Food

The Party Bunch Link Party // no. 112

0 · Dec 19, 2015 · Leave a Comment

It’s time to party but first let me introduce to you The Party Bunch!

…….

Amy from The Idea Room, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Heather from Whipperberry and Desiree from The 36th Avenue want to thank you for partying with us… You guys are the best!

Here are some of our favorite projects from this week!

Heather’s Favorite

Peppermint Bath Salts Ornaments at Domestically Speaking

These are such a fun idea!

Peppermint-Bath-Salt-Christmas-Ornament-Gift-Idea-7

Mique’s Favorite

Last Minute Gift Basket at Cherished Bliss

What a great idea! I would love to receive this!

Amy’s Favorite

FREE Christmas Cut Files at Fynes Designs

What a fun and festive decoration!

Desiree’s Favorite

Grain Sack Burlap Vase at The Casual Craftlete

What a fun and festive decoration!

As always thank you for so may fabulous projects and recipes!

We hope you take a minute and button up HERE!

Also we want to invite you to click here and follow The Party Bunch Favorites on Pinterest.

We are featuring more of our favorite projects and recipes from the link party on this board! Now it is time to party!

TPB Party Bunch Link Up... Every Friday to Sunday link up your projects over at theidearoom.net , thirtyhandmadedays.com , whipperberry.com or the36thavenue.com Four bloggers = ONE BIG PARTY! We can't wait to see your projects!

Here are a few things to remember before you link up!

Please make sure to share the love and grab a button here to let your readers know that you linked up with us! By linking up with The Party Bunch, you are giving permission to any of us to feature your projects and recipes on our social media with a link back to you. Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

BB Frösch Mistletoe Sign

0 · Dec 18, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Hey guys! It’s Heather from WhipperBerry here. I’ve known Jen for several years now and I (like everyone else) just adore her! Today is kind of fun, my very first guest post EVER was on Tatertots & Jello back in 2010. It’s kind of fun to see how things have evolved since then.

Today, I’m sharing a fun new design for the holidays this year.

It’s part of my Christmas Tree Farm collection that I’ve designed for the Holidays. I love the vintage feel that this design has. It reminds me of walking through the Christmas Tree Farms with my family as a little girl. The crisp air, my cold little nose. All of those sights and smells that are so classic for the season. Now days, most of us have pre-lit artificial trees (including myself) and our kiddos are missing out on that fun experience. I wanted to bring back that rustic Holiday feel for this Christmas. Today, I’m going to share my Silhouette files so that you can make a sign of your very own, PLUS… I’m going to show you how to make it! Here is what you’ll need…

Mistletoe Sign Supplies

24×12 pine board
8 ft. 1×2 select pine board – You’ll need to cut these down to 2 – 24 inch boards and 2 – 12.75 inch boards
BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder
BB Frösch Premium Finishing Wax – Clear & Dark
Behr Premium Plus Flat Paint – Dark Truffle & Toasted Marshmallow
12 inch wide vinyl – I used the Silhouette brand of vinyl, it doesn’t matter what color
Transfer Paper
vinyl weeding hook
Scraper
Painters tape

BB Frösch Mistletoe Sign Directions

The first step is to Faux Stain your 24×12 pine board. This is super easy and I have a great tutorial for that here at WhipperBerry. You’ll also need to paint your frame pieces (the 4 – 1×2 pieces) with the White BB Frösch Chalk Paint. Here’s a quick video to teach you how to mix the BB Frösch Chalk Paint.

Paint the frame boards white and set them aside, Faux Stain the 24×12 pine board. Set that aside as well.

While your wood is drying, nows the time to cut the vinyl. I’m sharing my Silhouette cut file for all my Silhouette friends. I don’t have an option for my Cricut friends… I’m sorry!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SILHOUETTE CUT FILE

+ Silhouette CAMEO hint… Don’t use a cutting mat when cutting vinyl +

Cut your vinyl and then weed it carefully. Start from the outside and work your way in. Keep in mind you are creating a stencil, you won’t be leaving the vinyl on the board.

Cover the vinyl with the transfer paper and lay on your board, spacing to the center of the board.

I create a “hinge” with some painters tape at the top of the vinyl. This will keep your vinyl in place. Fold the vinyl up and remove the vinyl backing.

Then carefully lay your vinyl down on your board and using the scraper, squeegee the top of the vinyl to make sure there are no air bubbles and securing it onto the board.

Keep in mind, you’ve waxed the board and the vinyl really isn’t going to want to sick to the wax so you need to be careful to make sure the vinyl is sticking to the board. It will take a little more time then with regular raw wood. The results are TOTALLY worth it though.

Carefully remove the transfer paper and then grab a stencil brush to stencil the graphic on to your board. I LOVE our BB Frösch Small Wax Brushes for stenciling, they work GREAT!

Now, The secret to stenciling… I put a light layer of clear BB Frösch Premium Finishing Wax down to seal the stencil FIRST.

Then I use my stencil brush (not the brush I’m waxing with) and dip my brush in the paint and then blot it to take off any excess. Then I dab the paint onto the board.

This is what it will look like after one coat of paint. I let that paint dry for a few minutes. Thanks to the BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder, it dries really quick. I add one more coat and then I carefully remove the vinyl. CAREFUL, is the key word. I even keep a craft knife on hand just in case the paint starts to lift.

Once the vinyl is removed use a 200 grit sand paper and lightly distress the graphic. Using a slightly damp cloth wipe down the board to remove the paint dust.

Now, you’ll seal the graphic with the clear wax. Brush on a light layer of wax and then using a lint free cloth wipe off any excess and then buff your sign. This will give your sign a lovely sheen. I PROMISE… Your sign won’t look like all of your friends signs. It will look like something you bought for lots and lots of money!

Now all you need to do is affix your frame. Place nails around the edge of the frame to secure it to the board. I used my Ryobi Brad Nailer, but you can for sure use a simple hammer to do the job as well.

That’s it… You now have a beautiful sign to place on your mantel or anywhere in your home to decorate for the Holidays!

Here at WhipperBerry I love sharing all kinds of fun ideas, printable & recipes. Here are some fun neighbor gifts for the Holiday season that you might like as well…

Here is a printable gift tag that will work for all kinds of sweet gifts, I also have a tag that goes well for savory gifts too…

I also have a scrumptious treat that is super easy to make and your friends will LOVE it!

It’s a pull-apart bread with an egg nog glaze. You can’t go wrong with that!

Ah, I’ve had so much fun putting this together. I hope you enjoyed it!

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

0 · Dec 17, 2015 ·

Oh, stuffed mushrooms… How I love thee!

Seriously, I love them!

BUT, let’s go back a ways… I remember sitting in the school cafeteria when I was a little first grader, sitting with all of my friends. At one point someone started talking about foods they hated and mushrooms became the number one food on the hit list. I remember sitting there not really knowing if I loved, liked or hated mushrooms, but if all of these 1st graders hated them, I must too!

That was the beginning of my war against mushrooms. My mom didn’t cook with them often, but when she did, I most definitely turned up my nose and refused to eat whatever she had served. Mushrooms were poison!

Fast forward 10 years and I found myself at a Christmas Party hosted by one of my friend’s Mom and they were serving stuffed mushrooms. Heavens… There was no way I was going to try that evil concoction! Then they were passed my way and luckily my Mother had taught me good manners, I graciously took one and then started to sweat trying to figure out how to wiggle my way out of this pickle. Everyone was gushing over the mushrooms and I could feel the pressure to try these nasty little bits. I steeled myself for a rough experience and tried a little bite to save face and not look like a little jerk and then… The heavens opened!

ARE YOU KIDDING?!

Is this what mushrooms taste like?

Boy was I mislead! Darn you little first grade friends!

It didn’t hurt that these little gems where topped with a lovely concoction of sausage, bread crumbs, cheese and who knows what else. They were amazing!

That my friends was the beginning of my love for mushrooms especially stuffed mushrooms.

This is one of those gem recipes that is great to pull out when you really want to impress your guests. It’s really easy to make, but it looks labor intensive. It’s also one of those recipes that mostly uses ingredients that are easy to store in your pantry and if not, they are easy to grab at your local Market.

I ran to my local Walmart here in Lincoln…

And grabbed some mushrooms, Progresso™ Italian Style Bread Crumbs, sausage (you can find my favorite sausage brand HERE), onion, parsley, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, garlic & white wine.

I usually keep some Progresso™ Bread Crumbs in my pantry at all times. They are perfect for this recipe and so many others like chicken parmesan, meatballs, eggplant parmesan, meatloaf, oven “fried” veggies… The list goes on and on. They’re PERFECT for these stuffed mushrooms!!

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

+ This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Stuffed Mushroom recipe +

20-25 button mushrooms or petite portobello mushrooms

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons white wine

1/2 of a small to medium onion

1 lb mild sausage

2 garlic gloves minces

1 cup Progresso™ Italian Style Bread Crumbs

2/3 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Directions

Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Do not discard stems. In a bowl pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the white wine over the mushrooms to marinade them while you’re prepping the sausage stuffing, set aside.

In a medium sauce pan add the remaining olive oil over medium high heat.

Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add sausage and cook until nicely browned, 8-10 minutes. Then add garlic and the remaining mushroom stems chopped into fine pieces. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium low and add bread crumbs.

Next, remove from heat and add the parmesan and cream cheeses and mix well letting the cheese melt into the mixture.

Finally add the chopped parsley and combine.

Place mushrooms in a cast iron pan or baking dish like so…

Spoon sausage mixture on top of the mushroom caps.

Top with parmesan cheese and place in a 325˚ oven for 50 minutes.

Loosely lay a sheet of foil over the top of the mushrooms to avoid excess browning. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes to finish browning.

Remove from oven and serve warm.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Progresso™ The opinions and text are all mine.

The Party Bunch Link Party // no. 111

0 · Dec 12, 2015 · Leave a Comment

It’s time to party but first let me introduce to you The Party Bunch!

…….

Amy from The Idea Room, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Heather from Whipperberry and Desiree from The 36th Avenue want to thank you for partying with us… You guys are the best!

Here are some of our favorite projects from this week!

Heather’s Favorite

Crock Pot Pazookie at Southern Krazed

I want one right now!

Mique’s Favorite

Printable Buffalo Check Reindeer at Liz on Call

Such a fun printable! I am obsessed with Buffalo Check!

Amy’s Favorite

Somoa Cookie Bark at Lemons for Lulu

Wow! This looks amazing!

Desiree’s Favorite

Fudgy Mint Cookie at Lizventures

These look delicious!

As always thank you for so may fabulous projects and recipes!

We hope you take a minute and button up HERE!

Also we want to invite you to click here and follow The Party Bunch Favorites on Pinterest.

We are featuring more of our favorite projects and recipes from the link party on this board! Now it is time to party!

Here are a few things to remember before you link up!

An InLinkz Link-up

Original Chex Mix Recipe + Merry Chexmas Printable Gift Tag

123 · Dec 10, 2015 ·

Who doesn’t love a classic?

So many times I find myself drawn to the classic recipes. They are tried and true, they are what brands are built on. I’m totally that way with my Chex Mix as well. I have childhood memories of sharing Original Chex Mix with friends at sleepovers and at our first “boy/girl” parties. Remember that? It was such a fun new idea back in the day.

The thing about classics, they NEVER go out of style.

The classic white shirt, classic cars, black pumps, jeans… the list can go on and on.

Today, I’m sharing a fun way to take the classic Original Chex Mix, package it up and give it as a fun gift for friends & neighbors this Holiday Season! You know… Not everyone on your list LOVES sweets!

First you need to mix up a batch of Original Chex Mix, you can find the recipe HERE.

Then you need to gather some jars. I found some fun gifting jars at Target that have a flat surface on the sides so that they are easier to add labels to. They are in the holiday baking section at Target.

I designed this fun label that you can print on either card stock and tie onto your jar OR you can print it on label paper and stick it to the side of your jar.

Click HERE to download the printable Merry Chexmas tag.

You can either print it on white label paper OR I love the Printable Gold Foil that Silhouette makes.

All you need to do is cut around the edges, leaving a little border around the edge and then affix them to your jars. It couldn’t be any simpler. Fill your jars with your Original Chex Mix…

And then top it off with a bow…

I also spray painted my lids gold so they wouldn’t clash with my gold label, but that’s not totally necessary. Now you have a GREAT savory gift that is perfect for friends, neighbors, teachers, the office, the mail man, your bus driver… Basically ANYONE!

You can do all kinds of other stuff with this idea… Layer some Original Chex Mix with some Muddy Buddies for a savory & sweet treat. You can find all kinds of other ideas at Chex Mix. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest. They even have a whole site devoted to all things Chex Party Mix!

You’ve been armed… What are you going to gift this Holiday Season?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ChexTM. The opinions and text are all mine.

Food

Mistletoe Sign Supplies

BB Frösch Mistletoe Sign Directions

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Directions

Click HERE to download the printable Merry Chexmas tag.

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