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!

 

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??

How to Throw a Treat Bar Party

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

Christmas is such a happy time of year and it's the best time to get all my favorite people together under one roof. Give me a holiday, and I'll show you a party ;) My parties are always a hit, and people tend to stay 'till the wee hours of the morning having a blast! I always make sure we've got some food around and to create a comfortable environment for mingling.

We just moved into a new home just last week (such a quick decision and move), and I want to throw a housewarming Treat Bar Party featuring some of my favorite treats! Such as OREO, Double Stuf OREO, Nutter Butter, and Chips Ahoy!

I am a woman who needs a checklist. In my old 24 years (haha) I've become forgetful, so I need a list to keep me on track! Above is a checklist you can print out yourself for planning the perfect Treat Bar Christmas soiree! 

It's all about getting the right products and informing your guests with ample time to schedule the party into their crazy busy lives.  One of the best party tips I can offer is do as much as you can ahead of time, including the making of treats and favor bags!

One of my favorite holiday treats are chocolate dipped Double Stuf OREO cookies with festive sprinkles and crushed candy canes on top! Here are the quick instructions on how to amp up your party with these adorable treats.

1// Heat up a fondue pot (or pot on the stove), and put in a splash of vegetable oil. Lay out a sheet or parchment paper on your countertop to prepare for the Double Stuf OREO cookies. 

2// Put on low heat and pour in 2 pounds of white chocolate meltable chips. 

3// Stir until all the chips have melted and turn to lower heat to avoid burning. 

4// Dip half of your Double Stuf OREO cookie in the white melted chocolate and make sure it completely covers one half of the cookie. 

5// Place cookie on parchment paper then pour sprinkles, crushed candy cane, or anything festive and delicious on top of the melted chocolate.  

6// Let the cookies cool on the parchment paper, wait until hardened then move to your party table or place in a clear treat bag to show off all your work! These are perfect for friends, family, and colleague gifts. An affordable gift to show everyone in your life that you're thinking of them this holiday season!

I grabbed some Christmas decor from around my home to complement the candles, poinsettia plant, plates, and napkins I purchased from my local Walmart. It's all about presentation! As I was walking out of Walmart I found these easy-to-grab boxes of treats by the cash register. I snagged OREO, Double Stuf OREO, Nutter Butter, and Chips Ahoy! boxes to create my Treat Bar. 

To avoid stressors on the day of a party, if you can do cleaning and party prep the couple days before it helps you to enjoy the party itself instead of racing around like a madwoman. I did this party prep the night before and it saved me from a ton of stress the day of! 

What are some of your best party tips? How would you gift or showcase these fun and affordable treat boxes?