Author: Mama

Raspberry White Chocolate Cake Balls

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Christmas, valentine's day, springtime, any time of year is a great time for these delicious raspberry white chocolate cake balls. They're a great addition to any dessert table, and they're easy to make! Add a stick, and you've got beautiful cake pops anyone will love! Raspberry, white chocolate, a drizzle of caramel... heavenly dessert, in bite-sized portions.

During raspberry season, I can’t seem to keep raspberries in stock in my house… I buy a package, and suddenly they’re gone. I equate it with one of the great mysteries of life… my raspberries keep disappearing, and I don’t know how. Except maybe it has a little to do with the fact that my entire family loves raspberries. The only downside is raspberries have a pretty short season here in Kansas, but luckily, I’ve worked some frozen raspberries into these amazing Raspberry White Chocolate Cake Balls that are a perfect treat in the middle of winter when you just want a little raspberry taste. They’ll be the hit of the Christmas party, New Year party, or Valentine’s party while you wait for raspberries to come back into season next summer.

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Kiss Under the Mistletoe Milkshake Mocktail Shots

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Love milkshakes? These adorable Kiss Under the Mistletoe Milkshake Mocktail Shots are adorable mini options when it comes to winter indulgence. And they're delicious! These simple-to-make milkshakes are perfect for winter parties, Christmas parties, and more. They're the perfect party drink at Christmas!

I can’t be the only one who loves bite-sized indulgences at Christmas time. I am one of those people who just can’t make a decision, especially when it comes to the dessert table, so I really love being able to take a bite of this and a bite of that… that’s what makes these Kiss Under the Mistletoe Milkshake Mocktail Shots so perfect– they’re bite-sized (sip-sized?) milkshakes that are PACKED with holiday flavor in a shot-sized serving, so you can indulge, but still have room for pie after.

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Cranberry Orange Spritz Mocktail

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Need a tart, sweet, fizzy little drink for your next holiday party? This cranberry orange spritz fits the bill! It's a mocktail that takes minutes to make and is positively delicious. Make it by the glass or by the big batch in a punch bowl, and keep the Christmas party going all night long!

I love a good fizzy mocktail. There’s just something about a tart, sort of sweet, fizzy little drink that screams “Holiday Party!” And trust me, this super simple drink is exactly what you’ll want at your Christmas party this year. A little cranberry, a little orange, a little fizz to tickle your nose before you hit up the mistletoe… this cranberry orange spritz is going to become your go-to Christmas mocktail, trust me.

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Mr. Grinch Mocktail (with Only 3 Ingredients!)

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I received the KinderPerfect card game for free to feature in this blog post. All opinions are my own.

Having a Monday that feels like a Thursday? This Mr. Grinch mocktail will keep your crabbiness away during the season of holiday cheer when you're feeling more like a grinch than a cheermeister. And with only 3 ingredients, it'll definitely make your heart grow 3 sizes-- perfect for a last-minute holiday party drink!

Ever have one of those Mondays that feels so stressful, so exhausting, that you feel like it should be placed at the END of the week rather than the beginning? Yeah, me, too. Because it’s the holidays, the days of sugar and excitement and SANTA, my son is currently standing on a couch in his underwear, covering his ears while he screams the lyrics to Jingle Bells. Note to self: Hide the candy canes before we go into sugar overload. Yeah, it’s one of those Mondays. Luckily, I’ve got just the mocktail to help with that whole situation… because sometimes mommy needs a time out. Plus, this Mr. Grinch mocktail only has 3 ingredients, so by the end of the glass, you’ll feel more like a holiday CheerMeister than a Grinch… trust me.

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Simple Homemade Caramels (And the cleanup hack that helps you finish the dishes before it’s even time to cut the caramels)

- Mama 24 Comments

Scotch-Brite Scrubbing Dish ClothsThis shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubSeason #CollectiveBias

Homemade caramels are so easy to make, and are a great Christmas treat or hostess gift! Plus, the cleanup is a cinch with this caramel clean up hack. #ScrubSeason [ad]

Car-mels? Care-a-mels? It’s been a pretty consistent argument in this household since we first started making the sweet treats… you’ll hear someone sneak into the fridge and grab a homemade caramel, only to hear “You know they’re called care-a-mels, right?!” Our family has a history of bickering over the pronunciation of words that can be pronounced either way, usually for the sole purpose of annoying each other to bits. But either way you pronounce it, these homemade caramels are simple to make, and the cleanup? It’s just as easy.

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Things to Consider When Shopping for your Teen’s First Car

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®  & Armor All but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ArmorAllGiftPack          http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

When it comes to your teen's first car, there are a lot of things to consider, from mileage to the reliability of the person you're buying from... do you know how to guide your teen into picking the right first car, and then how to encourage them to take care of it for a long life? Here's some advice. @walmart #ArmorAllGiftPack #Pmedia #ad

Tis the season for a new car… whether you’re one of the families who presents your teen with a new car on Christmas with a big shiny bow, or your teen is painstakingly saving up Christmas money to buy it themselves, there are a few things to consider to make sure you’re choosing just the right car for your teen, and some ways to help them keep that car tidy and running for as long as possible.

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Cranberries Forever

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You all know that I love a good cranberry recipe. There’s just something about the tart flavor that just feels cool and crisp in the winter, making them so much fun to cook with. From braids to breads to just the color alone, there’s something beautiful about cranberries for winter time. You might remember I recently shared a recipe for a cranberry chocolate braid, and in the past I’ve shared some cranberry tea cake bars, but I just had to share some amazing cranberry recipes and ideas from other bloggers from around the web! I hope they’ll provide plenty of inspiration this winter.

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Turkey Vegetable Soup (Made with Thanksgiving Leftovers!)

- Mama 2 Comments

If you have a fridge full of Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers, this soup is a perfectly delicious, convenient option for using them up. Turkey Vegetable Soup is hearty and easily made with whatever vegetables and meat you have on hand, making it versatile and a perfect dinner option.

Thanksgiving this year is going to be a little bit weird for us. Usually, we go out of town to visit my grandmother, and it’s always an amazing time. But to be honest, things with Ketchup have been a little iffy around here– with new therapies starting and old ones ending, he’s in such a great period of transition that we don’t really want to rock the boat. It’s going to be our first Thanksgiving in years being home for the holiday instead of visiting family, and honestly? We’re going out to eat. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t buy one of those delicious turkeys on sale… a good Thanksgiving-in-January preparation, if you will. But one thing I really love about Thanksgiving, regardless of where I spend it, is the leftovers. Then again, after a day or two, you really get tired of Turkey Sandwiches… that’s where this yummy soup comes in. It’s easy to make, it’s delicious, and it uses stuff you probably have on hand after Thanksgiving dinner– you can swap out any vegetables or meat you’d like, meaning this turkey vegetable soup could just as easily become a ham and potato soup, or a vegetarian hearty vegetable soup… the possibilities are endless, so let’s get cooking.

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Chocolate Cranberry Braid (and the Science of Cranberry Sauce!)

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Cranberry braids are really easy to make, and so delicious when you make homemade cranberry sauce, too! Plus, learn the science behind cranberry sauce and how to make it at home! It's part science experiment for kids and part delicious thanksgiving recipe!

I love cranberries. Something about that fall flavor just tastes awesome. That said, they can be pretty stinkin’ tart when you just taste one. The kiddo found out the hard way because when we cook together, he insists on tasting every single ingredient. It got me thinking about the science behind cranberries and a way we could learn by experimenting while we cook!

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