See You Later Alligator

Just had to share this cute little gator treat.  These were given out by a PTA friend on the last day of school.  The green squared decoration on top of alligator is molding chocolate.  Good cookie!

 Hope you have a COOL summer!

Summer of Movies and Milkshakes-Teacher Thank Yous

To say THANK YOU our wonderful teachers deserve big cash prizes or trips to Bermuda to lounge by the pool side for days, or weeks at a time.  We couldn't quite come up with that this year so for our thank you gifts we went with A Summer of Movies and Milkshakes.

We put together these adorable little ice cream trucks from Claudine Hellmuth.  When creating these little trucks I would offer the same hints as given in my Retro oven post.  The trucks are even quicker to put together and so much fun!  

Inside the ice cream truck we included gift cards to Sonic (for milkshakes) and Redbox (for movies).  I also placed the truck on top of a Sees Summertime assortment box...(only $4.00)  

Stuck a fun straw in the top of the truck and attached the flower tag found here or make your own.  Then wrapped in cellophane.

The template also comes with a removable cupcake tray.  You just might want to include a yummy cupcake. 

Jen went a step further and added the gift certificates/cards to the truck window.  I like it!

We hope our teachers and friends love their summer of fun and get lots of good rest.  We'll see you in the Fall!

It's Your Birthday! SHOE Stoppin Birthday Cake

My sister celebrated her birthday this year by giving herself the gift of CAKE!  What a great idea!

Katherine's Kreations as always came through in a BIG way.  Connie just asked for a really yummy red velvet cake..."Oh, anything you want to make!"         

Katherine, of course, glammed it up and created a spectacular cake that Connie just wanted to sit and look at for the first few hours. 

Then the kids won and they carefully annihilated the creation.  It was reported to have tasted as delicious as it looked.  Everything on the cake was edible, including the shoe.

Thanks Katherine for taking such good care of my sister!    

Chinese Chicken Salad from Paula Deen

 Mmmm Monday's selection comes from a Paula Deen recipe.

A friend of mine served this at a graduation luncheon last week.  Everyone loved it.  It was spectacular and easy.  The only must for this recipe is using Napa cabbage...not regular cabbage.  Add our Parmesan Cheese Toast and you've got a fantastic meal.  I think we are going to see this salad surface several times this summer!

Chinese Chicken Salad from Paula Deen

• 1 head Napa or Bok Choy cabbage (not regular cabbage)
• 3 green onions
• 1 3-ounce package ramen noodles with seasoning pack
• 1 6-ounce package slivered almonds
• 1  tablespoon  sesame seeds
• 1/2  cup  vegetable oil
• 1/4  cup  sugar
• 3  tablespoon  white vinegar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Shredded chicken (optional)

Directions:

Tear the cabbage, slice the onions, and place in a large salad bowl. Crumble the noodles into a broiler pan, add the almonds, sesame seeds, and broil for 2 minutes, being careful not to scorch the sesame seeds. In a jar with a tight lid, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, and salt with the contents of the seasoning pack. Cover the jar and shake well to blend the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, add chicken then toasted sesame and almonds, and toss to combine. Yield: 6 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes

Happy Graduation Luncheon

May is a CRAZY month!  Between the end-of-year school and extra curricular functions, baseball and softball games, almost forgotten piano recitals, birthdays, Mother's day and many, many meetings, I feel quite exhausted.  But like you it's almost June and we're all still alive!  We did it!...and this year we even added a High School Graduation to all the other festivities.

Because we have such a wonderful neighborhood full of amazing women we decided to throw a graduation luncheon, amidst all of our other fun.  We have 5 young ladies from our little neighborhood graduating from High School and thought it might be nice to say Good Job, Well Done and offer our well wishes for a bright future.

We had planned an outside summer-type luncheon but it rained that day so we moved inside and had a cozy little soiree.  

Our little patio lanterns added great mood lighting INSIDE.

 Katherine Kreations came up with fun and summery graduation cupcakes...Katherine O'Donnell is the best!

 Yummy salads and desserts were served.  Check out the recipe here for an amazing Chinese chicken salad.

We found this recipe for a really yummy fruit dip.

Coconut Creme Fruit Dip

1-8oz Cream Cheese (softened)

1 can Coconut Creme 

(found in the drink mixer section of most grocery stores)

1 regular sized Cool Whip

Mix coconut creme and cream cheese in mixer until smooth.  

Add cool whip by spoon and mix carefully until creamy.

If you like the coconut taste but don't like the texture this is soooo good!

And of course what's a great luncheon without chicken croissant sandwiches.  By the way, I think Sam's Club has the best (and most affordable) croissants around.

Our graduates...Funny Girls

One of our clever neighborhood ladies bought cute journals for each of the graduates.  All the luncheon party goers wrote little messages of wisdom, encouragement and love to each of the girls.  Those messages will be taken to college campuses across the country.  Love it! 

Nothing Says Lovin...Straight from the Oven

Mmmm Monday-Happy Mother's Day

I had the privilege of hosting our annual Mother's Day Dinner yesterday.  Along with being the BEST mother in the whole wide world she just happens to be the BEST baker and cook as well.  I wanted to do something extra special for her and the other moms that were invited to dinner so when I found this adorably clever container for a cupcake I knew I had to create it.  Thanks to Claudine Hellmuth (Retro Oven template and tutorial) it was easy and fun!

After creating several of these I have one HUGE hint.  Make sure everything lines up perfectly when assembling or you'll get a crooked oven...trust me!  Other than that they all went together seamlessly.  

A little chocolate gift  went to all the someday mothers (daughters, nieces, etc.).  Each treat was labeled with a  sweet tag found here

Add a few chocolate covered strawberries, a fabulous dinner, hugs and kisses all around, and we have SWEET SUCCESS.

Love You MOM!