Tag Archives: entertaining

Rocket Dogs

Hebrew National 4th of July Rocket Dogs

Rocket Dogs

Hebrew National 100% Kosher Beef Hot Dogs turned “Rocket Dogs”

How super cute are these “Rocket Dogs,” y’all?!  I had a chance to do a 4th of July entertaining segment on WPIX in New York yesterday and showcased some delicious ideas on set!  I also kept my theme of pairing various grill items with specific beers to bring out the flavor of your party spread. When you’re serving Rocket Dogs, try pairing with an Amber lager which is going to have a malty backbone and a slightly soft bitterness which will really bring out the beef flavor.  On set, I used Toasted Lager, from New York’s Blue Point Brewing Company.

When entertaining for Fourth of July weekend, it is important to start with a premium quality base like Hebrew National 100% kosher beef franks. Their hot dogs are made of only premium cuts of beef and contain no artificial colors, fillers, flavors or by-products. 

And they have variety for every hot dog lover— including their regular, quarter pound dinner frank, bun-length, 97% fat free, reduced fat, franks in a blanket and bagel dogs.  For the health conscious grillers out there, Hebrew National offers a 97% Fat Free Frank that tastes great and is 45 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving.  Yes, hot dogs can be delicious and guilt-free!

The first thing you need to do is get some wooden skewers (I found them at the grocery store) and soak them in some water for about 5 minutes.  This is going to prevent them from burning when you bake them.  Skewer through the entire Hebrew National hot dog and wrap with crescent roll dough to create a spiral effect.  Then, just bake for 10 minutes at 350.  Cut a triangle of cheddar (or your favorite cheese) and pop it on top of the dog.  Such a fun recipe to make with the kids!  (And even easier to get picky eaters to enjoy them!)

And congrats to the lucky WPIX viewer who won this amazing grill from Kenmore– It’s pretty sweet!  The Kenmore Elite 5 Burner Dual Fuel Stainless Steel Grill has everything you need for grilling success!  You can slow cook sauces and sides while you’re grilling your main dishes.  There’s an infrared rotisserie, and 2 halogen lights so you can keep rocking the grill long after the sun goes down!  A huge thank you to Kenmore for providing such a phenomenal product for the show!

Kenmore Grill

Kenmore Elite 700 Series 5 Burner Dual Fuel Stainless Steel Gas Grill

Here it is on set before the Give Away!  

Kenmore Grill

On set with the Kenmore Grill before the Give Away

Get your grill on and enjoy your 4th of July!

*This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.

Rocket Dogs with Hebrew National Hot Dogs
A fun and creative way to turn hot dogs into 4th of July Rocket Dogs
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Ingredients
  1. one pack of Hebrew National Beef Franks
  2. wooden skewers
  3. Cheese cut into triangles
  4. Pillsbury crescent rolls
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Soak skewers in water for 5 minutes to prevent them burning in the oven.
  3. Skewer through hot dogs, leaving about 2 inches at the top of the hot dog.
  4. Lay out crescent rolls-- each one will be in the shape of a long triangle. Using a knife, cut off the ends of the triangle so the dough is one long rectangle. (This makes them easier to wrap around the hot dog evenly.)
  5. Skewer the end of the dough to secure it to the rocket dog and wrap around the hot dog in a spiral pattern.
  6. Repeat with the rest of the dough and hot dogs.
  7. Lay down on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes until dough is golden.
  9. Let cool and skewer triangles of cheese on top.
  10. Serve and enjoy!
What's on Parker's Plate? http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/
Pebbles Cheesecake

Pebbles No Bake Cheesecake and Marshmallow Stars

Pebbles Cheesecake

Ice Cream Pebbles No Bake Cheesecake and Marshmallow Stars

I love to entertain with desserts that are low maintenance and don’t require an oven!  This is a spin on my original No Bake Cheesecake that is always a hit.  Post Cereals just launched Ice Cream Pebbles, and this is the kind of ice cream that doesn’t melt— it’s yummy, crunchy bits of Pebbles in Rainbow Sherbet flavor.  I incorporated these into both the crust and the cheesecake!  You can use Oreo cookie crumbs or Graham Cracker crumbs for the crust— I tried both and liked the Oreo version the best.  To make it even easier, though, buy the premade crumb crusts– in regular size or even mini for little versions of the cheesecake.  Super easy, super cute, super delish!

You can also use Ice Cream Pebbles to make adorable Marshmallow stars which I put on Lollypop sticks.  Another really imaginative and fun thing you can do Ice Cream Pebbles that is a great activity for the kids and a great way to celebrate the 4th of July in rainbow Star Spangled fashion!

*This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.

Pebbles No Bake Cheesecake and Marshmallow Stars
Turn No Bake Cheesecake into a Rainbow Sherbet with the addition of Ice Cream Pebbles and Star Spangled Marshmallow Stars
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For the cheesecake
  1. 1 block full fat cream cheese
  2. 1 regular sized tub of whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
  3. 1/4 cup sugar
  4. 1 tsp vanilla
  5. 1 cup Ice Cream Pebbles (plus more to sprinkle on top of cheescake)
For the crust
  1. 2 cups of Oreo crumbs or Graham Cracker Crumbs
  2. 1 stick butter
  3. 1 cup Ice Cream Pebbles (turn into crumbs by smashing them up a bit)
For the Marshmallow Stars
  1. 3 Tb butter
  2. 1 (10oz) package of Marshmallows
  3. 4 cups Ice Cream Pebbles
  4. Star shaped cookie cutter
  5. Lollipop sticks
For the No Bake Cheesecake
  1. Combine room temperature cream cheese, whipped topping, vanilla and sugar in a standing mixer. Add Ice Cream Pebbles.
For the Crust
  1. Melt 1 stick of butter in a large sauce pan. Add in Oreo or Graham Cracker Crumbs and Ice Cream Pebbles. Stir to combine.
  2. Press into the bottom of a springform pan.
  3. Pour in No Bake Cheesecake batter over crust.
  4. Sprinkle with more Ice Cream Pebbles on top.
  5. Cover with tin foil and freeze.
  6. Take out of freezer 30 minutes before serving.
For the Marshmallow Stars
  1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan.
  2. Add marshmallows and let them melt on low/medium heat.
  3. Add Ice Cream Pebbles and stir to combine.
  4. Press into a 9 x 11 cake pan and let cool.
  5. Using a star cookie cutter, cut out stars from the cake pan.
  6. Skewer bottom of each star with a lollipop stick.
What's on Parker's Plate? http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/

Rice Crispy Treat Halloween Pumpkins

Punkin' Head

Punkin’ Head


Ingredients

Rice Crispy treats balled up into the size of golf balls

Orange melting chocolate wafers

Orange sanding sugar

Green tic tacs or green twizzlers for stems

Candy eye balls

Gourmet writing pen

Lollipop sticks

*I get all my supplies at Cake Art in Tucker, but if you aren’t local in Atlanta, you can get melting chocolate and decorating supplies at Michael’s Craft store.

Directions

Ball up Rice Crispy Treats and insert lollipop sticks.  Melt the chocolate wafers in a double boiler or in a glass bowl on top of a small sauce pan with 1-2 inches of simmering water.  Stir until melted—about 5 minutes.  Let chocolate cool for 10 minutes before dipping balled up Rice Crispy treats.  Dip treats in chocolate and twist sticks to shake off excess chocolate.  Sprinkle sanding sugar on if desired, and place one tic tac at top of the treat for the pumpkin stem.  If you’re using candy eyeballs, stick them on before chocolate dries!  Once chocolate is hardened, use your Gourmet writing pen to draw on cute or scary pumpkin faces!

Pumpkin Pop Party Favors

Pumpkin Pop Party Favors

These are the perfect favors for a Halloween party– whether you’re entertaining kids or adults.  I made a bunch this weekend for a party– instead of drying the pops upright, I had the sticks facing up so they’d be easy to grab. I also used green twizzlers for the stems because I couldn’t find Green tic tacs!

Cut up green twizzlers to use as pumpkin stems

Cut up green twizzlers to use as pumpkin stems

Once the pops were dry, I put them into cellophane wrappers and tied an orange and black ribbon around each one.  Super cute.  Super delish.

Cellophane Bags and festive ribbons take the pops to a whole new level of cute!

Cellophane Bags and festive ribbons take the pops to a whole new level of cute!