We end the Party ... Lemon Fudge, Watermelon Lobsters & a Cool BBQ Invite

We wrap our party with some fun food!  I found a Microwave Lemon Fudge that I have been dying to make and new a BBQ would be perfect.  A watermelon cut into Lobster shapes and of course a FUN invite to pass out to our friends.  And of course the table all done up!

First I made a SUPER easy Microwave Lemon Fudge that I found on Lady Behind the Curtain. OMG is the words ok the initials I kept hearing over and over about this fudge, even the kids loved it.

Ingredients

1-10 ounce bag plus 1 cup of white chocolate chips

1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

candies or sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

1. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil (make sure the foil hangs over the edges so serve as

handles).

2. Spray with non stick cooking spray.

3. In a 4-cup microwave measuring cup, mix chocolate chips, milk and butter. Microwave uncovered

on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips are almost melted.

4. Stir in lemon extract.

5. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan.

6. Sprinkle on sprinkles (optional)

7. Place in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight before cutting.

ALEXIS NOTE: I used a lemon food coloring to give it a little pop of color. 

Then I found a fun idea to cut watermelon shaped as a Lobster on Simply Suzanne's at Home.

Watermelon

Lobster Cookie Cutter

Mini Chocolate Chips (I ran out so I used regular ones)

Slice your watermelon the width of your cookie cutter.  Use the cutter to cut out the lobster shape.  Add 2 mini chips to be the eyes, I only had regular size so it was a little too large for the body.  I bought my cookie cutter off Amazon.

And for a fun FREE End of Year BBQ found on Becoming Martha. These were so freaking cute.  I saved the photo and uploaded into PicMonkey to add some fun wording.  I used a summer time font I had downloaded from a previous project.

Here is our table all done up!

And some fun shots of the party!

Thanks for stopping by

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Blueberry Cheesecake Fudge

My parents have around 8 blueberry bushes in their yard.  My dad spent a few days and picked all the blueberries and brought them over to my house.  Into my freezer they went and onto Google I went!  I wanted to bring something yummy to the volunteers and staff at the Boys and Girls club.  They help me out so much watching the boys during the day.

I found this amazing recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Fudge on About.com.  Let me tell you it was so freaking amazing.  I had to get these out of the house quick before I ate every last bit of them.  Let's just say I had just a few bites ... ok who am I kidding!  I doubled the recipe to make a large batch for them.

Ingredients:

• 6 sheets of graham crackers
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature, divided use
• 2.5 cups plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
• 1/2 stick (2 oz) butter
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk

Preparation:

1. Prepare a 9x9 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the graham crackers in a food processor or blender and blend until you have very fine crumbs. Add two tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1.5 ounces of softened cream cheese, and pulse until the mixture starts to come together and looks crumbly. It should hold together if you squeeze it in your hand, but should not be too moist or sticky. Press the graham cracker mixture into a thin, even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Don’t worry if it seems too dry to form a solid crust--the layer of fudge on top will solve that problem.

3. Place the sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and miniature marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

4. Once boiling, begin to stir constantly and cook, stirring, for five minutes. After five minutes remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the remaining 6.5 oz of cream cheese and the white chocolate chips. Mix until the fudge is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If the white chocolate chips do not dissolve easily, return the pan to the heat briefly and stir over the heat until they melt.

5. Add the dried blueberries and vanilla to the fudge and stir until they are well-mixed. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate the fudge until it is set, at least 4 hours.

6. Once set, remove the fudge from the pan using the foil as handles. Cut the fudge into small one-inch squares to serve. Store Blueberry Cheesecake Fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, and bring to room temperature before serving.

ALEXIS NOTES: I doubled recipe.  I also used frozen blueberries which was nice touch but when I put them down it didn't allow the graham cracker mix to stick to the fudge so I lost part of the cheesecake taste.  Next time I'll pour some fudge down then lay down the blueberries and top with the rest of the fudge.

Enjoy but be-careful you may not stop eating them!
Yes this was over 2 days.


Tray all filled up to go to the club:

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Dinner Friends MUST have Dessert Right?

I have made a few yummy desserts for our dinner friends!  One is on the healthy side and one NOT healthy but very yummy!

First off was Fruit Smiles I saw yes on Pinterest from Kraft Recipes.  Their's was very cute they used cubed fruit which really made the look.  I just used some mixed berries the kids liked.  I suggest doing this one early in the morning, I did it a few hours before and it didn't set up the whole way.

Take 3/4 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water and mix & fruit

Example:

melon options	Jell-O Brand Gelatinchoices	fruit possibilities

cantaloupe

Cherry

raspberries

honeydew

Lime

canned fruit cocktail, drained

casaba

Orange

strawberries

Crenshaw

Strawberry

blueberries

CUT 1 melon (about 3-1/2 lb.) in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Scoop out melon, leaving each half with a 1-inch-thick shell. Chop removed melon; drain well. Cut thin slice off bottom of each melon shell to allow it to stand upright.

STIR 3/4 cup boiling water into 1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Brand Gelatin in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved chopped melon and 1/2 cup fruit to each melon shell.

POUR gelatin evenly into melon shells. Pour any remaining gelatin into small bowl to enjoy later. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Cut each half melon into four wedges to serve.

Next week was a yummy fudge that was so good but I so never should have had a piece because it was the good I just wanted to keep eating it.  I make a orange creamsicle cookie that I love this is the Orange Creamsicle Fudge version (again yes found it on Pinterest)!

Ingredients

---

• 6 -ounces (1.5 sticks) butter
• 2- cups granulated sugar
• 3/4- cup heavy cream
• 1- package (12 oz) white chocolate chips
• 1- jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream (or fluff)
• 1- tablespoon orange extract
• orange (or a combination of red and yellow) food coloring

• Prepare a 13x9 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, and butter over medium heat.  Continually stir the mixture until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.  Brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush. Bring the mixture to a boil, and once it starts boiling, stir continuously for four minutes.  After four minutes of boiling, remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the marshmallow cream and white chocolate chips.  Stir until the white chocolate has melted and the fudge is completely smooth.  Working quickly, pour about a third of the white fudge into a bowl and set aside.  To the remaining fudge, add the orange extract and orange food coloring, stirring until it is a smooth, even color. It is important to perform these steps quickly, because the fudge will start to set if you take too long, and the end result will not be smooth. Pour the orange fudge into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Drop the white fudge over the top by the spoonful, then drag a table knife or toothpick through the fudge to create orange-white swirls. You can spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and gently press them into the top to smooth out the swirls, if desired.
• Allow the fudge to set at room temperature for 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  To cut, pull the fudge out of the pan using the foil as handles.  Use a large sharp knife to cut the fudge into small 1-inch squares. Store Orange Creamsicle Fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, and bring it to room temperature to serve.
• ** I used evaporated milk, since that is what I had on hand and not heavy cream **

So my love of food and Pinterest is brought to you again!  Have a wonderful weekend mine is going to be busy have a Women's event at Church tonight and then Birthday Party tomorrow.

Easy Fudge & Caramels

First off on the list of goodies made are some super easy ones that ALL could be made in the microwave!  Yes it was a easy type of goodie year!

I had 3 good ones and ONE epic fail .. Yes I took a picture of the fail.

This was a very easy and yummy recipe done in the crockpot! This skinny Holiday Fudge is a must!

I made this last year and it was so easy I had to make it again.  This Homemade Microwave Caramel is simple and so tasty!

And then I found microwave Peanut Butter Fudge and found a new favorite!

And the epic fail … I thought it was going to turn out I was so excited it tasted so yummy but all I got was goo!  Yup it happens and I must post.  Sadly this Microwave Pumpkin Fudge didn’t turn out and the worst part is I doubled it so I would have enough.

Next up is the gift jars I made!

How to prepare to a treat for a party

As most of you know I love to make gifts as in the edible kind for friends, family … heck people that are nice to me may get a special treat.

So I’ve been asked how I do my shopping, plan etc.  So here is how the rat race I call life as a working mom and trying to keep my super cape flying high!

Since working from home we had to cut back on a few things to make it possible.  The first thing I started to do was meal planning, which helps me running around like a chicken w/no head and it helps eliminate many trips to the grocery store which saves money!

First I make my meal plan which I do by searching blogs and a few favorite recipe sites to find what we will be having for that week. I then make my list (I found it’s easier to make it in groups so I can run threw the store faster … two kids + 1mom need I say more), I find any coupons I need and do my weekly shopping trip.

For Holiday seasons I do the same and last year I even found a few low calorie ones to help us keep with our eating healthy.  Safeway is one of my favorite places to shop and try to hit it up a few times a month (the fuel credit of 10 cents off is a good bonus).

Working in marketing for years I am extra observant of placement of items, and things that catch my eye or even more catch the boys eyes that we MUST have (as you’ll see the ice cream in our cart, caught Caden’s eye .. ok maybe mom’s too).  We love to do things for each season/holiday so we’ll usually pick up what ever promotional thing is on sale to make as a family.

I’ve found Safeway to be comparable on my baking products, like any store you have to watch because some may be cheaper elsewhere but that is where coupons and planning your trip comes in handy.

As mentioned above and for you who read my blog know I love to bake holiday and heck any time of the year.   Especially during holidays it’s over drive here I like to make SEVERAL different treats.  I like to try different things each year and throw in the some of the same staples like peanut brittle and caramels.  Baking is a joy to me and bring something special and maybe unexpected to someone brings a smile to my face.

On this last trip to Safeway I picked up the makings for some holiday fudge, some cookie mix for the molasses cookies and some puff pastry to make some apple pies.  The fudge was a new recipe I thought I’d try and the molasses cookies have Box tops which I collect for Cole’s school (and you all know how competitive I am with that).

Now for the fun part the pictures and the recipe!  You get to see my helper Caden and my shopping cart where we then moved to come home and make the treats.  THEN quickly pack them up and give to the neighbor so mom doesn’t eat it all!

Things I found you need to do for this recipe:

I used a Silicone pan, if you use aluminum foil DON'T use the cheap kind it sticks.  ALSO do the chocolate in 1 min increments it can burn (Remember my picture of burnt chocolate it stinks and you waste it) and don't put vanilla in early it changes the properties & won't come out right.

My task was to find Christmas baking items, but sadly my store only had Halloween up.  So I decided that my Christmas Fudge would be easy to make with what I found in the baking isle.

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