I’m sure you guys had a feeling a penguin party theme was in the works, but did you know I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community? Often times I wonder if the people surfing the blogosphere realize my OCD actually gets me compensated as part of social shopper amplifications for Collective Bias and their advertisers.
They embrace my tendencies!
There is something magical about this time of year, and I’m not talking about the disappearing act your cash flow pulls on you. I’m talking about the sense of hope we see in the faces of people who were not expecting to have their layaway paid off, people who get ‘adopted’ for the holidays, and children everywhere. There will always be pain in this world; however, for a few weeks, people remember how fulfilling acts of kindness truly are.
We all have different ‘reasons for the season’, and I’m not here to argue this or that, but one of the common themes we see is pretty universal- spend time with your loved ones and remember the loved ones that have moved on before you.
That thought has been digging at the back of my brain for quite a while now because both of my brothers got engaged, expanding my family twice this past year! That means one of Michael’s aunts will move away to become an Army wife, and the other aunt brings cousins his age into our lives! All I have to say is, my cousins are my favorite human beings on this planet and I want him to experience that same feeling.
I knew the party planning for this penguin party had the potential to get out of hand because of my strong desire to give Michael something to look forward to each year. One of my biggest hopes is that he is able to forget whatever pain he experienced (Of course, when he is older and has more to be sad about.) throughout the year during the holiday season. I wanted to transform our house into a wonderland for one night. No bathroom renovations. No computer work. Nope. Just magical time spent with the family.
Killing myself over an event ‘so magical’ would have defeated my end goal, so I made the food part easy with trusty Nestle frozen food!
I came home from Walmart with Stouffer’s party size macaroni and cheese, Stouffer’s party size lasagna, DiGiorno pizza and DiGiorno breadsticks to feed the masses. And don’t forget, I always offer a vegetable tray and chips because my guest list includes multiple vegetarians.
Am I the best or what?
What I failed to mention is that I also purchased Edy’s Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Limited Edition: A Very Merry Eggnog because Michael loves him some eggnog. Me? Not so much. That is, until I made these eggnog cupcakes. Oh-em-gee, guys!
EGGNOG CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Buy white Duncan Hines cake mix and add 1 cup of melted ice cream in place of the 1 cup of water they ask for.
- Bake according to the box.
- Eggnog cream cheese frosting- Mix 1 stick of butter, 1 package of cream cheese, 1/4-1/2 cup of melted eggnog ice cream (depending on how strong you want the eggnog flavor), 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 cups of powdered sugar until blended.
Trust me when I say these eggnog cupcakes were a HUGE hit. The ice cream gives the batter a taffy-like consistency before the cupcakes are baked that is out of this world scrumptious!
But wait, that’s not all in the ice cream department! I pre-scooped Edy’s Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Limited Edition: Peppermint Wonderland into baby food jars so they were easier for the kids to grab and go. It’s a brilliant idea, you should try it at your next kid party!
And when you mess up the first batch of eggnog cupcakes, never fear! Cupcakes transform seamlessly into cake pops! All you need to do is fill a cup, vase, jar, etc with red somethings and stick the cup on your table!
I have a big tip for the frugal, corner cutting party planners out there. Always, ALWAYS attempt to incorporate a party favor into the decorations. These penguins were perfect for the party guests to scoop up before they head home! Please don’t make your job harder than it needs to be.
PENGUIN PARTY COOKIE MAKING STATION
I prepped the penguin sugar cookies ahead of time and had all sorts of ingredients and tools on the counter for easy access during the party. We ended up making chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, walnut brownies, and turtle brownies. It was delicious and oh so fattening!
COOKIE DECORATING PARTY TIPS:
- Don’t set out all of the sprinkles or you will cry when the younger kids dump them on their plate… on purpose.
- Cook the cookies before the party so the guests don’t have to wait to decorate.
- Cookie icing is mess free, easy to hold, and you don’t have to make it before the party.
- Make sure the guests have some sort of goody box to take their cookies home in.
- Put a plate at each chair for the guests to decorate on.
In the end, it’s not about the homemade sandwiches you painstakingly turned into crabs, or the level of detail on the goody bags. All the matters to the little people is the experience of the cookie making party. To the adults, the time spent with family members. And to the family serving our country, knowing that their nephew’s first sugar cookie experience is enroute to Afghanistan as I type this.
Ps- Kyle, they taste awful. Ha!
DO A GIRL A FAVOR AND PIN THIS PENGUIN PARTY THEME COLLAGE!
Check out this digital magazine and become #HolidayReady with Nestle!
Ps- Ain’t this the truth?
