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Celebration, Florida: Shopping, Dining, and SNOW!

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If you’re the Kissimmee area, you need to hurry on over to visit Celebration, Florida where you can find it snowing nightly through Saturday, December 31!  Every hour, on the hour from 6pm-9pm you can experience a snowfall that puts smiles on everyone’s faces, gives you a wonderful feeling of winter, and all without the freezing temperatures!And, my favorite, snow amongst the palm trees…

Celebration, Florida offers so many quaint shops, restaurants, and activities this holiday season with an “ice rink” available now through January 2nd. The rink was actually a plastic-composite-like material rather than real ice.  Skates and guides are offered for rent, I opted against in only because I know I’d hurt myself!aWe enjoyed a group dinner at Columbia Restaurant where we sipped wine an sangria that was melded tableside with a variety of fruits and both red and white wine.

The menu had a lovely variety of Spanish/Cuban cuisine.  My Pollo “Riojano” was okay and was very similar to chicken parmesean. I preferred my friends meal that had a wonderfully flavored beef, chicken, and pork, though the name of it escapes me. The salad and bread were so yummy , and I simply LOVED the key lime pie dessert, so creamy, tart, and delicious.Having only spent a few hours in the area, it’s definitely a place I’d come back to when I visit central Florida again.

Thanks to the Kissimmee CVB for hosting dinner.  All opinions are my own.

C&H Cookie Starter Mix: White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

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Are you full from all the cookies this holiday season?!  Not, yet, fabulous, because C&H Sugar’s 1001 Cookie Starter Mix is the secret to creating dozens of homemade treats, all from just five simple ingredients.

The 1001 Cookie Starter makes 10 cups of dough and can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to bake. Simply add your own ingredients to the mix and create your own special cookies!  The possibilities are endless.

I’m inspired by my daughter’s little friend.  When she came over after I had chocolate chip cookies, she told me, “I don’t like chocolate!”  I was floored, never had I heard a 5 year old decline chocolate.  Later her mom told me that she does enjoy white chocolate, just not dark, milk, semi-sweet or the “brown” chocolates.  Interesting.  I like the use of bar chocolate broken up and nuts because it adds depth to the cookie, use shortening to try and avoid flat cookies and enjoy!

White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

  • 3 cups of Cookie Starter Mix
  • 1/4 cup -shortening
  • 1/4 cup -brown sugar
  • 1 -egg
  • 1 teaspoon – vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups -Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bar (broken up in small chunks) or baking chips
  • 1/2 cup -chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 375.  Mix Starter mix, shortening, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.  Fold in nuts and chocolate and ball.  Place by a dozen on cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen. Enjoy with coffee or milk if you’re a kid.

We received a gift card for ingredients via PR, all opinions are mine.

Easy Beef Enchiladas

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My hubby asks for my easy beef enchiladas year round, for every day, his birthday, and even requested them for Christmas this year.  They are simple and easy, try them!

Mom Jen’s Beef Enchiladas

1.25lbs. ground beef
2 cups of shredded colby jack cheese
1 2.25oz. can of sliced olives
1 dozen flour tortillas
1 28oz. can of enchilada sauce (I use mild)
2 tbsp olive oil
garlic salt and pepper to taste

–brown ground beef in 2 tbsp olive oil and garlic salt and pepper to taste, drain set aside.
–heat enchilada sauce to a low boil, remove from heat.
–in assembly line fashion, line up cheese, olives, meat, and sauce
–on a separate plate, dip each tortilla into the warm enchilada sauce to coat both sides.
–place about 3 tablespoons of ground beef into center of tortilla along with a sprinkling of cheese, two sliced olives, and a splash of enchilada sauce to moisten.
–fold in left and right sides of tortilla and roll into a rectangular shape, place in casserole dish.  Repeat.
–top platter of enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese and olives.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Enjoy with spanish rice (I’ll get that recipe from my mom!) and refried beans!

ICE! in Florida: Shrek the Halls and Bring Your Parka!

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In Florida, you don’t ever think about wearing a parka.  But, there is one place you will need it, because believe me when I heard 9 degrees, I didn’t believe it until I felt it!  Gaylord Palms Resort is hosting ICE, Shrek the Halls this holiday through January 2nd, and baby, it’s cold inside!

The award-winning ICE! attraction is carved by a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China. The talented artisans spend more than a month in Kissimmee/Orlando creating this one-of-a-kind attraction. Harbin is best known for its annual International Ice and Snow Festival, where more than 2,000 sculptors annually carve a 100-acre walk-through ice park, using ice from the nearby Songhua River.

After a quick video introduction of the making of the exhibit, and a story line video, you are lead to the parka area. You are more than welcome to bring your own hats, gloves, coats, and sweaters, but thankfully if you’re not prepared, the parkas come in handy! Bright blue, nearly floor-length for me, I climbed into it eagerly as the closer we got to the exhibit the air became cooler.

It’s hard to believe it was in the 70’s outside and here we are shivering and trying to keep our fingers warm enough to snap a photograph!  The sculptures were spectacular, the amazing detail on Shrek and all the characters you love from the movies are brought to life in the most frozen way!

You are mesmorized by the lighting and the brilliant colors that have been dyed into the ice to create each and every sculpture.  The talent is awe-inspiring and the holiday touches are heart warming to even those unfamiliar with the Shrek story (if possible!).

Probably the biggest hit for the kids (and adults alike) is the 30 foot ice slides that will get your bottom cold and possibly wet, so be prepared!  Here’s one of our valiant sliders in our group, I would not do it because I think my legs were numb by this point.  The exhibit is over 4 acres worth of magnificence.  It’ll take you 20-30 minutes to see it all and by then you’ll be ready to head out and look for that cup of cocoa at the nearby cafe (free with a Foursquare check-in!).

If you’re in the Kissimmee area and want to get a real dose of winter weather and amazing artwork, bring the family to check out ICE!

Our tickets were hosted thanks to the Kissimmee CVB, opinions are my own.

Party City for the Winter Holidays!

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Each year my husband’s family takes turns hosting a Christmas party.  This year it’s at our house and we’re hosting about 5 families and three sets of parents with about 8 young children running around and the ninth due any day now!  With a little help from Party City’s Christmas themes we will have  a wonderful party with decor to please everyone!Whether I’m hosting a family party at Christmas time or a winter get together with the kids, the Very Merry Snowman Ultimate Party Kit ($99.99) would be great for December or January.  The adorable snowman pattern is cute and appealing and with our kids, nieces, and nephews, the snowman Pinata is going to be the absolute hit of the party!

My kids get into parties partly for the decorating.  My youngest is already seeking out the locations for the glitter cutouts that come in the party pack, I love having confetti on the table with the place settings, and the big Merry Christmas sign will go above the entrance to the house!  Usually we get party crackers for New Year’s Eve but this year we have a few to celebrate with for Christmas.  These I would not use with kids that aren’t mine or if there parents aren’t present.  Those things do get hot, so read the directions and they’re best done outside and away from people!  One of my favorites in the Very Merry Snowman pack is the 19 in. tinsel Christmas Trees.  They come with adjustable branches that can be fluffed out as you like and they really add a nice sparkle to your decorations or even when used as a centerpiece of your table.  Also 2 large 64 oz. plastic bowls come in handy for your party for salads or rolls, and can be used again and again!  The party supplies in this set mix traditional Christmas with the snowman print appealing to both young and old.  I love that you can even mix it and match it to use well into the new year through the end of winter.

You can find this pattern and many other great ones at PartyCity.com and follow their social media channels for the latest news and information on great deals!

Product was sent in exchange for this honest post.  All opinions are mine.
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