Ingredients:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 12 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Red food coloring
• Whipped Cream Vodka
• Whipped topping or marshmallows, optional

Directions:

• Heat the milk and sugar on the stove until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is steaming.
  • You don’t want it to boil and scald, so once you get lots of little steamy bubbles around the edge of the pot, it’s hot enough!
• Take it off the heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract.
• Whisk until melted.

• Add red food coloring to give it the red velvet look.

• For the adults, add a shot of vodka into your hot cocoa.
• For the children, top with whipped topping or marshmallows!

Notes:

• You know I always go for the special dark chocolate for my chocolate chips!

As always we ask that you please enjoy our recipes responsibly. Don’t ever drink and drive. Enjoy some delicious Red Velvet Hot Cocoa with your family this weekend!

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More than likely, you have enjoyed a Rice Krispies Treat that someone has made for you following the standard directions! However, I have been tweaking that original recipe for years and everyone LOVES my version, so I wanted to share it with you!

So, to start, we will look at the original recipe! This can be found on the box of cereal or on the bag of marshmallows.

Now it is time to reveal MY version of Rice Krispies Treats!

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Butter/Margarine
• 15-16 oz. Mini Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
• 6 Cups of Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt your 4 T of butter or margarine on a low to medium heat.
2. Add in the 15 (10 oz. bag and a half) – 16 oz. (large bag) of mini marshmallows.
3. Stir while coating the marshmallows with the butter/margarine as the marshmallows melt fully.
4. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Add in the 6 cups of cereal in the melted marshmallow mix.
6. Using a spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray, stir the cereal into the melted mixture until the cereal is full covered with it.
7. In a greased 9X13 pan (I spray mine with cooking spray), pour the mixture into the pan.
8. Using a spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray, press the mixture down evenly into the pan. (Sometimes I spray my clean fingers with cooking spray to press the treats down evenly, too!)
9. Allow the treats to cool, then cut them into squares, and serve!

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Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Baby Potatoes
• Spice Mix
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Garlic
  • Onion Powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make a spice mix from the smoked paprika, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
• Rub the chicken with olive oil and the spice mix.
• Put the potatoes on a pan and drizzle with olive oil.
• Place the chicken on the pan.
• Bake for an hour or until the internal temp of the thickest part of the breasts are at least 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven and let items rest for 10 minutes.
• Serve & Enjoy!

Notes:

• I love a good one pan meal and this is no exception.
• You can use whatever spices you want to create your spice mix.

Now that we have everything plated up, I let the boys in on a little secret…we are going to eat with our hands! They totally flipped and I may have just become the coolest mom ever!! As a reminder…make sure you have LOTS of napkins ready to go! You are going to need them!

Next up, I made a delicious spiced wine for the adults. This is super easy to make and a tasty adult beverage to SPICE the fun fare up a bit!

Ingredients:

• Red Wine
• 2 Cups Pomegranate Juice
• Orange Zest
• Sliced Oranges
• Knob of Ginger
• Cinnamon Stick
• 1/4 – 1/2 Cup Sugar (optional to taste)

Directions:

• In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients.
• Simmer the spiced wine for 30+ mins.
• Pour into your favorite wine glass.
• Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can let this simmer all day as it smells amazing!!!
• I LOVE my Rachel Ray stockpot and I know you will too!

We had a blast eating dinner with our hands and laughing our heads off while going through a TON of napkins. Maybe next time we’ll add some good old fashioned jousting after dinner. So, to all me Lords and me Ladies, we hope you will all enjoy this savory fare with your family and friends!

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Ingredients:

• 1 large bottle of white or rosé  wine.
• 1 cup of white grape peach juice or peach nectar
• 1/4 cup of peach schnapps or liquor (optional)
• 3 peaches
• 1 cup of frozen raspberries.

Directions:

• Slice your peaches fairly thin.
• Add everything to your pitcher.
• Let it chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Notes:

• For the wine, I used a white zinfandel (that’s actually a pretty blush color).
• If you want to try a variation, use white peaches or nectarines, which work great in this as well!
• You can use fresh berries, but I like that the frozen ones work as fruity ice cubes in my drink!
• If you don’t have a pitcher, you could a giant mason jar!
• If you have leftover wine, just add it to the sangria as you drink it and make room in the pitcher.

This sangria is light, summery sweet, and oh so delicious! It doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty to look at as well. I hope you make a big batch and enjoy it as you lounge at the pool or get together with friends this weekend. It’s the perfect party drink! As always, PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

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Summer is in full swing, and America’s birthday is just around the corner! You are going to absolutely LOVE this fun and festive drink for your next 4th of July party!  This drink is SUPER easy to make and very patriotic! With only 5 ingredients and a little spoon magic, you will have a beautiful and yummy layered drink to impress your friends!

Ingredients:

• Ice
• Light Colored Fruit (yellow watermelon, pineapple, star fruit, etc.)
• 1 oz. Raspberry/Fruit-Flavored Rum or White Rum
• ½ oz. Grenadine Syrup
• 1  oz. Blue Curacao

Directions:

1 – Using a small star cookie cutter and cut some stars out of a light colored fruit.

2 – In a glass full of ice add:

• 1 oz. rum
• ½ oz. Grenadine Syrup
• Star-shaped Fruit

3 – Slowly pour in 1 ounce of blue curacao on the back of spoon into the glass. (This is lighter than the grenadine syrup, so it’ll float on top of the red layer. The spoon keeps it from splashing everywhere and mixing in with the red.)

Recipe Notes:

• The drink is very strong & super sweet, but you can cut it down by adding in a mixer like lemon-lime soda, club soda, or even a flavored sparkling water. (I used lime sparkling water for mine).

Looking for Patriotic Shots?

• In a shot glass, pour some of the Rum & Grenadine Syrup at the bottom, and then slowly layer on the Blue Curacao!

This drink is so much fun to make and drink! You can absolutely impress your friends with your awesome bartending skills, while being a bit patriotic! s always, PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY and safely enjoy your Fourth of July holiday!

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We are a feline family AND we LOVE ice cream, so in one of my creating fun summer treats, I decided to make Cookie Cat Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tubs Ice Cream
• 1 1/2 Cups of Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Shortening or Softened Butter
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Water

Directions:

• Freeze the ice cream flat in a pan.
  • Let the ice cream melt a little so it’s easily spreadable and then you’re going to refreeze it overnight.
  • I used parchment paper underneath so it’d be easier to handle once frozen.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, flour, shortening, egg, and water.
• Mix together until fully combined into a batter.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes (up to overnight.)

• Roll out your dough
  • A little trick when working with chocolate dough, use cocoa powder to flour the surface and rolling pin! That way you won’t have a bunch of white flour all over your beautiful chocolate dough.
• Cut out your cookie shapes.

• Use a straw or toothpick to make little eyes for your cats.
  • You only need to do this on half your cat heads.
• Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes.
• Let cool completely!

• Working semi-quickly, cut out you cookie shaped ice cream.
• Place on the bottom cookie and top with your eyeball cat.
• Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to serve!

OMG! How cute are these?!?

The ice cream sandwiches turned out AMAZING! I’ll be using this recipe all summer long! The cookie stayed crisp on the outside and deliciously creamy on the inside. The combo of vanilla and black raspberry ice creams was spot on, but you could choose any flavors that your family likes!

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Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Coconut Rum
• Splash of Pineapple Rum
• 2 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda
• 1 oz. Blue Curacao

Directions:

• Fill your glass with ice.
• Add 1 oz. Coconut Rum
• Add a splash with a splash of Pineapple Rum.

• Top it off with 2 ounces of lemon lime soda.
• Add 1 ounce of Blue Curacao.
• Stir.

• Add a fresh fruit garnish if you’re feeling fancy and pretend it’s a warm beautiful day on the beach.

Notes:

• This cocktail is also great with white rum or vodka and lime or citrus rums or vodkas.
• For the non-alcoholic version, I used a Blue Curacao syrup! Top your lemon lime soda with the syrup. You can even add a 1/2-1 teaspoon of coconut extract for a yummy tropical flavor!

This is such a tasty and festive drink for the summer. It helps you escape to the beach, even if one isn’t anywhere close to where you are! So, hold your glass high and say, “Cheers for an Ocean Breeze!” Enjoy this concoction, but, as always…please drink responsibly!

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Ingredients:

• Glaze
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 Cup of Honey
  • 1/2 Cup of Dijon Mustard
  • Can of Pineapple Tidbits
  • 3/4 Cup of Water
• Fully Cooked Ham – Butt Portion

Directions:

Start with the glaze.

In a small saucepan, I added the brown sugar, the honey, the dijon mustard, the pineapple tidbits, and the water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until slightly thickened.

Make sure to buy a ham that will fit in your Crockpot! Butt portions tend to do better, but if you have a larger Crockpot, you can get a shank (or find a small one)!

My 9 lb fully cooked hickory smoked ham BARELY fit in my 6 quart Crockpot.

Slowly add the glaze on top of your ham.

Cook on low for at least 6 hours.

I left my Crockpot on warm once it was ready (internal temperature of 160) and it was fall apart tasty.

Add the glaze back into a saucepan and simmer it down until it’s nice and thick and pour it over the sliced ham to serve. (Optional)

Notes:

• You can also look for a spiral sliced ham to save some time with slicing!
• Don’t have a lot of time? Cook on high for 3-4 hours (until it reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees).
• An easy way to tell it is getting close to being ready, watch for the meat to pull away from the bone!
• Baste your ham with the glaze as often as you want!

Slice and serve with your favorite side dishes! We’ll have a fresh green salad and scalloped potatoes. Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

Looking for more crockpot recipes? Make sure to check out some of our favorites!

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Ingredients:

• Pasta
• Asparagus
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Boil water in a large pot and follow the directions on the box of pasta.
• Cut veggies at an angle.
  • NOTE – I did toss my asparagus and sugar snap peas in the pasta pot for the last minute and then drained them. Just to heat everything up to the same temperature.
• Once everything is drained in a colander, I tossed the pasta & veggies with a healthy amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Serve warm & enjoy!

Notes:

• If you’re using frozen veggies (broccoli, peas, green beans) pour them into the pasta pot about halfway through cooking your pasta, drain, and voilà!
• This can be served cold as a side dish…just cube some leftover ham and toss it in with the pasta and veggies.
• Now, if you have picky veggie eaters like the my kiddos, this recipe CAN work for you. There’s always ONE veggie your kid will snack on. For instance, I learned my 5 year old, who hates asparagus, will actually eat it raw from Grandma’s garden. So guess what? Raw asparagus it is! It add a nice crispness to this pasta dish.
• Also, using fun pasta shapes will put a smile on just about anyone’s face.
• You can get really creative here and add your favorite herbs and spices. I think a lemon pepper or garlic would be phenomenal! Oh, and maybe even try some freshly grated parmesan cheese! Your possibilities are truly endless!

This quick meal is perfect for spring with the fun pasta and colorful veggies! I am sure you will find your perfect combination that will get gobbled right up by your family!

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups of ice
• 1/2 cup (or a small can) Pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup Cream of Coconut
• 1 ounce Coconut Rum
• 1 ounce White Rum
• Maraschino cherries for garnish, optional

• Pour everything in the blender with the ice.

• Start mixing until a nice slushie consistency!

• The crushed pineapple add extra sweetness and texture. So tropical and yummy!
• Pour into a glass and serve immediately.
• Extra points if you have little drink umbrellas.

Notes:

• Leave out the rum if you’re making virgin Pina Coladas.
• These make great after school or Spring Break snacks.
• Just top yours with a shot of rum and you’re good to go!
• Sit back and pretend you’re on a beach somewhere warm!

I love topping mine with maraschino cherries. YUM. I’m gonna spend the weekend sitting in the backyard wishing for some warmer weather!

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