {4 WW pp+}

September 16, 2012 by Danielle

One thing that has become very apparent these past two weeks is that it is, in fact, football season again. My tv is once again taken over and Sunday afternoons and Monday nights are filled with the sound of yelling and cheering.

I have to be honest though, I’m not really that into football. But I am into football food! The excuse to invite people over to sit around and eat appetizers and yummy bbq is just too enticing. And one of my favorite go to recipes to make is a delicious turkey chili with beans.

Not only is it quick and easy, it can simmer in the slow cooker all day and be used as needed for munching. Plus it’s versatile. We put chili on just about everything. Hot dogs, nachos, fries, etc. It makes just about anything better. And it’s low fat! That’s right. This recipe is filled with low fat turkey chili, tons of veggies, and spices and seasonings to create a flavor you will love. [Read more…]