Tasty Thursdays #26 & Giveaway!!

Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to contribute to last week's party.
I love seeing all of the terrific projects and recipes.  

In celebration of 750 "likes" on Facebook I'm doing a giveaway.  One lucky winner will receive  three sets of 10 Valentines treat bags (that is 30 bags and 30 toppers total).  Simple to put together...include decorated zipper bags and already assembled toppers.  So fun!!  I have included the manufacturer's picture below so you know what they look like.  This giveaway only goes until midnight Friday night Central time.  I want you to have time to put them together for your Valentines.  Thanks for your support, keep passing the word!!
(**must live in US to be eligible for giveaway)





a Rafflecopter giveaway Now on to the terrific FEATURES.
Be sure to visit them, pin them, and enjoy them!!

Pastry Wrapped Pears from M double M

Easy Calzones from The First Year Blog

Delicious "Peaches" Cookies from On My Side of the World

DIY Yellow Felt Flower Scarf from The Craft Blog Stalker

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

 Congrats to you all.  Feel free to grab a "Featured" button. 

Now on to the next party!!
New features will be posted next Thursday!!

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Party Guidelines:
**If you "like" my Facebook page, you will see some of your links featured over the next week.
**I will also be pinning some of my favorites each week after the party is over.

1. Grab my button, add a text link, or add Tasty Thursdays to you linky party list.  If you don't link back...you can't be featured.

2. Would love for you to follow me through Facebook, GFC, Pinterest, or all.

3. Link something new {MUST BE MADE BY YOU} or a great oldie that you haven't shared before.

4. No etsy shops, giveaways, round ups, business links, please.

5. Link up to your post, not your main blog

6. Link as many items, recipes, crafts, etc... as you want.

Our Mexico Vacation

As many of you know, my hubby and I took a nice getaway vacation to Mexico this month.  We stayed at the beautiful Grand Princess Sunset Resort on the Mayan Riviera.  It was an amazing trip with two of our closest friends.  They have been married for 15 years.  And their wedding was the first one that my hubby and I went to when we started dating.  Time sure flies.  This trip was a kid-free getaway with lots of relaxation and fun.  I hope you enjoy the pictures!!  ~ Nichi

We had our pictures taken on the beach by a photographer.  This is one of my favorites!! 

A secluded pool near our rooms

The beach in the morning

Walkway up the middle of the resort

One of the many pools

Beginning a day at the pool

The lobby

Relaxing in the beach cabana

The courtyard

Dressed up for dinner

Cheers to all of you that follow me here at The Mandatory Mooch!!  Thanks!!

Tasty Thursdays #25

Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to contribute to the last party.  I'm back from my wonderful vacation in Mexico and ready to get the next party started!!

I've also topped 750 "likes" on Facebook.  
Stay tuned...there will be a giveaway in the next week.

Did you see my terrific guests while I was away on vacation?
If not, make sure you check them out.

Now on to the terrific FEATURES.
Be sure to visit them, pin them, and enjoy them!! 

Easy Crock Pot Swiss Steak Stew from Yummy, Healthy, Easy

White Chocolate S'mores Bars from The Enchanting Rose

Coke Crate Tie Holder from Rain on a Tin Roof

Granola Garbage Sticks from Lady Behind the Curtain

Valentine Postal Tag and Bucket Full of Kisses from I Gotta Try That

 Congrats to you all.  Feel free to grab a "Featured" button. 

Now on to the next party!!
New features will be posted next Thursday!!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com" title="The Mandatory Mooch" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-maCAKzy_8N0/UA84BtuDhUI/AAAAAAAAAcw/VDpHnk0w_ts/s800/moochblogTHURS.jpg" alt="The Mandatory Mooch" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com" title="The Mandatory Mooch" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qkIksn40pLI/UA9e6vIZlDI/AAAAAAAAAdg/mE_NGKGbljY/s800/moochblogTHURSfeature.jpg" alt="The Mandatory Mooch" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Party Guidelines:
**If you "like" my Facebook page, you will see some of your links featured over the next week.
**I will also be pinning some of my favorites each week after the party is over.

1. Grab my button, add a text link, or add Tasty Thursdays to you linky party list.  If you don't link back...you can't be featured.

2. Would love for you to follow me through Facebook, GFC, Pinterest, or all.

3. Link something new {MUST BE MADE BY YOU} or a great oldie that you haven't shared before.

4. No etsy shops, giveaways, round ups, business links, please.

5. Link up to your post, not your main blog

6. Link as many items, recipes, crafts, etc... as you want.

Co-hosting a Blog Hop at Adorned From Above

Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 36.  Nichi from The Mandatory Mooch and    Marci from Stone Cottage Adventures will be co-hosting this weeks party, and I think you are going to love both of their blogs.    So head over and take a look at at what fun things they have been doing.

Adorned From Above - Hostess 

The Mandatory Mooch - Co-Hostess
Stone Cottage Adventures - Co-Hostess

This is a blog hop, so when you share your posts on Adorned From Above, they will also be seen on The Mandatory Mooch and Stone Cottage Adventures

It's so exciting to co host with Debi again!  I'd like to offer another give away! 

Two Bars of Handmade Soap! 

All you have to do is leave a comment!  One lucky winner will be drawn from the comments on this post at 

Adorned from Above 

a one lucky winner will be drawn from the comments on this post at

Stone Cottage Adventures !

and one lucky winner will be drawn from the comments on this post at

The Mandatory Mooch !

If you'd like to triple your chances to win, comment on all three blogs! 

So on to this weeks party.  The rules are easy.

1.  Follow all hosts in some way (GFC, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, or Linky Followers )

2.  Anything goes with posts. ( recipes, parties, etsy shops, crafts, inspirational writing, absolutely anything.  Just make it family friendly )

3.  Comment on other posts.  It is a party.  Get to know your fellow bloggers.  I have met some of the nicest people at the parties, including my co-hosts.

4.  All featured posts will be pinned on Pinterest, so by linking with this party you are giving me permission to pin your projects.

5.  Also the party now runs from 9:00PM on Tuesdays through 11:59PM on Sundays.

Let's get to it then.  First, here are the featured bloggers from the last weeks party.  Featured bloggers on Adorned From Above are picked by most page views.  So all of you pick these great posts.

Featured Bloggers from Party 35

The ' Bridesmaids ' Picture from Annie at Annie One Can Cook

Judge Not from Sara at 365 Days With Sara Style

Have Fun Together! MM # 18 from Kendra at A Proverbs 31 Wife

Congradulations to all of our featured bloggers.  Grab the featured button from my sidebar. 

We hope you have fun at this week's party.  We love hearing from you.  We love your comments.

Now let's party

Have a great week.

Debi, Charly, Nichi, and Marci

Guest Post - Doc's Favorite Meatloaf from Lorraine at Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs

Hi friends of Mandatory Mooch! I'm Lorraine from Cookin' For the Seven Dwarfs. I'm so excited I got the chance to Guest Post here! I started my blog last November, so I'm pretty new to the blogging world. I have 7 guys in my life that I love to cook for--my 6 brothers (I'm the only sister) and my dad! This was a way for me to keep track of recipes they love, and they're comments on each recipe!

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is one of the Dwarfs favorites -- Meatloaf! I've tried making other meatloaf recipes for the Dwarfs, but this is always their favorite, so I've stopped trying to come up with new ways to make it! :)

Doc's Favorite Meatloaf

2lbs ground beef
1 small chopped onion
2 eggs
1 pkg crushed saltines
1 can tomato sauce
season salt, pepper and garlic
2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup

Combine all ingredients expect cream of mushroom soup. Form into loaf and cover completely with soup. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.


I'd love for you come visit me at Cookin' For the Seven Dwarfs  or you can find me on Facebook or Pinterest!

Thank you so much for having me, Nichi!

Guest Post - Angel Food Jello Dessert from Jo and Sue

Angel Food Jello Dessert

Sue and I are excited to be sharing this light and tasty dessert with Nichi’s readers here at The Mandatory Mooch. Sue and I started our blog, http://joandsue.blogspot.ca/, about a year and a half ago and not long after we stumbled upon The Mandatory Mooch’s Tasty Thursday’s Link Party. We have been following ever since.

When Nichi said she was looking for bloggers to guest post on her blog, we jumped at the opportunity. Sue and I are twins in a small Canadian town located in the mountains. Our blog is a chance for us to share our favorite recipes and stories. We hope you will stop by and say hi.

For now though, we wanted to share a recipe that is fairly easy to make, looks impressive, and tastes super yummy. We decided to put a twist on the classic combination of cake, Jello, and whipped cream by putting them all together in a fancy schmancy cake.

Angel Food Jello Dessert

Ingredients
Cake 
1 box Angel Food Cake + ingredients to make cake as listed on box
¼ to 1/3 cup icing sugar

Filling
1 Tbsp gelatin
1 cup pineapple juice
¼ cup water
1 ½ cups whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups Jello, different colors, cubed

Topping
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 15 X 10 cookie sheet/jelly roll pan with parchment paper, set aside.
Prepare Angel Food Cake as per box instructions. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, until cake is evenly browned.

Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes. Run a knife gently around the edge of the pan. Place a large, clean tea towel on a flat surface. Sift the icing sugar over the towel to cover evenly. Gently flip Angel Food Cake onto the sugar covered tea towel.

Let cake cool completely.
Place an 8 inch spring form pan gently on top of the corner of the cake when it is cool. Run a serrated knife around the pan to cut out the cake to fit the pan.

Place the circle of cake, browned side down, into the bottom of the spring form pan. Measure how far it is from the top of the cake in the pan to the top of the sides of the pan. Cut a strip of Angel Food Cake that wide to fit around the inside of the spring form pan, browned side in. (You may need to cut a little piece to complete the circle)

Cover the cake so it doesn’t dry out and set aside while you make the filling.
In a medium saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over pineapple juice. Let sit 5 minutes. Place over medium heat and heat until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat and add the water. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly - chill about 10 - 15 minutes in the fridge so it is cold but not set.
Whip the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk the pineapple juice mixture into the cream.
Sprinkle the Jello cubes into the cream/pineapple juice mixture and very gently stir them in.
Pour the mixture into your spring form pan.

You can see from the above photo I used 2 smaller spring form pans. I couldn’t find my large one. Eeep! It’s okay, this will work in 1 large or 2 smaller.  Now, just chill, covered, in the fridge until it is completely set up. I have always left it overnight for good measure. When ready to serve simply whip your remaining 1 cup of cream with vanilla and sugar until stiff peaks form and spread over the top of the dessert. If desired, you can sprinkle a few sprinkles on top to add some more color.
Slice and serve. 

We hope you enjoy this dreamy Jello and Angel Food Cake dessert. We would love for you to stop by http://joandsue.blogspot.ca/ and tell us what you think.  Sue and I would like to thank Nichi for the opportunity to share with her amazing readers!

On Vacation!!!!!

Hello everyone!!  I'm on vacation this week so there will be no Tasty Thursdays linky party.  I will be back next week with features and a new party.  Have a great week!!!!

Guest Post - Crab and Cheese Triangles by Bonny from The Domesticated Princess

Hello! My name is Bonny, and I'm the Domesticated Princess! I'm a former English teacher who has been blessed by becoming a stay-at-home-mom who, with three school-aged sons involved in sports and scouts along with a precious two-year-old daughter, rarely seems to stay at home for long. I'm so excited about guest posting today on The Mandatory Mooch and hope you'll enjoy my recipe enough to check out my blog where you'll find plenty of other recipes along with tutorials for crafts, sewing, and projects. Today, I will be sharing with you one of my all-time favorite appetizers: Crab and Cheese Triangles! 

One of the benefits of sharing your best recipes with friends is that if you happen to misplace your recipe, it's always just a phone call away. That's what happened to this particular recipe once I decided to share it with all of you. I had already purchased the ingredients because I have that part memorized, but when I got home to pull out my recipe card, I couldn't find it anywhere. It had simply vanished. I panicked for a moment because this is such a delicious recipe that the thought of having to figure out the proportions correctly seemed daunting, but then I remembered I had shared this recipe with my BFF years ago. In fact, she and I have most of each other's favorite recipes, which has come in handy more than just on this occasion.  I've had this recipe almost as long as I've known my best friend. While she and I go back to our early high school years, I got this recipe from a college room mate our junior year. I don't know where my room mate found this recipe, but it became our staple at wedding showers and football parties because everyone loved it. We tweaked it a little bit at the beginning, but the end result is something that almost 20 years later, my friends and guests still love.

With NFL playoff games beginning, I know there will be a lot of football parties going on over the next month, so I wanted to share something that has always been a hit among both men and women. Like I said, we've used this one not only while hosting Superbowl games in college but also for wedding and baby showers. It's just that versatile and that yummy, so if you have a party you are hosting or if you've been asked to bring along party food, give this recipe a try. I promise; it'll be a huge hit! Just don't ask me how many calories are in it. With a whole stick of butter, we just don't need to know!  

Crab & Cheese Triangles

Ingredients:
5 oz Old English Sharp Cheddar Cheese spread
1 stick margarine
1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise  
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
7 oz. fake crab meat  
6 English muffins

Steps:  
1. Preheat oven on high broil.  
2. Melt margarine (I put my stick in the glass mixing bowl I use and set it on defrost on my microwave for one minute.). Mix with cheese spread and mayo.  

3. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  
4. Chop up crab meat and stir into mixture.  
5. Cut open muffins and spread mixture on top of all 12 slices. I've discovered that using an ice cream/cookie dough scoop works very well at ensuring an equal amount per muffin.  

6. Place on cookie sheet and broil for 12-14 minutes on middle rack.   

 
7. Cut each muffin into fourths and serve. If you have a pizza cutter, those work perfectly to quarter up your muffins. 

 

Yields 48 pieces (which serves 8-10 guests)

So, do you have any occasions where you'll want to make these Crab and Cheese Triangles? If so, I'd love to hear about them.  Just swing by TheDomesticatedPrincess.com and let me know. While you are there, you can learn how to create a Weekly Menu Planning Board and check out all my easy weeknight favorite recipes. Thank you again, Nichi, for allowing me the opportunity to meet all your lovely readers!