Lips and Mustache Party

My sweet little girl turned 12 this month.  For her birthday she requested a mustache party.  I tried and tried to talk her out of it (I thought she should have something a little more girly), but I didn't have any luck.  I ended up adding lips to her theme to make it a little more girly and it turned out darling!

I set up a photo booth with some cute lip, mustache and glasses props, along with a picture frame.  No party with "lips" in the theme would be complete without a kissing booth, so she got a kissing booth as well.  A Hershey kissing booth. :)  I wish I would have recorded her reaction when I told her there was going to be a kissing booth at her party, and then the faces of her friends towards the end of the party when I told them they all needed to stop by the kissing booth on the way out.  Eyes got wide, mouths dropped open, and kids started inching towards the door.  And then I showed them the little boxes ("Stache") of kisses they got to take home. :)  There was an audible sigh of relief from some of them.

The kids ate "Mustache Sandwiches" (sandwiches on croissants - they looked like mustaches to me), fruit skewers made with strawberries, red apples, and red grapes, chips, "Smooch Juice", water to "Wet Your Whiskers", cupcakes, chocolate covered Oreos, and lots of red, black, and white candy, including chocolate lip and mustache suckers and cinnamon lips.

She didn't want a cake, just cupcakes, so I used a lip and mustache banner on the cupcakes to give it a little more of a cake feel, and fancy it up a bit. 

 I fell in love with the cute personalized "K" (for Kailee) paperclips.

 My favorite part of the party - The (Hershey) Kissing Booth.

All of the printables came from Just a little Sparkle.

Linked on Manic Monday, Party in Polka Dots, Efforts and Assets, Finding the Pretty & Delicious and Show Me What Ya Got.


Featured on Catch My Party!

Lasagna Roll Ups

I've been quite the slacker around here lately!  I've pretty much given up cooking.  Not really.  I've decided to give each of the kids a night of the week they get to cook dinner.  It's been pretty much amazing!  I actually have time to help the kids with reading and homework now and I still get to cook on the weekends.

These Lasagna Roll Ups were one of the things I got to make this weekend.  To say they were a hit would be almost an understatement!  The little dude licked his plate clean (literally.  He seems to think he's a puppy.....), and every last one of the kids ate without a single negative comment.  And they all ate their food.  All gone!

1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 cups spinach, roughly cut
5 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Combine ricotta cheese, spices, egg, spinach and 4 cups mozzarella cheese in a large mixing bowl; mix well.  Lay the noodles flat and spread about 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture on each noodle.  Roll each noodle up and place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Top with remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Manic Monday, Tatertots and Jello and Strut Your Stuff

Doughnut Cake Pops

I love cake pops, but I have to admit, I don't like to make them very much.  They are a little more time consuming than I like.  These Doughnut Cake Pops are super easy and not nearly as time consuming as regular cake pops.  And they're every bit as good.

24 old-fashioned cake doughnut holes
12 ounces white chocolate or almond bark
2 tablespoons shortening

Combine white chocolate and shortening in a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat in 30 second increments, stirring well after each 30 seconds, until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Insert a sucker stick into each doughnut hole and then dip into the melted chocolate.  Lightly tap on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.  Place on parchment paper to set.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Pinworthy Projects, Tatertots and Jello and Strut Your Stuff. 

Wacky Birthday Party

It's been a month full of partying around here.  This Wacky Party was so much fun to plan!  My oldest turned 14 and I wanted a party that fit him and his personality.  He loves to joke around and be silly, so a wacky party was the perfect fit.  Because not all 14 year olds are as wacky as mine, each of the kids were given a bottle of "Wacky Pills" (M&M's) to get the party started.  The kids played games like Pin the Mustache on Tyler and had a silly string war, and then ate pizza and just enough sugar to have a nice sugar high by the time the party was over.  They all left with a goody bag filled with fun/wacky things like huge glasses, crazy teeth, silly string, pacifier suckers, etc.

I wanted to keep the party simple and he wanted to keep it intimate.  It turned out to be the perfect event for him and his friends.  And lucky for me, 14 year olds like to eat!  So I didn't get stuck with tons of leftover sugar. 

Doughnut Cake Pops

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Dipped Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

My favorite part of the entire party - The wacky doughnut cake with some funky candles

Wacky water with wacky straws

M&M "Wacky Pills"

The wacky stash

 Before

After - They didn't do too bad!  Except one who's mustache ended up on an entirely different wall...

I got all the darling printables from Just a little Sparkle.

Linked on Pinworthy Projects, Tatertots and Jello and Strut Your Stuff. 

Check out my Wacky Birthday Party Feature!!

Dipped Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

It's been a while, I know.  I have 2 kids with birthdays in April so we've been partying like crazies around here.  And I'm proud to announce that I've survived it all!  These Dipped Peanut Butter Crispy Bars are one of the treats that showed up on the table at my 14 year old's party.  

There's something magical that happens when you combine peanut butter and chocolate.  It takes things from ordinary to extraordinary and makes them disappear right before your eyes.

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a large pan and cook over medium high heat until it comes to a boil.  Let the mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.  Add peanut butter and mix until it is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add crispy rice cereal and stir until the cereal is well coated.  Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan and press the mixture down until it is an even layer.  Let sit for at least one hour to cool and set.  Remove the crispy bars from the pan and place on a sheet of parchment paper.  Cut in half lengthwise, then into 1 to 2 inch bars (depending on preference).  Combine chocolate and butterscotch chips in a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.  Dip one end of each bar into the melted chocolate and then place back on parchment paper to harden.

*The bars can also be left in the pan and have the melted chocolate poured on top instead of dipping the bars.  Delicious either way!

Recipe adapted from Scotcharoos.

Linked on Pinworthy Projects, Manic Monday, Tatertots and Jello and Strut Your Stuff.

Pizza Dough

I don't know how many times I've tried to start this post.  Several, I know.  I just can't seem to come up with anything to say.  Not that this Pizza Dough isn't good.  It is.  Really!  I guess my creative side is missing today.  What little of it I have.  So I guess it's on to the recipe.  And a very good one, at that.

4 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine flour, sugar, salt and instant yeast in a large bowl and mix well.  Stir in water (I use tap water as warm as I can get it) and oil.  Add more flour or water if needed.  Cover dough and let rise in a warm spot until double, about 20 minutes.  Punch down dough and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 500 .  Shape dough into rounds on a pizza sheet or pizza stone.  Top with desired toppings and bake for 10 minutes (a pizza stone will need to bake longer)

The dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  I like to make mine in the morning and use it that night.  Allow dough to sit out (still covered) for an hour to return to room temperature before shaping and topping.

Recipe from the Royal Cook - an original!