Southern Protocol

I lose hours of my day stumbling around on Etsy.com. I can never get over how MANY sellers, boutiques, categories, etc there are – it’s unbelievable! And everything is gorgeous. We refer all of our brides to the site for little day-of details: signs, escort cards, fascinators, birdcage veils, cake toppers… and now we can send all of you looking for little non-wedding gifts there, too!

Courtesy of one of our lovely graphic designers, I found KcSoapsNmore – obviously, she makes soaps. The deceiving part, is you’d think that her soaps were delicious little desserts! How CUTE are these?! Soaps in the shape of all kinds of sweets! Talk about the perfect favor for a bridal or baby shower, or a unique addition to a little girl’s bathroom sink. Just make sure you tell the receiver that it is indeed soap (do people still punish children by washing mouths out with soap? This would’ve made that much easier, eh?)

I can’t even imagine the time and patience that goes into these little soaps; store “owner” Kasey considers herself more of an artist, and we have to agree. Head over to her etsy store, and then don’t blame us when the website sucks you in!

It’s about this time of year that my diet starts to slide into dangerous sweet-dominant territory. I’m not even a huge sweets person, but Halloween marks the descent into the festive holiday season, and you just can’t say no to many of its treats.

My particular downfall in October is candy corn. I don’t understand how little triangles of pure sugar can make me so happy – and then so sick – but I crave the autumn mix bags. So imagine my delight when I stumbled across this recipe: Halloween Cookie Bark. It’s essentially a ton of bad for you treats all mixed into one convenient medium, and I’ll need to try it immediately!

Halloween Cookie Bark (Makes about 16 portions)
-14 to 16 whole Oreos, broken up (use the orange Halloween Oreos if you can find them!)
- 1.5 cups mini pretzels, broken into pieces
-1 pound white chocolate wafers
-1 cup candy corn
-Brown and orange colored sprinkles, as needed

Place waxed paper on large cookie sheet. Spread cookies, pretzels, and about 3/4 cup of the candy corn into a 13×9″ rectangle on the paper.

Place chocolate in glass measuring cup and heat in microwave for about 1.5 minutes. Stir and then microwave for an additional 30 seconds, or until melted and smooth.

Drizzle melted chocolate immediately over cookie mixture, spreading with spatula (if needed) to coat evenly. Top with reserved candy corn and sprinkles. Work quickly before chocolate hardens.

Place into refrigerator until firm. Remove and gently break apart into small pieces for serving. Reserve in air-tight container.

*If candy corn isn’t your thing (weirdo), you can swap it out for M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces… equally delicious!

Brace yourself for the best thing you have ever seen. Once again, this recipe was sent to me via email (this time from a friend) – I love how my inbox has become my go-to place for new drinks and treats. The heavenly recipe? Winesicles. That’s right, adult popsicles. What could be better than that when it’s 1,000 degrees outside?!

Seriously… they sound refreshing. Sauvignon Blanc, being the lightest and most refreshing of summer whites, is the perfect choice for this cool treat. The recipe hails from Bottlenotes.com‘s feature, The Daily Sip. If you love wine and entertaining, Bottlenotes’ daily emails are something you should seriously consider signing up for.

Sauvignon Blancsicles
4 oz of any wine you prefer (They used Yellowtail in the recipe)
4 oz Orangina
4 oz Pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lemon
Molds for making 3 oz popsicles (available at Target, Bed Bath n Beyond, etc)

Pour the wine, Organina and pineapple juice into a measuring cup. Squeeze in lemon and lime to your taste; mix well. Pour the mixture into the popsicle molds and place in freezer until solid.

NOTE: Apparently the popsicles will not freeze as well if you add more wine… so if you’re like me and were contemplating making the Sauvignon Blancsicles even more festive, refrain!

Sometimes we all feel a little nostalgic for childhood, and I have found that this chocolatey sweet treat is the perfect cure. There have been many versions of Puppy Chow over the years – with just as many variations on the name – but this original is naturally the best, and can still be found on the side of most Chex Mix and Crispix boxes.

Puppy Chow
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla
9 cups Crispix or Chex Mix cereal (the plain, original flavors are traditionally the best, but lately I’ve been wondering if a cinnamon flavor wouldn’t also be delicious…)
1.5 cups powdered sugar

Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Mixture should be smooth and creamy; place back in microwave if needed. Add vanilla and mix well.

Place the nine cups of cereal into a very large bowl. Pour the chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering. Coat with powdered sugar, sprinkling evenly over the cereal and tossing as you sprinkle to get every piece.

Now here’s a little edit from someone who has made a lot of puppy chow in her day: if you’re ok with being a little unconventional in the kitchen, try using the huge storage Ziploc bags to mix the treats together (as opposed to the bowl). By placing the cereal in the bag, then adding the chocolate-peanut butter mixture a bit at a time, then shaking to mix, you really get a better coating on every piece. The bowl does work, but is a bit harder!

Enjoy!