Category: Party Ideas

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese

reblogged from Tracey’sCulinaryAdventure

White Sauce
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
pinch of sugar
pinch of garlic powder

Buffalo Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup Frank’s hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup cooked and shredded chicken (from about 1 small chicken breast)
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced celery
4 1/2-inch thick slices Italian bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

To make the white sauce: Stir the yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar, garlic powder and a pinch each of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. (The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated.)

To make the buffalo sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the hot sauce, brown sugar and vinegar and stir until combined. Add the shredded chicken, red onion, and celery and toss to coat. If the chicken was cold, keep the pan over low heat and let it warm through a bit.

Lightly butter one side of two slices of the bread. Flip the slices over and lay them butter side down on your work surface. Spread half of the white sauce on the side of those two slices that is now facing up (the unbuttered side). Distribute half of the cheese among the two slices. Top each slice with half of the chicken mixture and then distribute the remaining cheese over the chicken. Lightly butter one side of the two remaining slices of bread, then flip them over and use the other half of the white sauce to coat the unbuttered side. Top each sandwich with a slice of this bread to finish it (buttered side facing out).

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Place the sandwiches butter side down in the pan and cook on the first side until the bread is golden brown and toasted. Flip the sandwiches using a spatula and continue to cook on the other side until the bread is golden brown. You can use the spatula to compress the sandwich as it cooks on the second side. Remove the sandwiches from the pan and let them rest for a minute or two, then slice in half (if desired) and serve

Cookies ‘N Cream Fudge Oreo Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix
eggs & oil (as called for by the brownie mix)
1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream
1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp)

Preheat oven & spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

via kevinandamanda.com

Marbled Nails

Supplies: orange stick or toothpick, shot glass or cup (the smaller the circumference, the less polish you end up wasting), room temp. water, nail polish, tape (optional, but it helps with the clean up)

I like to begin by prepping my nails with base coat and one coat of polish. Here I used China Glaze Innocence for a nice neutral base.

Steps:

1. Fill your cup with some warm or room temperature water. If the water is too cold, the nail polish will seize up. 

2. Choose the polishes you want to work with; keep in mind the opacity of the polish you are using, if its too sheer, it might not look right. 

3. I like to begin with the lightest color. Load up the brush and let a big drop of polish fall into the water. Continue with the other colors until you have a few concentric circles of polish in the water. 

4. Using the toothpick or orange stick, drag through the polish from the edge toward the middle. Continue to drag the stick through the polish until you find a design that you think looks pretty.

5. Optional: tape around the edge of the nail to protect your finger from becoming covered with nail polish. Scotch tape works perfectly for this. 

6. Holding your finger horizontally, dip your fingernail into the glass, making sure it is completely submerged. 

7. Use the toothpick/orange stick to trace around your finger, gathering up all the unused nail polish in the glass. 

8. Lift your finger out of the glass, and let dry before taking the tape off.

9. Continue with your other nails until you have a full set of beautifully water marbled nails.

10. Slick on your favorite top coat and Voila! All done!

Most importantly, have fun! As with any type of nail art, practice makes perfect, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right the first time

Balloon Party Activity Plan

Reblogged from realdanagentry:

Prep balloons ahead of time, insert a note with the different activities you’ve planned into each one before blowing them up. Write times on the balloons with permanent markers. Then when that time hits- pop the balloon and do the activity!

Some ideas: bake cookies, play a game, paint nails, sing a song, eat cake, open a present, etc…