Snack

A Few Minutes with Shaq & National Oreo Day

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Despite a time change, a very rainy and windy Atlanta on Tuesday, National Oreo Day with retired NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal went off quite nicely!

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Shaquille O’Neal was in Atlanta with a pop-up “Snack Shaq” giving away the new Oreo candy bar with mint while celebrating both Oreo’s 106th birthday and his own 46th! There were several media and social media influencers on site as well as many Atlantans out in the heavy drizzle and wind waiting for a candy bar from Shaq!

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I was given a few minutes to talk with him and I asked about his partnership with Oreo as he has long been a spokesman for this yummy snack.

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Like so many of us, Shaq said he was introduced to Oreo as a kid by his momma with old fashioned cookies and milk, so this iconic snack has been a favorite his entire life!  He has actually been in a “fabulous relationship” with Oreo for the last 10 years and tries to stay involved with them on many levels.  Shaq mentioned that it was “important to him to be involved and have a personal connection with a product that he was familiar.”  Over the years Oreo has expanded from the original cookie, lemon and birthday cake being two of his favorites, as well as ventured out into candy bars.

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I had intended to ask about upcoming March Madness, as my own university (Lipscomb U) has made the dance for the first time EVER, and am I ever the fan of an undrdog! But, someone beat me to it.  Shaq said he wasn’t really keeping up with it, so I left that on the table!

{Maybe we’ll have the opportunity to talk basketball another day.}

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I have always heard stories about how kind Shaquille O’Neal is and y’all he was so sweet despite this inexperienced interviewer asking questions.  I had let Bradley skip school to go with me as my photographer and upon introducing them Shaq asked what his plans were.  With the mention of boot camp and the Marine Corp, his whole professional demeanor changed and he thanked Bradley and told him to stay safe.  He was very kindhearted and so sincere.  It totally explains why he has such a loyal fanbase!

During our interview Shaq was talking about all of the candy bars they were giving away and said, “If you’re having a party, I’ll send you a hundred!”

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Well, he sent two boxes of bars to my Madeline’s Point University Lacrosse team which they were able to enjoy and celebrate National Oreo Day after a victory over Berry College in Rome that afternoon!

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For National Oreo Day,  Shaquille O’Neal was giving out over 1,000,000 Oreo candy bars both in person and online through OreoBirthdayGiveaway.com .  You can register online for a coupon through March 12, or until all of the coupons are given away.

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Cinnamon Valentine’s Day Bark

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Yesterday evening my girlfriend Tammie and I spent time in the kitchen making a few last minute treats to share for Valentine’s Day.

 {Treasure time with your girlfriends y’all, even if it is nothing more than baking!}

Not only were our treats super easy to make, but we really had a wonderful time catching up with each other as our schedules have been rather full lately.

We whipped up two recipes I have shared earlier on the blog: Cupid’s Crunch and Valentine’s themed Rice Krispies Treats, then proceeded to make Valentine’s Day Bark.

Valentines-Day-Gifts | Fiddle Dee Dee

One thing I love about recipes like this is they are super versatile and ingredients are always easy to find!  Tammie and I each made our bark a little differently as she isn’t a fan of cinnamon, and it worked out wonderfully!

Valentine Bark Pinterest Image

1 pkg pink colored candy melts (from Michaels or Hobby Lobby)

1 pkg white candy melts

Sprinkles

M&M’s

Red Hots

Melt the pink candy melts and spread evenly on a piece of parchment paper. Allow to set firm (about an hour). Melt the white candy melts and spread evenly over the top of the pink. Top with M&Ms, red hots and sprinkles. Allow to set an hour before breaking a part.

Cinnamon-Bark | Fiddle Dee Dee

Tammie used almonds to replace the red hots which added a little salty flavor to the sweetness of the bark.

Valentines-Bark | fiddle dee dee

Either way it just delicious!

You-and-Me-Valentine | Fiddle Dee Dee

With all of our sweet treats ready, our kiddos will enjoy a little extra something this Valentine’s Day totally made with love.

If you want to ship goodies these three recipes I shared over the last few days work perfectly because they don’t crumble as easy.

valentines-Gifts | Fiddle Dee Dee

I’m a firm  believer that it’s the little thing we do for those we love that make Valentine’s Day special, and not the greeting card company! Make today special and enjoy it with those around you!  A small act of kindness from love in your heart can go a long way to making someone’s dreary day brighter!

 

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Valentine’s Day Rice Krispies Treats

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / 1 Comment

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and children across the country will be filling boxes with sweet cards, some carefully picked out for their best friend or that sweet little girl or boy they might be crushing on.

{Don’t you remember treasure the innocence of those days?}

It’s also a day the classroom becomes a party zone with sugary snacks galore.  If you are fortunate enough to be in a school system that allows homemade snacks, have I got a treat for you!

heart-shaped-treats | fiddle dee dee

 

{This is also a treat your husband, teenagers, & college kids will love, too!}

In fact, this little treat is so simple, I’m not even going to do a printable recipe because it’s a waste of printer paper.

Rice Krispies Treats for Valentines Day

All you need is one recipe of Rice Krispies treats, 2 colors of melty candy, Valentine’s Day sprinkles and a 2-inch heart shaped cookie cutter (preferably metal).

rice-krispy-treat | fiddle dee dee

**If you can’t find large pre-made Krispies Treats (they are a wonderful seasonal item at Cracker Barrel), use the three ingredient recipe on back of the Rice Krispy’s box (that’s the original and can’t be beat).  It takes 10 minutes to make; a couple of hours to set so they can be made a day or two ahead of time.  You want the treats to be about an inch thick, no more.  You can find the colored melty candy at Hobby Lobby or Michaels; or color your own using white melts  from your local grocery store.

heart-krispies | fiddle dee dee

Once you have your items together, cut out the Rice Krispies treats using the heart-shaped cutter; place on a cookie cooling rack.  This is the hardest part of making these treats, because they are rather sticky.

candy-dipped-krispies | fiddle dee dee

Melt your candy, and then decorate the Krispies Treats.  I tried two methods: first I dipped one side in the melted candy, and secondly I used bottles (candy bottles can be found at any craft store) and drizzled the candy over the top, or filled in a solid heart shape.  Honestly I liked the bottles better.  If you don’t have these, you can use a plastic bag and cut a little of the corner off.

No matter how you cover the treat in melted candy, add sprinkles and let sit until hardened.

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That’s it.

So very simple and in fact, your children would love to help you makes these, I am sure.

Audley had fun helping me.

(wink-wink)

Valentines-Krispies-Treats | Fiddle Dee Dee

These treats are also really, really delicious!

Just ask the grown-ups at the Super Bowl party we attended where I served these; they ate as many as the kids!

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Serve these up all pretty or put into individual treat bags and let everyone think you spent forever in the kitchen working on them!

Happy-Valentines-Krispies-Treat | Fiddle Dee Dee

What are some of your favorite Valentine’s Day treats?

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Cupid’s Crunch

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / 1 Comment

For many, the highlight of those cold winter months is the excitement of Valentine’s Day in February.  While some see this as a greeting card holiday, I love the fun, creativity, excitement, and romance associated with this little holiday.  Valentine’s Day is always about the little things you can do to make those around you feel cherished and adored, and it doesn’t take a lot of money to make it happen.

Cupids-Crunch-Treat | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

For my Madeline it’s all about finding that sweet card to reach her special friend who happens to live in Cuba.  For Bradley it seems to be finding that perfect Georgia Bulldogs shirt for his girl.  For Audley, who already treats me with flowers and the like quite often, it’s about getting off from work early so we can enjoy a quite supper together.  And for me, Valentines day is treating my nieces and nephews with sweet notes containing a treat their parents can thank me for later (Sonic gift cards for ice cream, anyone?), surprise sweets for my own kiddos, and preparing a special meal for my love that we may turn into a carpet picnic or enjoy at an elegantly set table.

It’s all about the little things.

Speaking of sweet treats, my entire family is totally addicted to a particular snack mix that I make for a variety of holidays, but thought it would be fun to share in a Valentine’s theme.  That’s why I love making this mix as you can tailor it to fit whatever holiday you want from Christmas to Independence Day!

Cupids-Crunch | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

Cupid’s Crunch is also great in that you can make it fit your needs.  We have no allergies, so I love to make it a little sweet and salty using popcorn, pretzels, nuts, Kool-Aid mix (with the sugar already added) and candy.

Valentines-Snack | Fiddle Dee Dee

You can use candy melts from any craft store and save yourself time coloring the candy, but I love the taste of Ghirardelli’s brand of white melting wafers.

Valentines-Snack-Mix | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

In a VERY large bowl mix together one entire bag of melted white candy wafers with your popcorn and pretzels.  Once you have stirred it together, spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle your Kool-Aid on top of the sticky mix.

Valentines-Snack | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

Next, add a few more pretzels, any candy, nuts or sprinkles you might want to combine.  This is where those colored candy melts come in handy if you desire; otherwise tint one bag of white candy two shades of pink.

Valentines-Treat | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

You can use a plastic bag with a corner cut off for this step, but I add the melted candy to squeeze bottle and drizzle all over the snack mix just to make sure everything is all stuck together.

Valentines-Cupid-Crunch | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

Let the mix stand about 20 minutes, then break it a part and put into seasonal baggies or a pretty bowl and share with your favorite Valentine!

Click here for the full printable recipe for Cupid’s Crunch .

Valentines-Cupid-Crunch-Snack | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

FYI, if you pay a surprise visit to college and take an entire recipe to your daughters dorm room, both she and her roommate will polish off EVERY SINGLE BITE  in one evening.

Cupids-Crunch-Snack | Fiddle-Dee-Dee

Check back, I have a couple of more Valentine’s treats to share between now and next Wednesday as well as a fun give-away!

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