Ready for Kickoff

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #ReadyForKickoff #CollectiveBias

I love when the big football game of the season comes around, it's a great excuse to try out new recipes to share with friends! This time I wanted to try out 3 different ways to use my favorite RITZ Crackers and a twist on my favorite Coke Zero. I picked up all my goodies from Walmart, which is seriously my favorite place to shop (insert praise hands emoji) since they have everything at such a killer price. 

We'll be inviting friends who are still holding strong to their "eating healthy" New Years Resolution, so I made a veggie jam-packed recipe as a topping for my RITZ Crackers. Below is the recipe, along with all the other treats and decor from my party!

Loaded Chicken Salad Topping Recipe

2 cups of chicken (shredded or cubed)

1/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup bacon bits

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1. Throw all the above items into a bowl and mix. To make my life easier I purchased canned chicken, mayo in a squeeze bottle, and bacon bits in a bag.  I'm already throwing a party, don't want to make things even crazier by cooking all the ingredients! 

2. This beautiful shredded 1 cup of sharp cheddar needed it's own big picture ;) Throw this in the bowl too!

3. Chopped all my veggies: green onions, yellow onion, and celery. These veggies make the recipe extremely filling and helps my health-conscious friends feel good about snacking on this all night long. 

4. Dash in some salt and pepper, mix, then you're all good to go! This is the perfect RITZ Crackers topping, something that you can nom on in between touchdowns. 

For a sweet treat, I made milk chocolate dipped RITZ Crackers. Decorated with red & black sprinkles to root for our team! It's only half-dipped, so it gives a taste of chocolate without being too much.

I'm so short! haha 

I love this chalkboard pennant flag sign, since I can change it for each party. The rest of my go-to party items are mason jars, tiered serving platters, and flowers; they are good staples and can be altered for any theme. 

The last recipe I did with the RITZ Crackers is putting cream cheese and peach habanero jelly on top. It's the perfect mix of creamy, sweet, and spice! 

After the holidays I always need a break from all the craziness! Then after a few weeks I feel re-energized and start to miss my family and friends :) Even though the peeps are frequent guests in my home, I like to go all-out for big football parties! 

I always have Coca-Cola at my shindigs! I picked up Coke Zero and wanted to create an ice cream float with a twist. For my health-conscious friends and family, I grabbed vanilla bean ice cream made with coconut milk. It was a delicious option, that minds the waistline! 

Which RITZ Crackers recipe would you use at your next football soiree? Would you try this Coke Zero twist on the classic ice cream float? 

Check out more #ReadyForKickoff inspiration here!

 

Tips for Hosting a Last Minute Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #FamilyPizzaCombo #CollectiveBias

During football season we are constantly having last-minute visitors to our home to host for various football games. Ryan gets to chatting with friends, and next thing I know we are having a little party at our house...with no preparation on my end! I have a few tips and a "plan of attack" for getting your house and yourself ready at a speedy pace! 

Fix yourself up

For some reason every time we have last minute guests, I have my hair in a ratty top knot and haven't worn make-up for days. My favorite go-to hairstyle is a messy pony with sea salt spray then scrunching it up for texture. Then I fill in my eyebrows with pencil and slap on some colored lip balm to give my face some definition. Then I feel a whole lot better about hosting a party and entertaining guests because I know I won't look like a zombie! 

Put in your order at Sam's Club

Before you start the craziness of picking up the house, pick up your phone and put in an order for the $13.98 Coca-Cola & Pizza Combo deal at Sam's Club Cafe. You get a bundle of goodies, such as a 16-Inch Pizza, Cheesy Breadsticks, Cookies, and one 2L of Coca-Cola. You want to make sure it is all cooked and ready for pick up by the time you're done pulling the house together! 

Tidy up the living room 

This is the first impression for guests walking through the door, and where they will be spending most of their time when at our home. I fold all the blankets and put them in our blanket basket, put the pillows back in place, put remotes into drawers and move on to the next task! 

Dust main surfaces

I have a little dust wand that I glide over all the main surfaces that my guests will be seeing. Which typically includes: side table, television, TV stand, decorative shelving, and window sills. Quick way to make it look like you took time to clean the house! 

Hide 'yo kids hide yo' stuff ;)

Let's be real. No one is going to be searching every nook and cranny in your home for personal belongings. When I'm crunched on time, all the extras go into closets or into our bedroom upstairs where guests won't see it. 

Wipe down kitchen, dining room & guest bathroom countertops 

I may be personally pick about this, but I like clearing off main surfaces to give the appearance of a clean house. I especially focus on the bathroom, because I don't want guests to feel uncomfortable using a "lived in" restroom. I always have cleaning supplies in each bathroom to make tidy-ing up that much easier. 

Pick up the Family Meal Deal at Sam's Club

We got to feed our guests! Since I called ahead to my local Sam's Club Cafe and ordered the New Family Meal Deal, it was ready in less than 20 minutes and now is ready for pick-up. I send Ryan to go pick it up while I'm finishing up on the house. Not only is it convenient and delicious, but it's also $13.98 for the whole pack! That is one CRAZY awesome deal! 

It is the perfect solution for a quick dinner and another perk is that I didn't have to cook a thing! I always have football themed napkins and cups on hand, so I pull those out to fit the theme of our last-minute football party. 

Hopefully these tips helped you with a "plan of attack" when it comes to preparing for a last-minute party! Make sure to check out if your Sam's Club is participating in this Coca-Cola & Pizza Combo because it is seriously such a killer deal! 

Get Ready for The Big Game!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScoreMoreFans #CollectiveBias

My home is centered around football during game season. There is always a game on our TV and someone cheering in my living room, which means that I'm always ready for guests to pop by! I keep the basics on hand to be a good hostess, some RITZ® crackers and Coca-Cola drinks! Although I'm going to need way more than just my basics on hand for the Big Game. I'm getting everything together for the Big Game that is happening in a few weeks, and have got the best recipes lined up to show off to friends and family! 

One of my go-to quick recipes for a RITZ® cracker topping is this cream cheese mixture. I heat up some cream cheese, throw in a jelly-type sauce that I have on hand. I used a Mango-Chipotle jelly I had in my fridge and threw that it in with the warmed up cream cheese. And just like that, the perfect sweet creamy topping to my salty RITZ® cracker!

This Commercial Bingo Game is such a blast to play especially with all the fun commercials that show up during the big game, great for all ages! Whoever wins gets to take home all the leftovers to munch on for days ;)

To get ready for the party I snagged some treats from Walmart and found these adorable turf-inspired drink cozies for my Coca-Cola Zero bottles! During game-time season Coca-Cola is doing a 2 for $5 deal for all 16.9oz 6-packs. They are so easy to grab while picking up all the snacks for the big game, and all my guests are huge fans of Coca-Cola products. Touchdown for me! 

One of my other favorite RITZ® cracker toppings is my family's homemade Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe, it is sooooo delicious! It's a total crowd-pleaser ;) Below is the recipe, I love that it is an easy and affordable recipe where I can double the batch and feed my team with ease.  

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1 (8oz) package cream cheese

1 (14 oz) artichoke hearts

1/2 cup spinach

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup romano cheese (or more parmesan cheese)

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 tsp garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cream together softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, parmesan, romano cheese, garlic, basic, and garlic salt. Mix well. 

2. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach (careful to drain well) and mix until blended.

3. Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray, pour in dip, and top with cheese.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until top is browned. 

5. Serve with toasted bread. Enjoy!

There were dipping sauce options: ranch, sour cream, and the Mango-Chipotle for all the appetizers that were on the field. I love giving my team options! 

What RITZ® cracker recipe topping will you serve to your crowd? And how many 6-packs of Coca-Cola do you need to satisfy the craving??