Christmas Cooking: Rolo Pretzel Delights + Hot Cocoa Bar

Happy Christmas Eve!
I have been baking away getting ready for our family dinner tonight.  I have another fun, simple, tasty recipe to share, plus have got a few decorations done for our family dinner.

Rolo Pretzel Delight

Ingredients:
Pretzel (I used flat, lattice shape)
Rolo candies (unwrapped is best if you can find them)
Pecans

Directions:
Set oven to 250
Spread pretzels flat on cookie sheet
Unwrap Rolo candies and place on your pretzel (centered)
Stick cookie sheet in oven for about four minutes
Remove and place pecan in center of Rolo
Put cookie sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and then remove

I found some cute ideas for a cocoa bar here and although I wasn't able to find a multi level stand like the one shown, I made the best with what we had.  It came out cute and the kids are going to love it. Once they are asleep, the adults could enjoy it just as much with some Bailey's, maybe some Fireball or other cinnamon, Christmas-y flavored liquors.  Yuuuummmmmyyyy

Hope you have a super Christmas! Make the moments count.

Recipe: Peanut butter Cheerio treats {5 ingredients}

It's Christmas week!  So exciting.  I am 99% done with shopping, just need to get stocking stuffers and I am ready.  We are hosting Christmas Eve dinner and I am preparing some treats for the fam.  I have a couple to share this week.  This first is so simple and so tasty.  You will love them!

Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 cups Cheerios

Directions:
In a large pan, combine sugar and Karo syrup on medium heat and bring to boil.  
Next, add vanilla and peanut butter and stir until smooth.
Pour in Cheerios and stir to coat evenly.
Let cool on wax paper.  I used an ice cream scoop for even clusters.  

Quantity:
This recipe made about 40 clusters when using ice cream scoop.  I boxed some up for my office and they loved them.  Perfect for large gatherings.

Variations:
Shape into trees or wreaths
Use different flavor Cheerios

Weekend Rewind: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Disney we go.  We took a little Sunday evening trip to Disney and the kids had the best time.  I took lots of pictures, so follow along....

We finally called it a night at midnight.  All but one of the kids made it thru the night.  The little five year old finally crashed a little before we left.  This was such a great way to go to Disney.  With the exception of having the kids out really late, we didn't have to wait for any rides and were able to do the entire park, including dinner and parade in 4.5 hours.  No waiting for rides.  None.  Glorious!

Plus, the weather was nice and cool and the tickets cost less ($62-$67).  They had lots of treat stations around the park with complimentary cocoa and cookies and it was just enough sugar to keep the kiddos up.  You can't enter until 5:00 or so but once the park clears out at 7:00, we really zipped around from ride to ride.  If you have a chance to hit a Disney special event similar to this, you won't regret it.  

Hope your week is off to a great start!

11 Fun Christmas Party Ideas

Less than two weeks until our family Christmas Eve dinner and planning has begun.  I have started looking online to plan the fun.  Pinterest is my go to spot.  There are so many great ideas that have been shared and I have some wonderful inspiration.  Here are some ideas, too great not to share.

I have used a couple other cheesecake dips and they have been delish.  This looks like a great one.

This project is sooooo cute.  I think the kids would love it and it'd be a great project for the guys.

I have a few parties to attend and this would be adorable for a little hostess gift, don't you think?

So pretty.  This would be a good project for my oldest niece to help with.

These two pancake platters and cute donuts would be perfect for the children on Christmas morning.

This is a great idea for my 14-year old nephew.  We have kicked him off the gift list and moved him to cash until he gets a little older.  Cash is king for teenagers.

This would be a pretty and simple arrangement to use across the house.

We are planning some kids games and this would be so fun.

The kids love to go to Starbucks and order cocoa so we are planning a cocoa bar so they can make their own.  I have seen varieties with caramel and cool whip too.

What are your favorite Christmas party ideas?

Christmas Tablescapes

The happiest time of the year is finally here!  I am hosting Christmas Eve dinner so pretty tablescapes are on my mind.  I looked online at Pinterest of course, for some inspiration and found some great ideas to share.

10 Christmas Party Invitation Ideas

Traditional is out the window!  I am loving how modern and whimsical party invitations are these days.  I found some really cute ideas while I was preparing the invite for our annual Christmas Eve dinner party.  Here are some of the favorites I found: