Summer Birthday Barbecue!

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Our Saturday was busy, but in a good way. Let me fill you in...

My husband turned 40 earlier this spring, but we wanted to wait to do a party outside. The date was set & the guests were invited! 

The party date arrived. It was raining. Boo! 

We prayed over the weather & got to our party preparations anyway.

The menu was simple - we provided the hot dogs & burgers & we asked our friends to bring the side dishes. I just love a pot luck! Everyone makes their favourite dishes & it takes so much pressure off of the host family!

As I said, we had the party outside, so I wanted to add a bit of colour to our green backyard. :)

The rain stopped a couple of hours before the party started (ours prayers worked!), so we were able to get things "prettied up" in plenty of time.

Some lanterns with brightly coloured candles, paper lanterns, Off! bug lanterns (which work really well, by the way), my chevron tablecloth from HomeSense, topped with a vintage wire basket for napkins & paper plates, & some bright turquoise buckets held the plastic utensils. I brought out my yellow vintage step stool & we set up a drink station with it. 

The guests arrived & we had a wonderful meal with them. I didn't make the same mistake this year that I did last year: making blended drinks for our guests that had me running the blender all night! 

I made plenty of fruity iced tea (a berry blend from Steeped Tea), combined it with frozen lemonade concentrate & some Sprite to add a bit of fizz. It was a great punch that was easy to throw together as the night went on. I was actually able to sit & visit with friends instead of being in the kitchen all night! It also helped that my friend, Krysta, took on dishwashing duty towards the end of the party & cleaned up all the leftover food as well! Thanks, Krys! 

Instead of a birthday cake, I put together some of my sweet husband's favourite flavours - chocolate & peanut butter - & made a summer friendly (no turning on the stove!) trifle! Recipe coming soon - stay tuned!

It was a great party & my husband's 40th birthday was definitely celebrated in style! 

Thanks to all our friends for coming & celebrating with us!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Cinnamon Mocha Mix

Raise your hand if you like to make homemade Christmas gifts for friends, neighbours, teachers, & co-workers.

Now, raise your hand if you don't have a ton of time to spend on said gifts.

I hear ya.

This Cinnamon Mocha Mix is so easy to put together, you'll have your gifts done in a flash! Oh, and it's delicious too! Try some before you package it up. And try to remember to share. :)

It's really cute packaged in small jars or in a ziplock bag inside a decorated paper bag. Just be sure to include the serving instructions. Two cups of mix is a good gift-giving size.

Cinnamon Mocha Mix

makes about 14 cups

2 cups dry coffee creamer

2 cups dry chocolate mix - the kind used to make chocolate milk. I used was Nesquik.

2 cups confectioner's sugar

6 cups non fat dry milk powder

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup instant coffee granules

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in airtight container or divide into smaller portions for gifts. Be sure to include the serving instructions if you're giving it away. :)

To Serve: Pour 6 ounces hot water over 2 1/2 heaping tablespoons mocha mix; stir & serve. 

If you're looking for more food gift ideas, also check out the recipe for Cajun-Spiced Snack Mix that I've made for years!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Strawberry Punch {Back At It}

  School starts today for our kids & it's a great time for me to get back into the swing of things here on the blog too. We've had a wonderful summer, but I'm ready for fall... crunchy leaves, warm drinks, baking, & autumn decor.

  In the spirit of bidding summer goodbye, I have one last summer recipe to share with you. I made this for our Labour Day BBQ & it was a hit! I've had this recipe clipping in my stash for years, but just had never made it. I believe it originated with Taste of Home.

Strawberry Punch {Printable Recipe}

makes 14 cups

1 can pink lemonade concentrate, thawed, undiluted

2 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries, partially thawed

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups strong brewed tea, chilled

2 liters ginger ale

In a food processor or blender, combine lemonade concentrate, strawberries, & sugar. Cover & process until smooth.

Transfer to a large pitcher or punch bowl; stir in tea. Add ginger ale. 

Enjoy!! 

I hope you all had a great summer!

~~~~~

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower, 

subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day,

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Fruity Iced Tea

Spring is here & that means getting out all the spring & summer recipes. 

Barbecues & backyard parties are just around the corner! 

Ya-hoo!

Fruity Iced Tea
makes 6-8 servings


1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
6 bags black tea (I use Earl Grey)
4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 orange juice
Unstrained juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cups pineapple juice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar & first measurement of water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling until liquid is clear, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Place tea bags in heat-resistant pitcher; add boiling water & let steep about 5 minutes. Remove & discard tea bags. Add sugar syrup to tea. Mix well. Let tea cool & refrigerate until chilled.

Add orange juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice & chilled sugar syrup. Refrigerate a few hours, preferably overnight. Serve over ice in tall glasses.

~~~~~

Enjoy this spring day!

Check out these great parties I link up to!

Mexican Limeade

   Mexico is one of my favourite places on earth. The glorious weather, the kind people, & don't forget the amazing food! After having the real deal in Mexico, I've wanted to learn how to make all the authentic Mexican dishes. One of my absolute favourite parts about Mexican cooking is the use of limes. I've come to believe that limes can make just about anything taste better.

  On our first visit to Mexico, I asked for lemonade at our first meal. Woah, baby! Amazingness! Our waiter said that they made it with limes instead of lemons. As soon as we got home, I started to search for a recipe that tasted like the limeade we discovered in Mexico. This one is close. Next time we go, I may just ask for the recipe at our favourite restaurant. :) But for now, when we get an urge for a taste of sunshine, this is the recipe I make.

Mexican Limeade

makes 1/2 a gallon

1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice 

add enough water to equal 1/2 a gallon (8 cups)

2 cups white sugar

1 cup water

Combine sugar & water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it barely begins to boil. Cool. 

Combine lime mixture & syrup. Stir well, refrigerate until cold. It really is better after "marinating" for several hours, so just leave it alone until it's cold. 

~~~

Me enjoying a massive glass of limeade on our first trip to Mexico in 2007.

And because it's a very cold February day here in Saskatchewan, Canada, 

I will leave you with a warm beach scene from a beautiful Mexican beach.

Stay warm & enjoy your weekend!