You've been Brew-ed... Halloween Beer Gifts

Why should kids have all of the Halloween fun?

Not only should October days be full of BOOs 

but don't forget about those who may enjoy some BREWs!

A delivery of ice cold Witches' "Brews" 

will ensure a very Happy h-ALE-oween!

and if other BOO-ze is what you prefer...

there's a tag for that too.

Tags are available in my Etsy Shop!

Fun Ways to use your Late Summer Tomatoes

Our garden is bursting with tomatoes.

I love going out and picking all of the bright red, juicy jewels at a moments notice, 

but to be honest there are only so many we can eat!

I've got a few different ways to share the last tomato taste of summer...

Make a wreath
Our kitchen table has never looked so festive.
Instead of putting our pickings in a bowl,
we've got an all around festive display of tomatoes and basil.
Looks great and smells even better!

Use them as a bowl

A throwback to the days of classic chicken salad or cottage cheese 

served in a hollowed out tomato, 

I've stuffed ours with shrimp salad!

For my easy shrimp salad, 

I mix 3/4 pound of small cooked shrimp from the fish market, 1 small shallot very finely minced, 

2 celery stalks very finely minced, 2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise, 

1/2 tsp dill weed and a good squeeze of fresh lemon.

Chill well and serve in a large hollowed out tomato.

Place on a festive, colorful plate if you want to feel like you are in Palm Beach, circa 1968.

Give them as a gift

Be the most popular person in town...

Gather tomatoes, fresh basil and your favorite mozzarella 

and this Easy Caprese is sure to make anyone's day.

Take a break from Avocado Toast and 

enjoy Tomato Toast

Enjoy that vine-ripened flavor atop crispy, golden bread.

I love to toast sourdough bread then layer on cottage cheese or ricotta,

 sliced tomatoes and crispy fried shallots.

Whether you say Tomato or To-MA-to, 

I say enjoy them while they are at their peak!

5+ Festive ways to use Chocolate Rabbits for Easter

It all started during Easter years ago.

My kids received so many adorable chocolate bunnies 

that I thought, 

there has to be something more to do with them besides nibble off the ears.

Bunny Milk became a fun tradition that we still look forward to.

It seems as though chocolate rabbits are multiplying more than ever.

The Easter aisles at every store are stocked with all shapes and sizes.

Here are a few more festively easy ways to celebrate with them.

Let's get the Easter Parade started!

Easter Bunny Bonnets

I dare you not to smile at these

fresh flower and succulent hats...

Simply use a skewer to make a stem-sized hole
and adorn with a tiny succulent...

or any other snippets from the garden.

They are the perfect touch of whimsy

for centerpiece or place setting.

Don't they look proud?!

On our Easter Menu...

Stuffed Rabbit - 2 ways

For a sweet surprise, 

make a hole in the back and fill with candy...

Or what my teenagers prefer...

Bunny Money

Rabbit Stew

All the fixings for a Spring stew make a silly hostess gift...

The ingredients include:

a pastel colander, filled with colorful tiny potatoes, fresh veggie seeds...

and one gorgeous dark chocolate rabbit.

For dessert we're serving...

Baked Rabbit (Bunny S'mores)

Small chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies...

are nestled in between graham crackers 

and baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes...

I like mine well done!

And a decadent Chocolate Martini with a tiny bunny floater becomes a

Rabbit-ini

Cheers Big Ears, 

Happy Easter!

I'm Dreaming of a Wine Christmas - Fun Holiday Tags

'Tis the season for hostess gifts, neighbor gifts, gifts for co-workers...

having bottles of wine ready to grab and go alleviates a lot of holiday stress for me.

It may not always the most exciting present,

 but it is always appreciated.  I love finding unique, interesting wines 

and handing it over with a fun tag makes all the difference

What better way to let someone know you want them to

"Cab a Merry Christmas"?

or that their dreams of a "Wine Christmas" are coming true?

and it may not be the first Holiday color that comes to mind, 

but there is nothing more festive than to 

"Think Pink"!

Tags are available in my Etsy Shop

You'll go Nuts for these Christmas Crackers

It's not Christmas until my great aunt Nita,

 sends us a batch of her infamous "Dilly Crackers".

 Totally delicious, totally addictive.

This year I whipped up a few batches to give out as gifts and enlisted a crew of 

NUTS to watch over the CRACKERS...

One bite of these savory delights

and I have a feeling the soldiers will be abandoning cracking nuts!

Find out more on my amazing Aunt Nita here

Aunt Nita's Dilly Crackers

2-12  ounce packages oyster crackers

l-1/4 cups vegetable oil

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (original)

2-1/2 teaspoons dill weed

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix oil, ranch dressing (dry) dill weed and garlic salt

 Pour over crackers and coat well.  

Put into medium roaster pan and bake at 200 degrees for l hour.  (stir after  1/2 hr.)

Remove from oven and put on paper towels.  

Cool and store.

Farmers' Market Bloody Marys

It's no secret that I love everything about Farmer's Markets.

They're fresh, colorful, fun and I look forward to our local market every week.

What better way to celebrate the beautiful bounty you find
than creating a "farm to cup" Bloody Mary?

A quick farm stand stop 

is all it takes to make an amazingly memorable cocktail...

Almost any and every veggie will work, 

the more vibrant the better...

Simply spear them up and stick them into any and every 

Powell & Mahoney Bloody Mary Mix

An impressive beverage that is as delicious as it is pretty...

I think everyone should 

Eat, Drink and Be Mary...

(Print your own tags here.)

Pair the tags with Powell & Mahoney and you've got the perfect gift.

Their cocktail mixes are handcrafted in small steam kettles in Vermont.  

They take great pride in using only natural ingredients and are all gluten free. 

They believe that your favorite spirit deserves a high-quality mixer and so do you!

 The classic Bloody Mary has a pure tomato flavor, 

with barrel-aged Worcestershire sauce, and all natural spices 

The Chipotle Bloody Mary mix is bold and smokey and

the Sriracha contains cayenne and jalapeno peppers 

that really awaken the senses with their spice.

 I want to make sure you have 

A Bloody Good Halloween too...

Print tags here

Cheers!

Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers are available at many retailers or on their website

and check out their Entertainer Blog here.

Thank you to Powell & Mahoney for sponsoring this post.  All content and opinions are my own.

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