Holiday Cocktails and Mocktails that are Perfect Beyond the Holidays

Disclaimer: This post is intended for readers 21+. There are cocktail recipe ideas below. However, you could omit the alcohol and make a delicious mocktail. If you do decide to have a cocktail, don't drink and drive. Also, an affiliate link is at the bottom of this post. 

While, technically, Thanksgiving and Christmas are over, the Holidays are still going strong for some. How many of you still have houses to go to, to visit with family or friends?

When I was a kid, we ALWAYS did Christmas at my grandma's house AFTER Christmas. It was her way of letting her children and grandchildren enjoy Christmas morning with their children and parents. She knew that we would all gather together in the days following, to enjoy each others company and open gifts. A bunch of my most favorite memories are of all of us squishing into her too-small-for-twenty-people-living-room and opening gifts. I love her for thinking of us in this way.

How many of you enjoy cocktails at holiday gatherings? A mocktail, perhaps, if you aren't a drinker. I've gathered a few of the most beautiful cocktails on the internet, and put them all in one place. For you. You're welcome. :) Which one will you try tonight?  

Caramel Apple Mimosas from Delish. And, holy smokes, they look DELISH!

Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider from The Recipe Rebel. This is the perfect recipe to make in the morning and enjoy in the afternoon.

Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria from Kitchn. I love a good, tall glass of fruity sangria. My favorite sangria is at a little restaurant in St. Augustine. Sadly, I can't get to St. Augustine as often as I'd like. With this fruit-filled recipe, I can make my very own sangria at home.

White Christmas Margarita from How Sweet It Is. It's 80 degrees in Florida today. The day after Christmas, y'all. This margarita is coconut based, so it's like a holiday drink, that's perfect for beach dwellers.

Cranberry Pineapple Punch from Natasha's Kitchen. The sweet pineapple. The tart cranberry. I'm sure this is the perfect combo for YUM!

Grinch Hot Chocolate from Cooking with Curls. The perfect drink for the kids at your party!

Do you have a cocktail {or mocktail} recipe that you'd love to share? Leave a link in the comments below, I'd love to check it out!

Southwest Hummus Black Bean Dip Recipe - Bush's #HummusMadeEasy

This post is a sponsored conversation made possible through The Women Bloggers in association with Kendal King Group and #SoapboxInfluence. All opinions are my own.

There's something about hummus that sounds expensive. But, it doesn't have to be. Hummus does not have to be a luxury item in your grocery cart. In fact, with Bush's Hummus Made Easy, it can be the most inexpensive item in your cart --  also, the most tasty! With baby carrots, pita chips, or sliced cucumbers, you'll be snacking on hummus every chance you get.

Have I mentioned how easy it is to make this hummus at home?? Grab your food processor, drain and rinse the beans, empty the packet of hummus flavor, and process until smooth. Done. The finished product is two cups of fresh, delicious hummus made easy.

Today, I'm sharing with you a recipe that is a favorite at every party I take it to. There's never even a teaspoons worth of this delicious dip leftover in the dish at the party's end. The original recipe uses refried beans in place of the hummus. But, I tweaked it a little to have Bush's Hummus Made Easy, the Southwest Black Bean flavor, substitute the refried beans and taco seasoning. The end result is, dare I say it, even more tasty than the original recipe!

Southwest Hummus Black Bean Dip

• 1 can (16 oz) Bush's black beans
• 1 pkg Bush's Hummus Made Easy Southwest Black Bean flavor
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 medium plum tomato
• 3 green onions with tops
• 2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
• Additional sour cream and tortilla chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare Bush's Hummus Made Easy per package directions. Combine pressed garlic into prepared hummus. Spread hummus over bottom of oven-safe baking dish. Combine cream cheese and sour cream; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture over hummus. Bake 15–18 minutes or until hot. Remove baking dish from oven to cooling rack; top with cheddar cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 2–3 minutes or until cheddar cheese is melted.
2. Meanwhile, slice tomato in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds. Dice tomato and thinly slice onions. Snip cilantro. Sprinkle olives, tomato, onions and cilantro over dip. Garnish with additional sour cream and serve with tortilla chips, if desired.
3. Watch as your Southwest Hummus Black Bean Dip disappears into your friend's bellies.

With two other flavor choices in Bush's Hummus Made Easy, the recipe and snacking possibilities are endless. Choose from Classic, Southwest Black Bean, or Roasted Red Pepper. Find it in the "bean" aisle.

How will YOU use Bush's Hummus Made Easy? I'd love to hear which recipe you'd recreate using one of these hummus flavors! Tell me in the comments.

Riceland Foods Rice Rummage Recipe -- the Perfect Summer Dish

Summer is coming. School will be out soon. Yep, there's less than a month of school left. Consider this a courtesy post, giving you a recipe that you'll be glad you made when the kids come running inside for an afternoon pick-me-up. Riceland Foods Rice Rummage recipe is chock full of fresh veggies, sweet apple, and a twist of sweet vinegar. It's DELICIOUS!

Hop on over to Riceland Foods to see more.

Wyman's of Maine Blueberries {and a recipe}

When Wyman's of Maine contacted me to try their frozen blueberries I knew right away I wanted in! My kids LOVE fruit. More specifically, BLUEBERRIES! McKinley and Jett will sit and eat a pint of blueberries in one sitting. They absolutley love them.

Why are Wyman's so good??
In August, during the short harvest season of wild blueberries, Wyman’s of Maine freezes their crop within 24 hours of picking to offer the freshest wild blueberries year round. Wyman’s has 10,000 lush acres of wild blueberries where they grow this antioxidant-packed, flavorful fruit and transport it from farm to freezer to table.

When I received my blueberry coupons in the mail I went right away to Publix and found them in the freezer section right next to the store brand frozen fruit. Easy-peasy to find, right?! {you can also find Wyman's of Maine Blueberries at WalMart}

Little did I know, after being married to him for almost 12 years, my husband loves blueberry pancakes. For real?? Who is this man? {I think I was scarred for life when I was forced to eat blueberry pecan pancakes as a kid at a friend's house. Or maybe, I felt obligated to eat them. Either way I am not a fan of them in my pancakes. But, as I say to my kids, don't yuck someone else's yum.}

Since Hubs is the breakfast maker in our home he got up early one morning and surprised the kids with blueberry pancakes {and me a few without}. I make a mean bowl of cereal...he makes fresh pancakes and waffles. They LOVED them. Each became a member of the Clean Plate Club that morning. They were GOOOD!!! Or, so I was told.

Of course, I couldn't write this big long post about Wyman's of Maine Blueberries without having tried them for myself.

Last week I set out to make the best Blueberry Cake of all time! Ellie's Famous Blueberry Cake, that is. And it was yummmmy! {you can click the recipe name for the recipe itself}


{I wish you could smell it...It smelled amazing!}

While I was mixing all of the ingredients together McKinley came over and swiped the bag of remaining blueberries and finished them! There was a good cup or more still in there. When the bag was empty she asked if I could go to the store and get more Wyman's of Maine Blueberries. {I will for sure be buying these in the future!}

Did you know blueberries were good for you? I mean, aside from being fruit. They're a REALLY good fruit for you to eat!

Out of 40 different fruits and vegetables tested, wild blueberries take first prize in the antioxidant category, even more than cultivated, fresh blueberries from the produce aisle. Antioxidants aid in fighting free radicals that can cause cell damage leading to cancer, heart disease and other age-related conditions. Wild blueberries also have a number of other significant health benefits, including:

• High in fiber - One cup of wild blueberries contains 6.2 grams of dietary fiber. That is 25% of your recommended Daily Value (DV). Fiber reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. It also regulates blood cholesterol levels.
• High in manganese - One cup of wild blueberries provides 200% DV of manganese, a trace mineral that helps bones develop.
• Relieves eye strain - Some European and Asian countries call wild blueberries the “vision fruit,” importing millions of pounds of wild blueberries a year.
• High in potassium - This vitamin is important in helping combat high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. It may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help decrease bone loss.
• High in vitamin C - Vitamin C is important for growth and repair of all body tissues and helps to keep teeth and gums healthy.
• High in folate (folic acid) - The folate in wild blueberries helps the body form red blood cells and helps reduce the risk of birth defects.



So, tell me, do you buy frozen fruit? It's the best way to get all of those delicious berries that we love in the summer, in the winter. I'd love to hear what you make with your frozen fruit. Tell me in the comments!



Disclosure: Wyman's of Maine sent me coupons to get free product. The opinions in this post are my own. 

Resurrection Buns {a kids craft and recipe}

this is a repost from a few years ago when i made resurrection buns with my boys.
what a fun {and yummy} way to teach littles about the death, burial and resurrection of our savior.

enjoy!

***

So, the night before Easter the big boys and I made these very neat Resurrection Buns. I can't take credit for the recipe or the directions and my mind that left long ago can't remember even where I found the recipe....but, I digress. Here's what we did.

First, grab your ingredients.

1 can of Grands biscuits
Cinnamon and Sugar
Marshmallows
melted Butter

Flatten each biscuit to about 5 inches round, then "paint" it with butter

Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. (you can tell the kiddos that this represents the spices that were used to anoint Jesus' body) Place a big marshmallow in the middle and pull all of the sides up to make a ball. (the white marshmallow respresents Jesus being pure and sinless) Place the ball on your cookie sheet seams down...so it doesn't open while baking.

Please excuse him....he gives me a different face for every picture...but, rarely a smile.

Again, "paint" your bun and then sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar.

Just out of the oven...YUMMMMMM!

The bun is empty...where did that pure and sinless Jesus go???? He is risen!!

monday eats.

i'll be the first to admit i'm no pioneer woman.
but, my husband sure thinks i'm a good cook.
and his opinion matters most.

it helps that my mother-in-law also likes my cooking. {i'm totally putting words in her mouth.}
the last two or three times she's been up here or i've been down in florida she's asked me to make potstickers.
she loves them.
the kids love them.
and so do i.

while at the amish grocery the other day we picked up one of the ingrediants.
the hardest ingredient to find.
jalepeno pepper jelly.


let's get started.
these are going to become one of your favorites.
i promise.


Baked Asian Potstickers
adapted from The Pampered Chef

1 (10 ounce) can white chicken meat , drained and flaked or about a cup and a half of cooked chicken
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
½ cup green onions with top , thinly sliced
¼ cup carrot , grated
1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot , peeled and finely chopped (or 1/4 tsp dry ginger)
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 egg white , lightly beaten
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove , pressed
24 square wonton wrappers

dipping sauce
½ cup jalapeno jelly
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, water chestnuts, green onions, carrot, ginger, soy sauce, egg white, mayo and garlic. Mix well.


3. To assemble potstickers, place 12 wonton wrappers onto a smooth, clean and dry surface. Lightly brush the edges of each wonton with water. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of each wonton. Fold corners of the wonton to the middle to secure the filling inside (envelope style works well, but you can be creative).


you can even recruit a couple of helpers...





4. Place wontons on a cookie sheet and lightly spray with Pam or olive oil. Repeat with remaining wontons.


5. Bake 12-15 min until golden brown.

6. For dipping sauce, place jelly in a small bowl. Microwave on high 30-40 sec or until warm. Add vinegar and soy sauce. Whisk until well blended.

7. Serve potstickers with dipping sauce and enjoy!


will you let me know if you try them??
**********************************************

linking up with skip to my lou.

southern style salsa

oh man, this stuff is good!!!
you WILL. NOT. be disappointed in making this recipe!!
and if you are, send it to me. i'll eat it!


see the teeny glimpse of my diet mountain dew can in the top right??
it completes the meal.
hmmm....southern style salsa paired with tortilla chip strips and dt mtn dew may or may not have been my meal that night.
and my late night snack.
and my mid morning snack the following day.
i might or might not have raved about it to my father and mother in-law and then made it for them when we were in florida for spring break.
it's good stuff.
you'll think so too!


i just noticed the recipe says 12 servings....
um, it was more like 3.
for what it's worth, i'm a BIG scooper....like maybe a teaspoon full on one chip...
*tip toeing slowly outta sight*
:o)

{this is a pampered chef recipe}

are you ready for some football??

Well, the name "Overwhelmed by His Blessings" is proving to be an absolute perfect fit for my blog....and family!

If you read this blog enough, you know what I'm talkin' about...

OK. So, moving on.

Jake Austin had his first flag-football game on this past Saturday.
I was a little nervous for him. His team only had a couple of practices before they took to the field for a real game....they did great! Jake got a flag one time...YAY! And, coach let him run the ball on the last play...GO JAKE!

I have to apologize to the grandparents for my poor photos...I was trying to video tape the game for Daddy AND get photos. Next game I'll do better!





Go, Jake, Go!






On a side note...I made Breakfast Grits Casserole for dinner...holy moly!!! I'm having a great big helping as a snack now...as Jett would say "mmm...Good Stuff"
Thank you Melissa M. for the recipe!
You guys want it???

1 lb. Maple sausage, browned and drained (I use Tennessee Pride)
1 1/2 C. uncooked grits, prepared, salt to taste (I don't add any salt)
4 oz Velveeta, cubed
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage, drain. Prepare grits according to package directions. Add Velveeta to grits, stir until melted. In a seperate bowl whip your eggs until combined...does that make sense? Add to grits mixture. Pour grits mixture into 9x9 or 9x13 pan. Sprinkle sausage on top. Bake for 20 minutes. My family has decided that a little pancake syrup is super tasty drizzled on top!!! ENJOY!