Recipes for your Super Bowl Weekend - both Semi-Homemade... and not.so.much

Howdy from the Dallas area - home to Super Bowl XLV!  Whew, I was just out running errands and thank GOODNESS, the ice/snow is finally melting.  What a week. 

But now... on to important things, like what ARE we gonna snack on tomorrow?  In case you're looking for that perfect snack, I've got it for you.  I have to warn you, it's not all that semi-homemade... but when my friend Erin passed it along, I knew I had to share.  If you make this, I wanna see pics!

The Snackadium
(courtesy of ABC News)

They say you can't move this, once you make it, so make it where you want to serve it! 

What you'll need:

Guacamole
Cheese dip
Salsa
Sour cream
15 Vienna sausages
8 cubes yellow cheese
7 cubes white cheese
2 sausage sticks
2 slices Monterey Jack cheese
Sponge cake snacks
Cooked bacon
Bags of assorted snacks
20-oz. summer sausage


Equipment:
9 x 13-in. pan
Pastry bag with tip
Toothpicks
Wire

Step 1: Fill the field
Fill the middle of the pan with guacamole to represent grass. Then line one end zone with salsa and the other with cheese dip.


Step 2: Draw the yard lines
Draw yard lines with sour cream. Use the pastry bag to draw straight, even lines.


Step 3: Top sausages with cheese
Use toothpicks to secure cheese cubes to the tops of the Vienna sausages to represent players with helmets. Align the players with opposing colors on opposite sides of the field.


Step 4: Fabricate goal posts
Cut the sausage sticks and fabricate goal posts using toothpicks to hold them together. Then lay a slice of Monterey Jack cheese in either end zone, securing the posts through the cheese and to the field with toothpicks.


Step 5: Build the stadium
Build the stadium. Line the edges of the field with a layer of snack cakes and secure strips of bacon to the tops of the cakes with toothpicks. Add another row of cakes and bacon 4 inches outside of the first and make it 3 layers high.


Step 6: Add the fans
Fill the space between the stadium walls with different kinds and colors of chips or party mix to represent fans. Separate each kind of snack with a piece of bacon.


Step 7: Hang the blimp
Fashion a 20-ounce summer sausage into a blimp and hang it over the field with a wire. After you have displayed your masterpiece go ahead and enjoy your tasty football treat.
Recipe from howcast.com

What am I making?  I have a huge bag of wheat dinner rolls that I'm turning into sliders, ham and cheese sandwiches (and possibly grilled cheese for the kids). 

(Pic from Imperial Catering)

A couple of our go-to game day recipes (which are totally from my semi-homemade playbook):

Buffalo Chicken dip (a long time fav from my mom!)

(Photo from Frank's Red Hot)

Mix together:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup ranch dressing - or bleu cheese!
1/2 cup hot wing sauce (I use Frank's!)
chicken - I use a package of the already cooked chicken strips, but you can slice up chicken breasts you have, or a rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken

Then either heat in the microwave (stirring often) until hot OR bake 20 min at 350.
Serve with crackers, chips, celery sticks.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies (another one from Mom!)
This one is super simple!
Cut cheap bacon slices (cheaper because it's thinner and cooks better) into 1/3s.
Wrap around lil smokies and secure with a toothpick.
Place bacon smokies in a big cooking dish (lined with foil, so you don't have to clean this mess up!)
Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake at 325 for about 45 min.... or until the bacon is done and the brown sugar has carmelized.  Yummy!


And check out Amy's ideas on Living Locurto (Amy is from mr. fix-it's hometown and now she lives in the same suburb where I work - small world!  Naturally, she and mr. fix-it know ALL the same people back home and she's so sweet and creative!)  The Antipasto Bake she has pictured looks AMAZING (and seems pretty semi-homemade, too!)

I'm not even gonna think about the depression that enters my household as the last football game of the year wraps up.... ;)  Happy snacking!

G-man just keeps on TRUCKIN': A Semi-Homemade "TRUCKER" party!

Keep on truckin'. 

The theme:  To say G-man is obsessed with trucks is like saying that - last year at this time - I kinda liked pirates.  In other words... that boy is all about trucks!  He seems to love all trucks, so I settled on Vintage Trucks (because I was considering it for G-man's Big Boy room - can't wait for you to see it!)

The invite:  Right after I started contemplating vintage trucks... we spent a weekend at Mr. Fix-it's parents' house.  Just so happens his dad owns this old truck that was perfect for the front of G-man's invite:

And it just so happens that I was throwing a Surprise Party for my mom's 60th the weekend before G's birthday.  In Oklahoma, near all our family.  So... because the Summer House just doesn't have much capacity.. ;)  ...and because 2nd birthdays in the Semi-Homemade house are family-only affairs...we held the party at my parents' house - aka The Truck Stop! 

The back of the invite:

(I'll have to share my mom's party with you later. But imagine attending a surprise party in your honor... and then being told another party is being thrown at your very own house. Later that day. But I had taken care of every detail, so nothing for her to worry about!)

The decor:  trucks - everywhere!  While brainstorming bedroom ideas, I had seen so many amazing vintage truck finds that I just couldn't pass up!  Some of them did double-duty to set the stage for G's trucker party!
 

There's only 2 challenges to throwing a party at my parents' house.  Long distance parties are complicated (so much to pack, grocery shopping to do once you get there, etc.).  And the lighting isn't the greatest.  Meaning there is exactly zero natural light.  But imagine this without the harshness of the flash - it was so fun!

This is my grandmother's sideboard.  That clock is older than anyone I know.  Perfect for our vintage truck theme.  I ditched the original color scheme of light blue and lime green as soon as I ran across so many great things at Hobby Lobby in red and light blue.  Such a happy color combo!

There's so many fun finds on this table.  First of all... those super fun trucks on the tablecloth are from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, that isn't actually a party shop.  Debbie from Paper Quick can make anything, I'm convinced.  She did the toy soldier's for Sissy's Nutcracker Sweet party last year.  And she created these trucks for me (I ordered them in red and light blue and I'll use the small ones in G's birthday book!)

Fun sippys for the kids (another cheap find at HL!)  And I loved the popcorn napkins... perfect with the menu of Truck Stop fare.

Remember how much I love the nearby nostalgic candy & popcorn store, Mom & POPcorn?  I had them do a custom mix in the birthday colors... blue rasberry & cherry... YUM!

The party hat on the right (and the tag in the background) is part of a printable party set I won earlier this year from Esty seller Parties by Hardie.  Their parties are such an amazing value and include everything you'd need for a custom party.  Everything had G-man's name and age on it, and the whole thing was easy! 

You'll see more of the trucker hat later.  I ordered them on Amazon.  To get a reasonable price, I ordered adult size hats, but they adjusted small enough to fit.  This seller had tons of colors for under $4 per hat!

The food:  I snapped this shot before the food was ready.  Just cupcakes and mnm's (we just didn't have parties at my house growing up without 'em!)

The napkin rings and placecards are both from my Parties by Hardie set - love the way it came together.  And that matchbox vintage truck (from Target) was perfect, too!

I picked out these chalkboard canisters for my birthday last year and I just love 'em!  Add a paper vintage truck from Paper Quick and done.  Perfect!

Dinner was a hot dog bar (because after all, we were at a truck stop!)  We had it all - ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, chili, cheese... then we also grilled brats, had Truck Stop Nachos, Mr. Fix-It's Famous Guacamole... and various sides. 

The cake:  Cupcakes and toppers have become my M.O.  So... I'm thinking I'll switch that up for Sissy's next birthday.  But they were perfect for G-man's low key 2nd.  Cheap cupcakes from Sam's (their colors are always right on!), printable toppers in my party pack from Parties by Hardie.  Doesn't get easier (or cheaper!)

The guests:  Big Sis and her cousin Ainsley, cheesin' with their dogs!

G-man does low carbs.  And guac.  ;)

G-man with his Magaw (Sissy came up with that name... and we're still not sure where it came from, but it's not going anywhere!)

G-man loves trucks.  And tents.  This was G-man heaven.

The games:  I'm not really one for games.  Maybe because Sissy and I prefer to just eat and mingle. ;)  But... the 'trucker' theme wouldn't be complete without trucker hats.  And since custom hats for tots cost $25+... We decided to DIY.  Like I said... $4 hats, a set of markers, and we were set!

Daddy helps G-man pull his trucker hat together...

Sissy was concentrating.  G-man looks like he's inspired. ;)

G-man's trucker hat wouldn't be complete without... a TRUCK!

My sister and I try on the girls' handiwork.  (There's a glimpse of the banner that read: Happy Birthday G-man!  I just don't have the time right now to blog-ify it and take G's name out.  But trust that it was all truck and looked great!)

Seriously, these kiddos spent more time on these hats, than the 4yos spent on THREE activities combined at Sissy's last party!

Cousins!

Time for gifts!

Some of my fav gifts!  My sister got G-man the Vintage Truck pillowcases for his new room (from Etsy seller Branch handmade.)

He also got his own tool set - you should see that little man in nothing but a diaper and a toolbelt!

Good ole fashion fun:  Growing up, it wasn't a party without homemade ice cream.  We did it one better by making it an ice cream bar.  Fudge, caramel and candy toppings... mmm!  Perfect for a hot July day!

Happy Birthday, G-man!

To my sweet little man... It's been amazing to watch you grow and change this year.  Daddy and I love that you are 'all boy!'  And Sissy adores you (to a fault, sometimes!)  It's so fun to be your momma.  Can't wait to see what this year has in store!  You are loved. 

On a side note... I've been trying to finish this post for what feels like ages!  But kinda fun that I FINALLY finished it on Aug 7... the day we had picked for him to be born.  :)
xoxo,

A Semi-Homemade Birthday Party Brainstorm - the TRUCKER party!

I know, I know, I've been MIA.  We moved into the Summer House!  There's lots of things I should be doing.... brainstorming ideas for Big Sis and G-man's new bedrooms... unpacking... figuring out WHERE my pizza cutter is....

But there's one way I deal with anxiety.  Party planning.  So, instead I'm daydreaming brainstorming G's 2nd birthday party. 

The inspiration:  I knew the time would come when he would move on from pirates (boo hoo!)  His current obsession?  TRUCKS!  So here's my take on a "Trucker Party."  I initially started dreaming up ideas for this party a month ago.... At that point in time, I hadn't narrowed it down to a certain TRUCK type...  There's so many options - construction trucks, fire trucks, etc!  I have since decided on VINTAGE TRUCKS (which of course, is much harder to find - just means I have get to be more creative!)  But I'm hoping most these ideas can be adapted to vintage trucks!  In my mind, I've been picturing light blue and lime green... then I came across this print on ebay.  THIS is exactly what I'm working towards!

The invitations:  Not sure if I'll whip something up or go to Etsy to find something... but how cute are these  invites from Mr. Bean Cakes?!  Perfect (except the price!)

The location:  If we still lived in a house, we'd have it there, i.e. The Truck Stop  (okay, this is gonna take some thinking now...Maybe a pool or clubhouse?)

The activities will be low key - we do 2nd birthday parties with family and closest friends only (just The Everythings!), so it's more about G-man and his birthday... and less about planning lots of party activities.  We'll have food, drinks, and presents!

G-man's party attire:  Okay, with boys I'm a little iffy on the whole matchy-matchy with party attire.  BUT.  Then I saw this shirt.  Too cute to pass up!  And only $15?  How can I not?!  It's from Etsy (duh) from a seller called Elle's Attic. 

Now that I'm going with the Vintage Truck theme, I'm thinking I'll order this shirt from Gymbo while it's 30% off (and I have a 20% off coupon, too!)

And if we rent the clubhouse at the pool,  how perfect would this swimsuit be?

There's also this cute shirt from makrista baby on Etsy:

Favors:  Trucker hats, of course!  From this fun site called Zazzle!  They have a dozen or so colors of trucker hats... you pick the color, the design, the text - totally custom (squeal!)  Since we do low key birthdays for 2 and 3 (translation: small head count!), this could work, because I'd only have to buy a few hats.

Of course, I love this one for the birthday boy (I know, I said the pirate thing was coming to a close... but doesn't mean we can't still have an occasional pirate, right?):

And this one says Big Sis all over it... literally. ;)

I can see her wanting something PINK (even though I think it would be cute to get boys blue hats and girls green hats!)

I think Mr. fix-it would love it if I got G-man this one.

Need a cheaper idea?  Painters caps can be purchased at a hardware store for less than $1.00 - and you can use fabric paint pens to write the names, doodle designs, etc!

Wouldn't these tags be cute to use on favor bags?  Vintage truck tags from Lazy Day Cottage.

And I could totally do something like this cute truck goodie bag:

Mmmm... chocolate truck lollipops from Bryts Angels!

All kids love to color!  Check out these dump truck crayons from Lil Boo and Co!

Party decor and supplies:  I picked up this fun tent a few weeks ago at JCPenney and it's turning out to be perfect!  (Doesn't hurt that I had some coupons and got it for CHEAP!)  I bet I can personalize it a bit, too.....

Y'all know how much I love printable party stuff.  My sister used Parties by Hardie for her daughter's monkey party and it turned out so cute!  I'm thinking I could use some of the Truck Party supplies to set the stage at The Truck Stop!

Do you remember those cute pink, red and green nutcrackers from Paper Quick that I used to decorate for Big Sis's 4th birthday party?  (If you don't, check it out here.)  Well, she's all over it again this time!  Here's some fun vintage trucks she's working on for me to use decorating - I'm thinking I could put these on glass containers, balloons, tablecloths - the possibilities are endless!

I can totally see myself using these vintage tags to decorate (Maybe I add brown to the lt blue/lime theme with vintage trucks!)  I convo'ed her to see if she can do a vintage truck on here - that would rock!

And I could frame these with lime and lt blue mats to use on the cake and sweets table!  Vintage Vehicle cards from Medley Designs

The cake:
Y'all know I love cupcake toppers because cupcakes are easy and you can be so cusom!  Here's some cute ones from Design Favors.

Or these vintage cupcake toppers! Maybe 1/2 of them in solid lt blue, half in lime green.  I've contacted her, and already heard back.  She's reworking these toppers in the right colors for me.  :)

I've never tried fondant cupcake toppers - how cute are these from Two Sugar Babies?

And what better to eat cake on than your very own special birthday plate?  This one isn't "trucker" themed, but I am in love with it (esp because it would grow with him)!  From the Sillhouette Portrait Collection at Aedriel Originals.

The food: I'm thinking Truck Stop food... right? Maybe a build-your-own hot dog bar?? Concession stand nachos? ;) Popcorn in fun cones or bags? (If you have ideas, send them to me!)  I found these fun bags from Etsy seller Hey Yo Yo (they have the cutest vintage stuff - check 'em out!)

I could cover a table with white butcher paper.... Make a road down the center of the table with black construction paper and yellow lines with paint or paper. Then I could add a few toy vehicles on the road.  Like these:

truck from Etsy seller Brown Sugar 1

truck from Etsy seller Marc's Woodworking

Here is some inspiration for the food table from Pizzazzerie.  Love it!

......sigh........perfection

More to come on G-man's 2nd birthday as we get closer!  Happy weekend, y'all.... and Welcome Summer! :)