Patriotic Pretzels

July 4th is just around the corner and I've been busy preparing for my long holiday weekend.

Here's a sweet treat I borrowed from Martha Stewart- Pretzel Sparklers.

Just melt some chocolate (I chose white chocolate) in the microwave. Dip each pretzel rod in the chocolate and then lay them out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Pour some red, white and blue sprinkles on top and refrigerate to harden.

Once the chocolate has hardened stack them up in some jars.

Easy to grab and go.

This Irish Lady Has Turned Italian

I am a huge Giada De Laurentis fan and for Christmas my husband gave me this cookbook.

Giada's Kitchen

Ryan and I never thought of ourselves as pasta lovers but this cookbook has changed us! I have tried about half of the recipes so far and love all of them.

This recipe is Ryan's favorite and in the cookbook Giada mentions that her husband loves it as well. So I guess it's a man's meal :) It's basically sausage, peas, ricotta cheese and pasta.

First you brown the Italian sausage with some garlic. Add some frozen peas until they are warmed and smash them with the back of a wooden spoon. Mix them together with some ricotta cheese.

Add the cooked pasta (I used orecchiette this time) with some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce.

Chop up some fresh basil to sprinkle on top of the pasta, along with freshly grated cheese.

And there you have it!

A delicious, hearty dish in just 20 minutes!

Giada's Tagliatelle With Smashed Peas, Sausage and Ricotta Cheese.

Espresso Makers

My husband's best friend is Italian and over Labor Day weekend his mom made us some Italian coffee with an espresso maker. It was so delicious and I have been thinking about it ever since.

So now I'm on the hunt for an espresso maker and a milk frother.

Here are some pics to get you in the mood:

(all pictures found on Flikr)

Ghoul's Night

I was planning on having a cocktail party for my girlfriends last weekend but the plans fell through. I was really looking forward to it and had so many fun ideas. So instead, I thought I'd share my ideas with you.

So the main attraction: the cocktails!

Hostess with the Mostess featured these Halloween themed drinks.

In the Hostess with the Mostess archives, you will find her Halloween party themes and decor.

This flower pot can be found at Ikea for less than $5. (more to follow)

I love the idea of using spider rings as stemware charms.

These could be cute little goodie "bags" for everyone to take home.

Candles found at Ikea for $2.99.

Ikea tealight votives for $2.99

Flower pot $2.99. And like in the picture above, fill the pot with lots of flowers to create a full, round look. Orange carnations would be perfect!

Pots and tray $3.99. This could be used to hold flowers or utensils.

Long tray to line up bottled drinks or cupcakes and finger foods.

Skull tray.

Bleeding candle. When lit, melted red candle wax oozes from the eyes and head. Ewwww!

So these were my cost-friendly Halloween party ideas. Maybe I'll reference this post next year and try again :)

Entertaining On The Fly

I'm getting ready for an out-of-town girls weekend tomorrow and was trying to think of something fun to bring. I thought I would try my mom's trick of fast sangria.

Trader Joe's sells a bottle of pre-mixed sangria.

Then you can also buy bags of frozen fruit. These contain mango, papaya, raspberries, blueberries and pineapple. Yum!

Then just add them together in a fun container. It takes no time at all!

Cheers!