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party

Food, Sweet

Real Watermelon Jello Shots

"Real" Watermelon Shots

BBQ time means watermelon. But when the majority of those attending are adults, well, it just makes sense to make Jello shots. However, those little cups get messy and then there is all the trash that comes with it, so we found another way to make Jello shots without all the plastic trash and to make it look cute. Plus, it wasn’t that much work! Just a lot of gelatin.

"Real" Watermelon Shots

Katie will probably kill be for the above picture, but to be fair, she knew a picture was about to be taken. Just proof that we did, in fact, eat them, and I will say they were delicious!!

The below picture is just to give you a sense of how we filled the melons (you’ll need that for later when you look at the recipe.) So clear out the fridge and make some! We’ve been talking about doing this to all kinds of fruit for a Jello shot “fruit platter” with lemons, limes, oranges, and strawberries. How fun would that be?!

"Real" Watermelon Shots

“Real” Watermelon Jello Shots

Gather
1 large watermelon
4 3-ounce boxes of watermelon Jello
2 1-ounce boxes of unflavored gelatin
4 cups of vodka (plain or watermelon flavored)
4 cups of water

With a large knife, carefully split the watermelon in half, lengthwise. It will now be in two halves. Scoop out the fruit, leaving the rind and less than a 1/4 inch of fruit. Set fruit aside for snacking later. Place watermelon rind in a glass baking dish with sides. It will act as a bowl for the Jello shots. Keep it in place with paper towels, so it won’t tip.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add gelatin and watermelon Jello to a large bowl. Add boiling water and whisk until gelatin is dissolved. Add 4 cups of vodka and stir until combined.

Pour mixture into one half of the watermelon until it is filled to the top. If using a large watermelon, you may only need one half. If a small watermelon, you might use both halves.

Place is refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours or until gelatin is hardened. Once hardened, remove from fridge and slice into 1-inch pieces. You can cut them once again so they look like wedges. Refrigerate until the party.

 

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Food, Savory

Spicy Cheesy Layered Bean Dip

photo 2 (4)

It’s bonfire season again! And you know what that means? It means I get to make party food. Lots of appetizers and dips.

And while I love taking the opportunity to painstakingly make a dish, sometimes, I just don’t have the time. So I’ve come to find making layered dips an art, and something that often makes it look like I spent hours slaving over the stove and cutting board, when in fact, I only spent about 15 minutes of prep time and threw it in the oven.

So for a go-to, last minute party offering, might I suggest a Spicy Cheesy Layered Bean Dip?

Spicy Cheesy Layered Bean Dip

Gather
1 8-oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 16-oz can of spicy refried beans
1 and a half cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
Garlic powder
Chili powder
Cumin
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small rectangular pan, evenly spread out cream cheese. Sprinkle garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper over this layer, enough to lightly coat the layer.

photo 1 (4)

Top with a can of refried beans. Evenly spread out. Top with diced tomatoes and green peppers. Cover with cheese.

Use aluminum foil to cover the top of the pan. Place in oven and heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. It will be hot. Serve with tortilla chips.

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Uncategorized

Excessive Christmas Planning

I should probably actually have people to have a party with before I plan the party, eh?

I know Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened, but I can’t stop pinning things to my Party Ideas board on Pinterest. I have pseudo planned a party (in my head, of course) and can’t wait to make everything. Of course, that means I actually need to plan a party now (probably won’t happen). That’s the problem with Pinterest, you pin all these things and most of the time never do any of it.

So I’m hoping this at least lends itself to decorating the house in an astronomical amount of holiday spirit. Maybe I’ll even make myself a Mrs. Claus outfit and wear it around the house for fun.

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Uncategorized

Halloween Costumes – Flapper

I think I kinda pulled this off well.

Okay, so I kinda cheated on this one. I might have found this flapper dress at a thrift tore for $9 and bought it. Just because I didn’t make the dress doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great costume, though. So that’s where I will stress here that you shouldn’t be afraid of thrift stores. Yes, not every thrift store will have some remarkable find, BUT you never know what you will find when you do go in and snoop around. I found this dress tucked in the back of a rack by some very ’80s dresses that no one was buying. And when I saw the price tag, I also died. I’ve seen dresses like this listed upwards of $100 online that aren’t even as good as this one. (Also, going to thrift stores means you’re being eco-friendly and reusing clothes!! Go Green!)

The best part was I only had to grab some jewelry out of my box, a long black necklace I got at H&M years ago (it’s plastic, nothing fancy) and this great red and black necklace/earring set that my cousin made years ago. Yes, I have tons of jewelry that just sits around, but on the bright side, these came in hand when I needed them most.

For my hair, I did a faux bob, I found awesome directions here: Check it out! Way easier than I ever thought. Plus I got a ton of complements on having short hair, who would have known? I used this lace I found at Joann Fabrics and wrapped it around my faux bob and pinned it into place to work as a headband.

The more you have, the thicker your “headband” will look.

Threw on some black low pumps and there you go! Flapper in a jiff. I even wore this to work, changed on my lunch break before our Halloween party and loved it. I wonder if I could get away with wearing this on a regular day… hmmmm

They never smiled in photos back then, so I didn’t either.

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