Food Fun Family

New Year’s Eve Appetizer Recipes – Delicious Dishes

Lolli — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 14:00:27 +0000

Hi guys, and Happy Holidays! Because this week’s party landed smack dab in the middle of Christmas and New Years, we decided to take it a little easy this week and feature some of our host favorite New Year’s Eve-friendly appetizer dishes and skip the link up for this week only. If your week is anything like mine, you’ve got kids home from school for the week, home projects galore, and fun activities planned away from the house.

So grab a recipe or two to make this weekend, then go enjoy some time with your family (that’s exactly what we’re doing!).

Have a wonderfully happy and prosperous New Year! We’ll see you bright and early next Tuesday with the first Delicious Dishes link up of 2017!

Before I feature the recipes that you guys shared with US last week, I wanted to share a few of MY personal favorites from my kitchen. These are a couple of the appetizers that make an appearance at nearly every holiday party! (Click the pictures to go to the recipes)

Corn Avocado and Black Eyed Peas Salsa

The best cheese log recipe!

Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Sparkling Cranberry Mint Mocktail

Meet the Delicious Dishes ladies:

Food Fun Family – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

She Saved – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Walking on Sunshine Recipes – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

5 Minutes for Mom – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

This Mama Loves – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Clever Housewife – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Bunny’s Warm Oven –Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Cooking in Stilettos – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Delicious Dishes Party Favorites from Last Week:

These are the recipes that the hosts loved the most…

I loved Pesto Greek Dip from The Bewitchin Kitchen

Lois loved Pomegranate Party Punch from Cravings of a Lunatic

Brett loved Sweet Spicy Blue Cheese Bacon Wrapped Dates from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Susan loved Sausage Cups Appetizer Recipe from Flour on My Face

Aly loved Hot Black Eyed Pea Dip from Rose Bakes

Keri Lyn loved Spicy Thai Chicken Wings from The Bewitchin Kitchen

Emily loved Cranberry Baked Brie from Two Twenty One

Mary loved 3 Ingredient Crab Dip from This Mama Loves

Follow us along on our NEW Pinterest board. We pin all your amazing recipes!

We’ll be back next week with our weekly linky party. See you in 2017!

Midnight Madness in Annapolis, Maryland – Loews Annapolis Hotel

Lolli — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:59:10 +0000

This past Thursday night, I was invited to spend a fun evening with friends old and new at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, right in the heart of downtown Annapolis, Maryland. We were pampered and fed and then sent off to shop at Annapolis’ annual Midnight Madness. Accommodations were provided at Loews Annapolis Hotel, but all thoughts are my own.

My Christmas shopping typically consists of as much online orders as I can handle, followed by carefully planned trips to the shopping centers and the mall while the kids are in school. I wouldn’t necessarily call that kind of Christmas shopping “fun.”

Midnight Madness, on the other hand, was everything Christmas shopping could be….and should be! Mom and Pop shops? Check! Treats and tastings at every stop? Check! Fun handmade, unique gifts for all sorts of hard-to-shop-for friends and family? Check!

Midnight madness was basically the ultimate holiday season Girls Night Out, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

What is Midnight Madness? Midnight Madness is a yearly tradition in Annapolis! Come enjoy holiday shopping, special deals, caroling, and treats every Thursday night in December from 6pm to midnight. Expect lots of fellow shoppers, plenty of deals for all your holiday shopping needs, and a fun night out with friends. Find out more at https://www.downtownannapolispartnership.org/

We stopped at a specialty spice shop, a used and rare book store, a shop dedicated to special oils and vinegars, a super fun hat store, and so much more.

Yes, it was cold (freezing cold, in fact!) but armed with some hand warmers, warm winter hats, coats, and scarves, and the warmth of good friends, we hardly even noticed the cold.

I loved the quaint downtown area decorated with festive lights. Perhaps my favorite thing about the evening was bumping in to some friends from Sons of the Severn Barbershop Chorus singing Christmas carols. Since I was an hour from home, I was not expecting to run into someone I knew!

Sons of The Severn Barbershop Chorus

After we shopped til we (almost literally) dropped, we headed back to the Loews for desserts and drinks (I needed water!), visiting and gift wrapping in the Presidential Suite. I think we all stayed up well past our bedtime, but it was totally worth it! Especially since we could sleep in (and take the day off from waking kids up for school in the morning!). I fully enjoyed the comfortable bed at the Loews as well as the friendly staff.

Ring in the New Year at Loews Annapolis Hotel!

Forget a late night drive home after your New Year’s Eve celebrations. Loews Annapolis Hotel can take care of all your New Year’s Eve needs! New Year’s Eve Package start at $314* for stays December 31, 2016 – January 1, 2017, and include:

Nightly, coastal chic accommodations in our Four-Diamond service hotel
Live entertainment, dancing, party favors, and champagne toast at midnight
Bubbles & Bliss: split of Moet champagne & souvenir champagne glasses in-room amenity upon arrival
Hangover brunch for two in BAROAK Cookhouse & Taproom on New Year’s Day
Valet parking for one vehicle per night
2 PM checkout on New Year’s Day
Want to stay an extra night? Special discount rate offered

Special New Year’s Eve 5-Course dinner for two at BAROAK Cookhouse & Taproom with 2 seatings available. $50 per person early seating, $75 per person late seating (includes party favors and champagne toast at midnight). Live music by blues artist Dean Rosenthal. Find out more at www.baroakannapolis.com

Have you been to Annapolis? If you live nearby, you should definitely make plans to stop by during the holiday season!

Ringing in the New Year With Cousins #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 22:56:54 +0000

The holidays didn’t feel like the holidays until my family drove up to Pennsylvania for a last-minute New Year’s Day party with my sister’s family. We pulled together a silly gift exchange (with a couple of real gifts mixed in there, too), threw together a traditional taco dinner on the fly, and had a fabulous time. After we celebrated with them, I could officially call the holiday season complete.

Ringing in the New Year with the East Coast extended family was the highlight of my holiday – along with my college-aged daughter’s return home for 3 weeks, of course! It was so nice to have her home for so long, despite the fact that we were all sick for half of that time. Sometimes lazy stay-at-home days are the best, anyway!

What was the highlight of your holiday season?

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="https://foodfunfamily.com/tag/give-me-your-best-shot" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com" target="_blank"></a><br />Hosted by <a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="https://www.foodfunfamily.com" target="_blank">Lolli</a></p> <p/></center>

An InLinkz Link-up

New Year’s Stained Glass Memory Jars #Craft

Lolli — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:29:10 +0000

My 15-year-old daughter inspired me to make this craft after making her own Memory Jar for 2014, and I am so excited to start Memory Jars for the whole family for this coming year. It’s a perfect (and perfectly easy) craft for kids and adults alike. Each person, regardless of age, can decorate their own jar and fill it up according to their ability level.

The idea is simple: in January, the jar is filled with blank strips of paper, but through the year, whenever anything “memorable” happens, you take out a strip of paper, write down the memory, fold the paper up, and stick it back in the jar. Those memories sit, folded up, til the next New Year’s Eve, when you take the folded papers out and read them one by one, reliving the best memories of the past year.

I’ll wager to say that most of those memories would have been forgotten and might have been lost had they not been written down. I love that there is no “right or wrong” way to keep Memory Jars. You can write a memory down daily, weekly, or whenever something truly memorable happens. I’d recommend keeping your Memory Jar on a nightstand or somewhere that will be noticed frequently so that it stays fresh in the mind.

A Memory Jar can be made of anything, really, and memories can be structured however works best for each person. I made my jar a faux stained glass with 2 simple supplies – leftover holiday tissue paper and Mod Podge (which I always have on hand in case of a crafting emergency, of course). Kids will love getting their hands messy and painting with “glue”!

How to make a simple faux stained glass Memory Jar:

Supplies Needed:

Mason Jar
Colored tissue paper (I used 3 “coordinating” colors for a fun effect)
Small strips of regular paper (ie, 2in x 3in)
Mod Podge
Letter stickers, optional
Large paint brush
Scissors or paper cutter

Steps:

1 – Cut your paper strips (these are the strips of paper for writing down your memories, so you want them to be big enough to hold a sentence or two. I’d recommend something around 2×3 inches).

2 – Cut your tissue paper into small squares (there’s no right or wrong way to do this! I’ve seen really cute jars made with circles of tissue paper, which would be so much fun…but harder to cut).

3 – Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge onto your jar.

4 – Carefully place the tissue squares onto the Mod Podge (alternate colors so there’s a nice variety. It’s fine to overlap tissue paper).

5 – Add stickers if desired, then generously paint a layer of Mod Podge over everything. Let Mod Podge dry completely.

After the jar is dry, it’s time to start filling up the jar with memories!

What are some of your best memories of 2014…and what kinds of memories do you hope to fill your jar up with this coming year?

Ooey Gooey Holiday Chex Mix #15MinuteSuppers

Lolli — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 12:48:35 +0000

Years ago, a good friend of mine brought our family a big bag of Chex Mix for Christmas. Expecting the same old salty (dare I say boring?) Chex Mix that I was used to, I was caught off guard when I took the first bite of our Christmas treat. It was so good! Even the coconut-haters in the family overlooked the fact that there was coconut in it and gobbled it up, too.

Since my friend has since moved away and no longer brings me big batches of Ooey, Gooey Chex Mix, I’ve been making it myself for quite a few years now. It’s not only quick and easy, but it makes an enormous amount, making it a perfect recipe for a holiday party or for giving away to neighbors and friends.

Before I share this recipe, let me clarify – today, the 15 Minute Supper bloggers are sharing New Year’s entertaining-friendly non-dinner recipes for the holiday. I promise I’m not advocating making this recipe for dinner. I am also not advocating eating all of this yourself, though I wouldn’t be surprised if you were tempted. It really is so good (as long as you don’t concentrate on the list of ingredients). Just trust me on this one – pretend you don’t see those first 3 ingredients and just make this.

Excuse me while I go grab another handful…

Ooey Gooey Chex Mix

5.0 from 1 reviews

Ooey Gooey Holiday Chex Mix

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

Author: Better in Bulk

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
6 cups Rice Chex
6 cups Golden Grahams
1-2 cups chopped nuts (see note)
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup craisins
1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Stir butter, corn syrup and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes.
Mix remaining ingredients except white chocolate chips in a very large bowl (or separate into two bowls). Add white chocolate chips and mix some more.
Pour syrup mixture over the dry mixture and toss.
Spread mix out on waxed paper. It's totally acceptable (and expected) to eat it while hot, but be sure to let it cool before storing or giving it away.

Notes

The original recipe calls for 1 cup each of chopped almonds and cashew halves, but I usually just throw in whatever nuts I have available - walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews - or a combination of a few of them. Don't eat nuts? It's fine to leave them out, too.

It's also fine to throw the white chocolate chips in with the rest of the ingredients, but they WILL melt if you pour the syrup mixture directly on top. I prefer to have my chocolate chips stay intact, but I've eaten this Chex Mix with melted white chocolate throughout, and that's pretty amazing, too. It's all about preference!

This week we are sharing 15 Minute recipes to get you through your New Year’s Eve parties. I think you will love these awesome recipes that are party worthy, but that will keep you hangin’ with your guests instead of being a slave in the kitchen! Happy New Year!

Follow 15 Minute Suppers on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
and look for the #15MinuteSuppers hashtag too!

15 Minute Appetizers
BBQ Bacon Meatball Skewers from Around My Family Table
Easy Party Appetizer – Lit’l Sweet BBQ Little Smokies from Just 2 Sisters
Brussel Sprouts & Hams from Food 4 Little Ones

15 Minute Snacking
Ooey Gooey Holiday Chex Mix from Better in Bulk

15 Minute Breakfast
Paleo Banana Pancakes with Meyer Lemon Butter from Confessions of an Overworked Mom

If you are a blogger and you’d like more info, please check out the 15 Minute Suppers website or ask to join the Facebook group to participate on Fridays…we’d love to have you join us.

Be an Honorary Knight this New Year’s Eve at Medieval Times

Lolli — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 15:46:06 +0000

Note: My family was invited to attend the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Washington DC-area Medieval Times and I wanted to share my excitement in case a few of my local friends could join in the NYE family fun with us. Although tickets to the show were provided, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Photo taken by me at Medieval Times Baltimore/Washington DC

The Celebration of Centuries!

Christmas is over, and now our sights are set on ~~cleaning up the house~~ our family New Year’s Eve celebrations. I was beyond excited to find out about the special New Year’s Eve Extravaganza at Medieval Times. We took the entire family to Medieval Times (just outside of DC in Hanover, MD) last May and had an unbelievable blast. I was shocked at how thoroughly entertained ALL of my kids were (plus myself, my husband, and my mother in law). That’s 3 generations of fun and entertainment!

The New Year’s Eve Extravaganza Show is on December 31, 2013 at 3:30 and is perfect for families. It’s the perfect way to ring in the New Year with the whole family (even if you’re planning on leaving the kids with a babysitter while you head to a party at night).

What’s special about the New Year’s Eve show?

There will be FREE Knights Training (limited space available first come first serve), FREE Face Painting, FREE Balloon animals and a FREE activity book for every child. And that’s in addition to the typical Medieval Times amazingness of a 2 hour live tournament/show and delicious 4 course meal.

Prices will be $35.95 for adults and $29.95 for children 12 and under with discount code 35NYE.

What is Knight’s Training? Knights Training is a chance for the kids to go down into the Arena and learn about what it takes to be a knight, chivalry, and sword fighting moves! At the conclusion of the training all children are knighted as Honorary Knights of the realm! Typically Knight training is ONLY available during spring break so this is a chance to get in before the rush!

If you’re not in the Baltimore/Washington DC area, check the Medieval Times website to see if there’s a location near you. If you’ve never been to Medieval Times, I promise that it’s an adventure that every family will enjoy!