Category Archives: Memorial Day Weekend

Anyone else dreaming of warm weather and sunny days?  I have a case of the Winter Blues and am thinking back to a fun summer weekend where we made “bucket drinks” to enjoy on a pontoon ride.  If you aren’t familiar with “bucket drinks”, they are cocktails made in plastic buckets…. like a jumbo, fruity cocktail.  And they are delicious! We made Blue Hawaiian Tropical Bucket Cocktails.  As the name states, they are tropical… and full of booze and fruit juice and garnished with some fun fruit, candy, and glitter.  We actually made them multiple weekends in a row after finding the perfect combination of each ingredient, and let me tell you, I’m craving a pontoon ride, sunshine, and a jumbo bucket cocktail right about now 😊 The recipe can be found here. You will need 32 oz plastic beverage buckets.  You can find them on Amazon (click here) or perhaps a local party supply store.  Make sure to wash them before … Continue reading

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Occasionally during the winter, I start craving warmer weather, fruity cocktails, and a beach somewhere tropical.  Who doesn’t?  But we live in MN and that’s not a reality this time of year.  To curb the winter blues, I sometimes make fruity cocktails at home to feel a little more cheerful about the amount of snow outside 😊 I’m going to share with you 2 new cocktail recipes using Starburst Infused Vodka.  You read that right…I infused vodka with Starburst candy.  It was super simple and didn’t take any effort to make but patience is required to allow the vodka to sit for a few days. The cocktail recipes can be found here: Cherry Limeade with Starburst Infused Vodka Strawberry Lemonade with Starburst Infused Vodka   You want to start by infusing the vodka.  Use a fairly nice vodka because it’s literally 2 ingredients: vodka and Starbursts.  And you want to enjoy the cocktail, not feel like you ordered some … Continue reading

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Do you remember those yummy ice cream pizzas you probably had as a child at Dairy Queen?  They came in multiple favors and were typically served at a party.  They were my FAVORITE!  And there was a time in my life that I believe they were discontinued, and I was admittedly bummed to never have one again.  However, I was able to find a way to recreate them as copycat versions of the original. I have 3 recipes to share with you today for Copycat Treatzza Pizzas…I call them Ice Cream Pizza. M&M Ice Cream Pizza Heath Bar Ice Cream Pizza Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pizza   Let’s start by walking through the M&M Ice Cream Pizza.  You start with an Oreo crust, top it with vanilla ice cream, drizzle with hot fudge, and add M&M candies to finish it off.  This is a classic ice cream dessert that’s incredibly … Continue reading

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It doesn’t matter what time of year it is…ice cream is always an acceptable dessert.  Granted, I do tend to enjoy it more frequently during the summer months but every now and then a bowl of ice cream (better yet, homemade ice cream) satisfies my craving during the colder months of the year.  I like to make homemade ice cream.  Sure, store-bought ice cream is wonderful and super convenient but homemade ice cream tastes a bit like soft serve and is creamer in my opinion.  I have 3 recipes to share with you today for homemade ice cream: Birthday Cake Blueberry Butterfinger   The Birthday Cake Ice Cream is BY FAR my favorite ice cream I have ever made.  It tastes like cake batter…the pre-cooked batter you scrape out of the bowl and lick any excess off the spoon…that cake batter.  It’s sweet, creamy and is packed full of sprinkles.  It’s amazing. The recipe can be found … Continue reading

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Baguette sandwiches are my new favorite thing!  There is something about a baguette that makes you feel like you are in a French café, sipping cappuccino, and enjoying local fare.  They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and make for a great sandwich.   Prosciutto & Arugula Baguette Sandwiches make the perfect meal.  The prosciutto is salty, the cheese is sharp, and the arugula adds some fresh flavor.  Pair it with some mustard or mayonnaise and jam, and you are set! The recipe can be found here. Start by making the sandwich spread.  In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and mustard.  This gives the sandwich a spicy and tangy taste.  You can use only mayonnaise or only mustard or neither, but I like the flavor of both combined. Next, slice the baguette in half.  Each half will make one sandwich.  Or you can slice … Continue reading

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Make tonight’s dinner a fast and fun meal that’s completely customizable with sheet pan nachos!  These are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser and are super easy to make.  Simply layer your toppings, bake, and enjoy! One big plus of these is they only take one pan to make so clean up is a breeze, and the pan doubles as the serving vessel so you can simply dig in and be satisfied in no time. I have 3 recipes to share with you today: Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Nachos Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Nachos   As mentioned previously, these would make for a great weeknight meal.  Otherwise, serve them at a football party, birthday party, weekend cookout, holiday party, etc.  The options are endless!  The recipes make a large enough quantity that you can feed a crowd. Let’s start with Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos.  These are … Continue reading

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Cake Pops are a fun phenomenon and something I had to try.  When I think of a Cake Pop, I think of cake that is coated in melted chocolate, skewered on a stick, and served as a bite sized treat.  They can be made in most cake flavors and decorated as simple or elaborate as you want.  They are very similar to truffles but are often a little lighter and truffles aren’t served on a stick. I started my Cake Pop venture before the 4th of July (can you see I’m a bit behind on writing this? :)) but thought these are great treat for any time of year!  You could make some to celebrate Labor Day, the end of summer and kids going back to school, dessert at a BBQ, or just make them because you love cake 🙂 I purchased this fancy Cake Pop maker (little countertop appliance … Continue reading

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When I think of crisp and refreshing, I think of caprese salad.  It has juicy, ripe tomatoes, slices of soft mozzarella, and is finished with incredibly fresh basil leaves.  If you add some French bread and a smear of pesto and can turn a lovely caprese salad into a tasty pizza.  It’s bursting with flavor and is to toasted to perfection. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the French bread in half, horizontally.  If the bread is too long to fit on a baking sheet, slice the bread in half so it will fit.  Make sure you look for soft Italian bread or French bread.  You don’t want to use a hearty baguette or anything that will be too hard and crusty after baking. I like to use store-bought basil pesto, but you can make homemade pesto if you have … Continue reading

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The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing.  Do you plan on going?  I know a lot of people that plan on attending the fair and a lot of people that don’t, for various reasons.  I sure love the fair and missed not being able to attend last year.  Unfortunately, this year, it’s also not in the cards for me.  However, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some delicious fair food at home, and you can do the same! First off, I want to share with you a link to a blog I wrote last year.  The blog is called Your Favorite MN State Fair Food…at Home, because that’s what the blog is about – creating and enjoying all the classic state fair foods in the comfort of your own home.  I wrote this blog because the fair was cancelled last year and wanted to give everyone the option of … Continue reading

Posted in 4th of July, Breakfast, Dessert, Grilling, Holidays, Labor Day Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Party, Pizza, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Fair Home Edition

Chicken.  Bacon.  Ranch.  Three things that pair amazingly well together.  Combine them in sandwich form and you have one mighty fine meal.  Think tender chicken, creamy ranch (which really goes with just about anything), and crispy bacon smothered between a bun with some melted cheese for good measure.  This is what dreams are made of.  I may be getting ahead of myself, but I do sure enjoy a good Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich! The recipe can be found here. Start by cooking the bacon according to package instructions.  I like to move the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to absorb some of the grease and set aside until I’m ready to use. Add the cream cheese to a large saucepan or pot and heat over medium-low heat.  Stir occasionally to melt the cream cheese.  Once it’s about halfway melted, add the entire packet of ranch seasoning (Ugh, it … Continue reading

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