Dare to Share #215

It is Friday night, and you know what that means..

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Are you out of school for the summer yet?  We are not, but we are getting close.  We go for a couple more weeks, and it feels like we are limping to the finish line.  The final countdown is on at 12 days.  This week was a tough one for us. The kids still have things to finish up before the last day.  I have been working quite a bit as a lot of teachers have meetings they need to attend. I had good intentions to write a post, it just did not happen this week because of our crazy schedule.  I am hoping to do a few things this weekend that will be able to post about in the upcoming week.  I am having a cook out with friends, and we hope to go see Alice Through the Looking Glass.  We do have some really fun Alice party ideas that we are already working on.

Since I did not have time to post this week, we are going to go directly to the party.  I will be sharing a few posts from the past party this upcoming week. 

You are welcome to share anything you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feaure of the Day,, you post will be featured on the blog and social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.  My co-host Kim also shares features on her blog and social media. 

Link up and have fun! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Dare to Share #214

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share!! 

Can you believe that it is almost summer break? This year is flying by!! I have mixed feelings about the end of this school year.  While I will be glad to get a break from school,  my son will soon be a senior!  I am not sure if I am ready for another one to graduate.  On the plus side of summer, I will have a lot more time for blogging, crafts and party planning.  

With all of the movies with animals in them already in theaters, or soon to open, this week I did a round up of several of my favorite Animal Themed Party Food.

The Dare to Share Feature this week was this awesome LEGO Star Wars party by Bombshell Bling. She has a lot of great ideas that all kids would love. 

This week my co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations shared some fun Adventure Awaits Sign Printables.  They could be used for graduation, moving, or a vacation surprise.  She is gettin ready to move across the country, so she is using them for a birthday/goodbye party. 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature your post will be featured on the blog and social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts to share on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Lego Star Wars Party - Dare to Share Feature

You know that I love a good party   Sarah from Bombshell Bling has a son who loves LEGOS and Star Wars.  She put together an amazing party with both of those themes, that he is sure to always remember.  Be sure to stop over check it out, because she has some great party ideas that anyone can do! 

Animal Themed Party Food

With all the recent and upcoming movies with animals as the stars, I thought it would be a good time to re-share some of my favorite Animal Themed Party Food.  These ideas might give inspiration on what to make  for a Zootopia, Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Life of Pets and other animal party themes. 

A couple of years ago, my daughter had a Butterfly Themed Party. Her favorite treat that day was  the Butterfly Cake Rolls.  We made the butterflies out of chocolate,  and then rested them on the swiss cake roll.  This treat would be good for a garden party, insect party, or even the upcoming Alice Through the Looking Glass movie party.  Every time I see a promo for the movie, I notice the colorful butterflies.   

Four years ago we had a Woodland Animal Party in honor of our hedgehog Silver.   The star of our party table was our Hedgehog Watermelon.  

We had a watermelon shark at our Beach Bash. Cutting fruit into animal shapes are always a hit with the kids.  If there are sharks in the new Finding Dory movie, making one could make a great addition to your party menu. 

When she ha a cat themed party several years ago, we served strawberry mice. They were really easy to make, and cute too. They could also be made for a Cinderella or other princess themed party. 

We once even made Cat Pizza Biscuits.  They were fun to make, and tasted great too.   With the upcoming Life of Pets, a cat or even a dog pizza biscuit would make a delicious party treat. 

One of our favorite parties was my daughter's Beach Bash Birthday.  During that party the guests loved our Crabby Sandwiches. They were croissants filled with chicken salad, but could be changed into whatever kind of sandwich you prefer. 

When the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 came out. We loved creating a party themed filled with Foodimals like this Fruit Cockatiel. They were almost too cute to eat, but we managed.

During our Zoo Party we served monkey, lion and elephant cupcakes.  (Yes I do realize they are on a Halloween cupcake stand.  My daughter was turning 7, and wanted to use it) There are elephants were in both Zootopia, and the Jungle Book.

Going back through all of my animal food pictures is making me want to go in the kitchen right now and make some more.  I am sure I will be sharing some new animal food ideas soon.  

Dare to Share #213

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

So what have you been doing this week?  I participated in the Ultimate Recipe Challenge Pasta edition.  My entry was Easy Bacon Chicken Alfredo Pasta.   My family loved it, and it was super quick and easy to make.  

I chose two pretty paper crafts as this week's features.  One is this Paper Rose Garland by Sparkle.  There are so many ways you can use a flower garland. 

I adore these paper cupcakes by White House Crafts.  They are a fun a pretty craft that you can use as party decor and a gift.  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen to be a Dare to Share Feature, your post will be featured on the blog and social media.  This party is seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. My co-host Kim also chooses posts to feature on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!  

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Pretty Paper Crafts - Dare to Share Features

This week there were two beautiful paper crafts from the Dare to Share party  that caught my eye. Both are perfect for a party, celebration or just because, and made from supplies you might already have on hand. 

I love this pretty Paper Rose Garland by Sparkle. Using inexpensive items  you can make a flower garland perfect for weddings and other celebrations.  

Celebrating a birthday? White House Crafts has a great tutorial on how to make these paper cupcakes that are pretty enough to eat.  They would also make great decorations for a Candy or Bake Shop  themed party

Easy Bacon Chicken Alfredo Pasta #URC

This month I am joining with several other bloggers for another recipe challenge. This month the theme is PASTA.  We love pasta at our house, but regular spaghetti and sauce can be a bit boring.  Being a very busy mom, I wanted a recipe that was quick and easy to make with our crazy schedule, but something my family loved as well.  I think I found it with this dish! 

One thing about Easy Bacon Chicken Alfredo Pasta is you can make it  as simple as you would like it to be. It is all in the ingredients you prefer to use, and the amount of time you want to spend putting it together.  The bacon in this dish can be from a package you fry up, or a bag of real bacon bits.  The chicken can be frozen chicken you cut up and brown, or from a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.  The same goes for the sauce, you can mix it up from scratch with milk and cheese, or pick up a jar of your favorite sauce. I chose to use all of the short cuts this time around, and we had a tasty meal in a matter of minutes. 

Cook up a pot of your favorite pasta. My kids have been into noodles like Penne and Rotini lately, but this recipe would also work great with spaghetti or fettuccine.  Once cooked to your liking, drain the water. 

In another pan, add chicken and your bacon pieces of choice. I love shopping at Aldi, and used a half bag of their real bacon bits that are in the salad dressing area.  

There are several different brands of Alfredo sauce that I use at our house, and think they are all good. In today's recipe I used Aldi brand Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce.  We like our food with extra cheese.  They also had a garlic and a classic version available for a slightly different flavor.  If you have extra time and  prefer to make your own Alfredo sauce, that works great too.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and bacon in the sauce pan.  Mix everything well and heat.  If you like  garlic, onion or any other extra flavor add it to the sauce during this step. 

Pour the sauce mixture over the cooked, drained pasta and stir until all of the pasta is covered. 

I had hoped to serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, but unfortunately when I went shopping my Aldi store was completely out. I could have gone to another store to get some, but it was running late and I thought it would taste just as good with a different type of cheese.  I added some shredded cheddar cheese, and I was right, we loved the taste. 

The family loved this pasta, and asked me to make it again.  I loved that it was ready in only about 15-20 minutes, and was inexpensive to put together. 

Enjoy! 

Want some more delicious pasta recipes?  Check out these recipe from more than 30 other bloggers who are part of this recipe challenge.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Dare to Share #212

It is Friday night, and you know what that means. 

It is time to Dare to Share!! 

The closer we get to the end of the school year, the crazier the schedule gets. Have you noticed  that too?  How do we only have days left before summer break?  While I usually love summer break, I know this break will also bring stress. We will be moving again, my son will be attending a summer work program to learn job skills, and I need to find another job. (there is no subbing in the summer) 

Last weekend was a nice change of pace. I celebrated the birthdays of my son and one of my best friends.  I had the chance to see Jungle Book, Zootopia for the 2nd time, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. I attended a birthday breakfast and a birthday dinner. It was a much needed weekend of rest and fun. I hope to now be able to come up with some party ideas for the Jungle Book movie. 

Did you do anything special for Cinco de Mayo this week? I featured these Grilled Mexican Corn Cakes with Fresh Salsa by My Suburban Kitchen. I have never had a corn cake, but they sure look good. 

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations specializes in candy bar wrappers, and this week she shared a nice one that would be a great  gift for Mother's Day.  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share. If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature of the day, your post will be featured on the blog, and social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.   Kim also chooses posts to feature on her blog an social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Grilled Mexican Corn Cakes with Fresh Salsa - Dare to Share Feature

It is hard to believe that it is Cinco De Mayo.  How is this year flying by so quickly? In honor of the holiday, I thought I would share this delicious looking dish by My Suburban Kitchen,  Grilled Mexian Corn Cakes with Fresh Salsa  I have never tried corn cakes, but I think this is something my entire family would enjoy.  To see how to make this colorful and flavorful dinner, be sure to stop over the My Suburban Kitchen for the full recipe.