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. 

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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