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Shane’s last day of school is in exactly one week but I’m calling it- summer is here! We have a four day weekend coming up followed by just one and a half days of school next week and we are all getting anxious. Luckily, our four day weekend will help us get a taste of summer a bit early because we have family visiting and we’ll be spending our time in the pool!
We love having backyard picnics in the summertime- we eat outside as often as we can all summer long. The only problem? It can be a bit windy in our backyard, and it gets frustrating for all of us- especially the littles- when the tablecloth flies up into their food or their faces. I made a cute upcycled mason jar craft that has been helping with our problem!
This upcycled mason jar is actually doing double duty- it works as a tableweight to hold down the tablecloth {as well as plates and napkins} but is also a candle holder! I used an LED flameless candle because I have two crazy little boys, but you could use a real tealight candle instead if you’d prefer. You can dye the rice any color you want, but I did it red, white, and blue for Memorial Day! {As a bonus, it’ll work for 4th of July and even Labor Day, too, so it’ll get the job done all summer long.}
You will need:
-Mason jar or recycled jar
-White rice {I used a little over 2 cups but yours will depend on the size of your jar}
-Red and blue food coloring
-Metal or glass bowls
-Metal spoon
-Metal baking sheets
-Funnel {optional}
How to:
- Determine how much rice you’ll need to fill your chosen jar and divide it evenly into three bowls. Use glass or metal bowls to avoid staining plastics with the food coloring.
- Squeeze roughly 10 drops of blue food coloring into one of the bowls and mix, using a metal spoon, with the rice until coated. You may need to add more food coloring as desired to cover your rice if you have more or just want a deeper color.
- Pour the rice out onto a metal baking sheet and spread into a thin layer using the spoon. Allow rice to dry for 10 minutes.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the red food coloring and another bowl of rice. Be sure to put the red rice on a different baking sheet to dry!
- Pour the rice into the jar, beginning with the blue, then the white, then the red. You can use a funnel if you have one but I just poured carefully and slowly!
- Add a tealight candle- either an LED one or a real one- and “bury” the bottom of it a little with some of the red rice so it stays. Enjoy!
We went outside the other day for a little backyard picnic after school and I introduced my family to the new Chobani Mezé Dips. We all love Chobani in our house- their Greek yogurt is so delicious and really versatile, and I even use it for a lot of recipes. This time though, all I had to do was open the lids- these dips are delicious as-is and are perfect for snacking!
The Chobani Mezé Dips are made with Greek yogurt and real vegetables, and come in four flavors:
Roasted Red Pepper – a sweet and slightly hot, mix of roasted peppers
Three Pepper Salsa – a light blend of green peppers, chili peppers & jalapeno peppers with herbs
Smoked Onion Parmesan – rich mix that combines bold onion flavor with nutty parmesan
Chili Lime – a tangy blend of lime and light spice, with ranch-style herbs
You can pair the dips with anything you want, but they work especially great with pretzels, veggies, and even pita or tortilla chips. They are a fun, new, more unexpected addition to any backyard party- and a welcome change from the same old dips you’ve been eating for years. They are very flavorful and super savory, perfect for pairing with summer’s crisp veggies!
Chobani Mezé Dips are made for sharing and will definitely stand out at your next summer party! They’d be great for picnics and bbqs, and would be delicious enjoyed by the pool. I’m going to make sure to have some in my fridge at all times for those impromptu summer gatherings since they are so easy to serve: just open and pair with your favorite veggies or chips!
You can find Chobani Mezé Dips at your local Walmart- be sure to head to the deli section, not the yogurt case! Click here to get a coupon for $1.00 off any Chobani Mezé Dip!
