How Do I start off #31DaysOfHalloween?!  With these super easy Spider Egg Meatballs!  They are simple to make and wonderful for parties or even a quick snack!  This recipe was adapted from Pillsbury and I prefer using their rolls  because they are nice and fluffy.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1 can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands!™ refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese

10 refrigerated or frozen cooked beef meatballs, thawed

1/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted

2/3 cup finely crushed seasoned croutons

1 1/2 cups of pasta sauce, heated

Preparation

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Split each biscuit to make 10 rounds. Press out each biscuit half to form 3-inch round.
Sprinkle each biscuit round with cheese to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top each with meatball. Bring up sides of dough over meatball; pinch edges to seal. Brush rounded tops and sides of dough with butter; coat with croutons. Place, seam side down, on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Place appetizer pick in each biscuit-wrapped meatball to form meatball pop. Serve with warm pasta sauce for dipping.

Do you love marshmallows and Cheerios? I do too! And as much as I would love to tell you that I came up with an incredible new recipe, that just isn’t the case. But I’m on a 4th of July recipe marathon, so this should count… soldes chaussures adidas right? As you can tell, this is a simple modified recipe of Marshmallow Treats and I used Cheerios instead of rice cereal. Chaussures Asics Femme Honestly, you can substitute any cereal for this and it will come out delicious! Don’t forget the red, white, and blue sprinkles for the 4th of July feel! WARNING: These lasted about 10 minutes in my house… nike air max 1 ultra flyknit femme chances are, they’ll disappear just as quickly in yours!

Ingredients

• 4 oz butter
• 10 oz bag Marshmallows
• 4-5 cups Cheerios
• red white and blue sprinkles
• 9 x 9 square pan

In a small saucepan cook the butter over low heat, until the butter is fully melted. Add the marshmallows little by little and stir until they are fully melted. goedkoop nike air max 2017 Add the cereal cup by cup. If you like to have super gooey bars, you may want to use 3-4 cups of cereal. shirt-tshirt If you like to have a nice balance, add more cereal 4-5 cups (or even six). Believe it or not, but I don’t like my bars to be super gooey, so I use more cereal. Stir until the cereal is fully coated.Press it into the pan. You may want to put some butter on your hands or a rubber spatula to prevent it from sticking. Sprinkle with sprinkles. Cool in the refrigerator for an hour. nike schoenen nederland Cut… serve…

Can you guess what’s in season?  Cherries, cherries, cherries!!!  Why am I so excited? Because typically cherries are really expensive, I can easily pay $10 or more for a few pounds… but not when they are in season!  I love cherries and honestly, I don’t need to do anything to them.  I can just sit down and enjoy them individually, but when I’m planning a party, there is nothing like serving these cherries in a light candy coating!  You can do chocolate, vanilla, or whatever coating you choose.  Serve them in a martini glass with the rim dipped in candy coating as well, and you WILL be rewarded with oohs and aahs from your guests…this I guarantee!!

And the best part, it’s the easiest dessert to make.  No baking, mixing, or tons of ingredients.  So without further delay, here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of cherries
1/2 bag of white candy coating ( available at Michael’s or JoAnn’s).  You can use chocolate too, I just like the contrasting colors of white and red.  Great for the holidays too!

PREPARATION:

Melt candy.  Wash cherries well and dry them completely.  Put out parchment paper to rest your cherries on after you cover them with candy.  Choose the cherries with stems, eat the ones that are missing the stems!!!  While holding the stems, dip the cherries in the candy coating and place them on top of the parchment paper.  Let them dry and serve.  For an extra “wow”, dip a martini glass rim in the candy coating and add some gold or silver sprinkles.  Let dry.  Serve the cherries in the martini glass.  These are also great to make a day ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator inside the glass.

If you love swiss cheese, this is your recipe!  It’s so easy and it is such an interesting way to enjoy your cheese.  Plus, it’s wonderful for parties and scores big with the low carb party guests.  It’s a win-win, so try it today.  The recipe is so easy, you can literally enjoy it in about 5 minutes!  Oh, and before I forget to make everyone’s day… this works pretty much with any sliced cheese, including CHEDDAR… my other favorite cheese :-).

INGREDIENTS

5 slices of swiss cheese (Yep, that’s it!)

PREPARATION

Rip your cheese slice in half, and place it on a plate.  Cook in microwave for 3 minutes.  Once done, peel the cheese off the plate and place on a paper towel.  Wait for it to cool and dry and enjoy your cheese chips.  The longer they dry, the crispier they’ll get.  You can also serve them with your favorite dip, although I prefer to eat the chips all by themselves!

Get ready for the ultimate 4th of July dessert… Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries! Place them on top of a cupcake or eat them on their own, I guarantee that it will be a huge hit at your next patriotic party!  CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE.

• Single layer store-bought cake or bake your own cake (make sure it is only one tier and no taller than 2.5 inches)
• 2 large bags of snack-sized Kit Kat bars.  These are full sized Kit Kats but will come in a package of two, instead of four. Do not buy the mini Kit Kats.
• 1 large package of fresh strawberries
• 1 pkg of fresh blackberries
• 1/2 jar of jam, fruit preserves, or lemon curd

Take your store bought cake out of its package and place on your serving plate or cake stand. You can also bake your own cake, just make sure it is no taller than 2.5 inches.

Make sure your cake is well iced or has plenty of frosting.  Open the Kit Kat packages and place the Kit Kats around the cake. (I recommend you refrigerate the Kit Kats for about an hour, this helps harden them a bit so they won’t break as easily when you are handling them). When the cake is fully surrounded with Kit Kats, tie a pretty ribbon around the cake.

Wash the strawberries and blackberries and pat them dry.  Place the strawberries on the cake and begin piling them to make a pretty presentation.  The good news is that there is no real science behind it,  just pile them any way you like.  When the strawberries cover up the cake entirely, start placing the blackberries in some of the crevices left by the strawberries.

Put the 1/2 jar of fruit preserves in a microwave safe bowl and add 1/4 cup of water.  Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the entire mixture is liquefied.  Mix the water and preserves to make a nice smooth mixture.  Take a brush, and dip it into the preserves soaking it fully. Start brushing the strawberries and blackberries with the preserves, giving them a beautiful shine.  Continue brushing them until they are glistening and are fully covered.

You can refrigerate this cake for up to 24 hours prior to serving.  Or, you can serve immediately.

The best way to serve the cake, is to initially scoop out the fruit from the top, put them in one area of the plate.  Then, take off the Kit Kats and set them next to the strawberries.  Once you have room to cut the cake, slice a piece and place it next to the strawberries and Kit Kats.

Another option for serving is pre-cutting the cake before decorating it with Kit Kats and strawberries.

One of the reasons I started partytipz.com is to showcase foods that are “out of the box”, fun, and unforgettable for your guests.  I love to give my guests new experiences with fun party food and combinations of foods they wouldn’t typically think of putting together.  Today, is National Ice Cream Day and I’m having some friends over for dinner.  I’ve prepared a fun menu, but my favorites will be these chocolate covered ice cream sandwiches which I dipped in nuts, sprinkles, and yes.. bacon!  These were easy to make and my friends will love them!!  I hope you have a wonderful National Ice Cream Day!!

As some of you may know, I went on a 4th of July recipe marathon this month.  I tried a bunch of great recipes.  Some worked and some didn’t. Here’s a recipe that was really each, fun with the kids, and delicious… Puff Berry Stars!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry dough
• 8oz container of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup various berries (strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries)
• Star cookie cutters (various sizes)

Preparation

Brace yourselves, because I’m about to introduce you to a fabulous drink that not only YOU will enjoy, but your party guests as well.  Its key ingredient… of course lemons… but the other is agave nectar!  I’ve heard “agave this” and “agave that” for years.  But to be honest, I don’t have too many issues agains sugar, so as long as there is moderation, I don’t really mind using it in my drinks and desserts.  HOWEVER… I had to learn more about this agave nectar everyone is buzzing about.  So, I did and I must say… I really like it!  Plus, it’s kind of cool to tell people that they are drinking a delicious concoction you created with agave nectar!  If you are interested in learning the difference between agave and sugar, here’s a link to a great article.

Lastly, I highly recommend you make the ice-cubes.  They really add personality (and the actual blueberries) to this drink.  Oh, one more thing… if you would like to save calories, you can flavor your Fresca with this lemonade.  I will use 1/2 glass of lemonade and 1/2 glass of Fresca and it makes a wonderful lower calorie version of this drink.  Also, if you would like to take this drink up a notch, add a shot of vodka, and you’re set!  Well enough talk… here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Ice Cubes (these are very important)
2/3 cup agave
2 cups water
1 cup blueberries (I added strawberries as well)

Fresh Lemonade
2/3 cup agave
4-5 cups water
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 5-6 lemons)
1 fresh-sliced lemon
3-6 basil springs

For Blueberry Ice Cubes
Combine agave with water.  Pour into an ice cube tray.  Add whole blueberries (I added strawberries too) and freeze for 3 hours or more.

For Fresh Lemonade
In a large pitcher, combine lemon juice, 4-5 cups of cold water and agave until desired sweetness is achieved.  Chop 2-3 springs of basil or mash up the leaves.  The goal is to get the oils out of the leaves.  You may drop the chopped pieces in the lemonade.  You may want to fish out the basil before serving, although I leave mine in the lemonade.  Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.  Serve with blueberry ice cubes, fresh lemon slices, and basil springs.

There are great recipes and then there are “trendy” great recipes.  This is one of the trendiest things to do this summer… braiding and pastry puffs!  I’ve watched several shows on HGTV where similar desserts have been showcased and even though braiding and pastry puffs have been done for many years (especially with meats and fish), this year, it seems to be the “thing to do”.  I’m not opposed to trendy recipes… but when it’s coupled with the words “super easy” and “delicious”, it’s an absolute must for me to try.  And so I did, and from the very first try, I came out with a stunning dessert that my family gobbled up within minutes.  Seriously, this is a no-fail!  This is wonderful to serve with whipped cream, cool-whip, or the my ultimate favorite, a scoop of ice cream (while the tart is hot!).  Okay, enough with the chit chat, here’s my recipe.  Also, the Pepridge Farm Puff Pastry web site has TONS of recipes, including one similar to this.  A great resource if you love to bake with puff pastry.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Sheet of ready-made puff pastry dough (thawed at least 45 minutes)
2 cups of mixed berries (you can use strawberries and blueberries for the patriotic look or add blackberries and raspberries for a wild berry feel)
1 8-0z package of cream cheese  (softened)
1/2  cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg (for brushing)
powdered sugar

PREPARATION

Unfold your puff pastry and roll it out a bit to make it flatter and larger.  Place it on top of a well-greased baking pan.

Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating well.

Spoon the cream cheese filling lengthwise down the center of the pastry.  Then top the cream cheese filling with berries.   Cut slits 1 inch apart from the 2 sides of the pastry rectangle to within 1/2 inch of the cream cheese mixture.

Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the berries and cream cheese, alternating sides, to cover cream cheese and berries.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Enjoy with whipped cream, ice cream, or even on its own!