Month

January 2014

Turning 2 at The Zoo. A Birthday Party For My Little Monkey

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Has it really been 2 years already? The past 24 months seem almost a blur. You are no longer a baby. I will no longer have to refer to your age in months. You are 2. I still can’t believe it.

One of the disadvantages of having a winter baby, is having to be confined to the indoors. I have a fairly good sized family. I would love to be able to include everyone, but unless I want to throw 3-4 separate parties, it just isn’t possible.  Summer babies have it made, outdoor BBQ’s are ideal for large get-togethers. We wanted to keep it simple. We kept a small guest list, with only 16 attendees including the birthday girl.

Mai is an animal lover, so we chose a zoo themed party. Our party was a little last minute due to work, the holidays & an upcoming vacation. I still wanted to give her a great party ,but was limited on time & did not want to spend a ton. I think we pulled off a lovely party for our little tot, without too much stress, planning or breaking the bank.

Simple pink garland & a couple of paper lanterns were hung from the ceiling. I hand cut two number 2s out of heavy scrapbook paper & used a hole punch to dangle from the lanterns.

 

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I loved these zebra print plates & napkins. They were perfect for our party, but they are over priced & come so few in a package. I mixed & matched the zebra party supplies with lesser priced pink plates & napkins. I alternated the napkin stacks in pink, then zebra prints.

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This simple party prop was made out of old cardboard boxes & scrapbook paper.

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The letters used to spell out Mai’s name were a wall hanging we received at my baby shower. They came in handy today.

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This is a singing Happy Birthday elephant that we received on Mai’s 1st birthday. It was a perfect addition to our zoo themed day.

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Our cheese, cracker & salami platter was supposed to be a lion, but looks a little more like a mouse. It looked differently in my head, but it was still cute & tasted good.

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A tiger made out of taco cheese ball with Doritos & Blue tortilla chips.

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A monkey cupcake cake

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2? I thought I was 1. Hmmm.

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She is only interested in her ice cream & cake.

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Who gave her Doritos?

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Yes, more tissue paper.

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Precious moments!

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Happy Birthday, my sweet girl.

Related Topics:

http://motherlygeekiness.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/birthday-ideas/

http://adrianorozco81.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/ashleys-1st-birthday-woodland-hills-ca/

http://allthatglitterseventplanninganddesign.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-themed-birthday-tmntdude/

http://breathofsunshine.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/chet-is-two/

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Cheesy Mashed Potato Manicotti

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I am a carb addict. In the past, I have tried Atkins, South Beach, and all of those low carbohydrate diets. While they worked in the beginning, I was never able to stick to them. I love carbs, so why not embrace it. This is the ultimate carbohydrate addict’s meal, carbs stuffed with more carbs.

Cheesy Mashed Potato Manicotti

Mashed Potatoes

6 medium potatoes (peeled, cut & mashed)  Use your favorite mashed potato recipe or you can use instant as well.                                                                                                                           1 cup of cooked & crumbled bacon (regular or turkey bacon)                                                       1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (low fat or regular)

Add crumbled bacon & cheddar to the mashed potatoes & mix well.

Cheese Sauce-I always use this recipe or a variation of it when I need a cheese sauce        http://www.food.com/recipe/basic-cheese-sauce-165722

1/4 cup butter                                                                                                                                       1/4 cup flour                                                                                                                                         1/2 teaspoon salt                                                                                                                                    1 pinch cayenne pepper                                                                                                                      1/8 teaspoon dry mustard                                                                                                                    2 cups milk                                                                                                                                              1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and seasonings and stir until blended.

Gradually add milk and cook stirring constantly until thickened.

Stir in cheese and heat until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.

Full Recipe:

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Cook a full box of manicotti according to package directions & drain. Lay down the manicotti on wax paper to cool. Prepare your mashed potatoes. Fill each manicotti shell with mashed potato mixture using a small spoon. Place in a casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top & sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

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Serve to your favorite food critic.

 

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Ma, seriously what is this? Ok, try try try

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Mmmmmm. Potato

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Related Topics:

http://thehungrybelgian.com/2013/12/31/pommes-duchesse/

http://eatbreathecook.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/repurposing-leftovers-mashed-potatoes/

http://finallygettingtogether.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/meaty-manicotti/

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