Long Lost File No. 5: Party Crackers

I'm all about traditions and one of my favorite traditions is pulling party crackers on Boxing Day. My cousin who was born in England introduced the game at Christmas a few years ago and I fell in love with them! They're so much fun and everyone enjoys some friendly competition every now and again. I thought to myself, "why do I only see these around during the holidays?" and decided that I want to share the joy of these little dynamos and make my own to use any time of the year!

Things Needed

Sturdy paper (the thicker, the more challenging to play!)

Toilet paper rolls or cylinder

Scissors

String/ribbon

Goodies to put inside

Optional: Things to decorate outside of party crackers with

Snaps

 

1. Decorate paper if desired. I my party crackers for a themed party so I drew pictures of nautical themed things!

2. Wrap paper around a cylinder shape and measure paper to make sure it wraps fully around the tube and can fit the goodies you want to put inside the crackers leaving about five (5) inches on the ends to pull on.

3. On one end of the tube, pinch the paper 4-5 inches from the end. Twist the pinched part gently to make it stay in place.

4. Tie the part you just twisted with string or ribbon and knot it twice for extra security.

5. Fill party crackers with whatever your heart desires! Some ideas could be candy, snaps, confetti, party poppers, lottery tickets, little toys and trinkets, etc. etc. Traditional ones have tissue paper crowns which are always fun. :-)

6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 and the battle is on!

How to Play

This game requires two people per cracker with each person holding one end.

On the count of three, both players pull as quickly and hard as they can and whoever receives the longer side wins the contents inside! 

I made these for my birthday this year and everyone had a blast. It's a fun and exciting way for people to get to know each other and show off your competitive side. And gives you bragging rights when you win!

Have you ever been challenged to a party cracker face off?

>>>-------------------->
xoxo, Emily

Long Lost File No. 4: Almond Butter Cups

One of my favorite candies of all time are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I mean who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter?! I love me some vegan goodies which got me thinking, why don't I make a vegan and healthier version of my beloved Reese's? And I'm so glad I did because they were even better than the real thing! What can I say, they're the perfect treat to have after a long day's work.

Almond Butter Cups

Yield: 8

Filling:

1/2 Cup Almond Butter (or other type of nut butter)

1 Tablespoon Natural Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil

A Pinch of Cinnamon

Shell:

1/4 Cup Cacao Powder (I also mixed in some PB2)

2 Tablespoons Natural Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil

Filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and cinnamon and mix until batter is smooth.

2. Pour mixture into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners and fill each cup up about 1/4 of the way.

3. Place muffin tin into freezer and freeze for at least half an hour.

While your almond butter cup filling hardens, let's make the shell.

Shell:

1. Combine the cacao powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a bowl and stir until all ingredients are mixed together well. The mixture will be runny before adding the maple syrup.

2. After freezing the almond butter mixture, remove from freezer and spread the chocolate shell over the filling.

3. Return to freezer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Remove from cupcake liner and indulge!

They turned out so well that I practically devoured them in an hour! What is your favorite candy of all time?

>>>-------------------->

xoxo, Emily

Three Things I Love Thursday.

I've decided that starting today, every Thursday will be Three Things I Love Thursday! Just a fun way to get to know each other. :-)

One: My first love is my puppy Chandler, named after Chandler, AZ, one of my favorite places to visit. He's a seven month old shih tzu who I love dearly and treat as if he were my child... (except he doesn't cry!) Chandler likes to cuddle, short walks halfway down the street, treats, and of course his mommy!

 

 

We still even have puppy play dates with his brother! It was like puppy love at first sight.

Two: Some girls dream of being doctors, astronauts, scientists, ballerinas... but me? I've always dreamed of being a figure skater. I remember spending nearly every Saturday at the local rink running and sliding across the ice and Sunday mornings watching the US Figure Skating competitions on t.v. while skating around the kitchen in my socks. I also remember falling a lot as I attempted to perform triple axels in socks!

I didn't take any lessons until freshman year of high school, but I had a blast and I ended up skipping two levels during evaluations. It definitely felt like an Ice Princess moment except without the fancy jumps! I'm not taking lessons at the moment, but I've been working on small jumps and hopefully I can work my way up to bigger ones. Hard work definitely has and will continue to pay off!

Three: One of the things I enjoy most is teaching and watching young minds grow. In elementary school, I always found myself missing recess to stay inside and teach kids in the younger grades to read. I have also had the opportunity to volunteer in classrooms alongside teachers and also teach sixth graders the wonders of outdoor science. It's such a gift to be able to teach kids and watch them grow as people because they are the future. And teaching science on the beach is definitely a plus!

What three things do you love the most?

>>>-------------------->
xoxo, Emily

Long Lost File No. 3: Vegan Brownies

Valentine's Day is over, but that doesn't mean you can't still give some yummy goodies for your loved ones (or yourself!) Although I'm not vegan, I do enjoy making/eating vegan food when I can, so I whipped up some healthy, delicious, and vegan brownies to drown in on any day of the year! And did I mention they only require three ingredients?! It's like a dream come true!

Vegan Brownies

Yield: 6

3-4 Large Pitted Dates

 1 Tablespoon Cacao Powder

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1. Soak dates in water for 30 minutes or until slightly softened.

2. Blend all ingredients in high speed blender until mixture is smooth.

3. Form mixture into balls/bars/whatever shape desired and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Remove from refrigerator and enjoy!

*Blend mixture with a little bit of water for easier blending

Mix in nuts, dried fruit, or cacao nibs to switch up flavors! I added some PB2 to the mix for a nuttier taste since I don't digest tree nuts well. :-)

These babies are great for a snack or for dessert, and the best thing is, you can yourself indulge and not feel guilty about it! What's your favorite Valentine's Day treat?

Have a lovely day!

>>>-------------------->
xoxo, Emily

Long Lost File No. 2: Nautical Themed Party

This weekend was crazyness packed with good friends and good times. My birthday was on Friday and what's a better way to kick off the weekend and the big one eight? A party! As a kid at heart, I chose to have a nautical themed party - requiring costumes and all that good stuff. I spent weeks planning as I had a million things I wanted to do and everything turned out wonderful.

 

Nautical themed table display

 Lifesaver life ring

The "crew"

In the next couple of days, I'll post tutorials on how to make the hand printed tablecloth and a party favorite, party crackers!

Until then, anchors away!

Long Lost File No. 1

Hello Blogspot!

After spending hours in front of the computer trying to remember things from my basic Myspace html-ing day, I finally made my profile to look how I want it to... kinda.

Anyways,
it's been such a hectic week filled with Christmas parties and family get togethers. My extended family keeps growing and growing and this year we made it up to fifteen kids. FIFTEEN. I still remember when my sister and I were the only kids in the family, not that I'm complaining. Plus I still get to sit at the kids table at Christmas dinner. :-)

Although the holidays are almost over, I'm probably going to post holiday decoration ideas and recipes anyways. You know, to store away for next year. ;-)

Ta ta for now!

Getting together fifteen kids is definitely not easy, but we did it!