Gameday Crockpot Meatballs

Happy Humpday! I hope you all are having a great week.
I am very excited to post about these meatballs that I made for the game on Saturday. As I've mentioned before, we love to tailgate. This week, being an away game for our beloved Crimson Tide, we decided to take our tailgating outside to the driveway. Redneck? Maybe, Fun? Heck yes!

I'd like to give a big thanks to our friends at Farm Rich for sending a free coupon to check out their products. They have a great selection  of frozen snack foods that you can either heat up or include in a recipe. This was the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe I had been thinking about.

I used the Farm Rich Italian Style Meatballs (they also have turkey meatballs!!) for this recipe. Most of the stuff I already had around the house so this was a great easy to put together snack.

Crockpot Meatballs
1 bag frozen meatballs
12 oz ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1tsp salt
1 tsp garlic
1 tbsp worcestershire
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Mix all wet ingreadients in a mixing bowl. Add seasonings. Empty bag of meatballs into crock pot. Pour sauce over meatballs. Stir until meatballs are coated. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Serve warm.






These really turned out GREAT. I'm pretty sure everyone went back for seconds. Best of all, they were easy peasy!!

Want to try this recipe?? Enter to win a certificate to try out a Farm Rich product for yourself!
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Cream Cheese Pastry with Brown Sugar and Rum Banana Topping

I normally don't care for sweets, I am much more of a salty fan than a sweet fan, however when I saw the idea on Pintrest for a cream cheese pastry I knew I had to try it. I modified it a little and here is what I came up with. It will definitely be a keeper in our home.

Cream Cheese Pastry

1 roll crescent rolls
1/2 cup sugar
1 block cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3tbs butter
Cinnamon/Sugar Mix

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth. Roll 1/2 the crescent rolls out in a lightly greased pan. Top with cream cheese mixture. Top with second half of crescent rolls. Drizzle butter on top and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mix. (I use 1/3 cinnamon and 2/3 sugar) Be generous with the mixture. Bake at 350F for 15-20 mins. Serve warm

Brown Sugar and Rum Banana Topping

2-3 bananas (firm)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tbs butter
1 - 2 tbsp dark rum

In a small sauce pan, heat brown sugar, butter, and rum until thoroughly mixed. Slice bananas into 1/2 inch bites. Saute bananas until sauce thickens. Top cream cheese pastry with bananas and drizzle with remaining sauce. (I do this on the individual servings, not the dish as a whole.)

Please let me know if you try it!

~Amanda

Master Bedroom Inspiration

Happy Monday! I am happy to report that I passed my GRE this weekend with flying colors so I can now focus a little more on blogging.

Hubs and I are going to have to re-decorate our master bedroom. We were given the comforter and bedding that we registered for for our wedding a little over a year ago but we did a terrible job picking it out. While I love the design, it just didn't hold up very well. Here we are a year later and already needing new bedding.
Here is a pic of what our room currently looks like:

I'm not quite sure what possessed us to paint the walls red (wait, yes I am, my husband thinks EVERYTHING should be red) However I would like to try to get by without repainting them. If you've ever painted with red, you know why. It is a pain in the arse to get even, and even worse to cover up.

The other rooms in our home are decorated with red and yellow so I am considering looking for yellow bedding. I definitely need something light or bright to brighten up the area with the dark walls. Here are a few I've found around the internet. I also like a gray/white combo but I'm afraid it will be to hard to keep clean.

Which do you like best?

Comforters & Duvets
Pillowcases & Shams

Also, don't forget to enter my Simply Said Giveaway! Today is the last day!

Family Pest Control Tips

Fall is my favorite time of the year because it is so pretty outside. Here in Alabama, nothing beats a cool Fall evening out on the back porch.  This time of year it is especially important to make sure your home and family are protected from pests. Our friends at Moxie Pest Control would like to share a few tips with you on controlling pests around your home.

Also, if you haven't already, don't forget to register for my Simply Said Monogram Giveaway! I'll be taking entries until Monday 10/15!
-- Guest Post---

Controlling pests inside your home while keeping the kids safe can be arduous. First, insects and rodents carry germs and diseases that are unhealthy for kids as well as adults. Second, chemicals and solutions used in treating those pests, can be unhealthy as well. The key is finding the balance between controlling pests and protecting your children and family.

Roaches, ants, rodents, flies, bees, wasps, spiders, mosquitos and ticks play a role in the food chain of life and our ecosystem, they do not play a role in my home-system. Did you know that roaches, ants, rodents, and flies can transmit food poisoning agents such as salmonella. Furthermore, mosquitos and ticks carry diseases, most of which are more serious when infected in children. Finally, bee stings and spider bites, while rarely serious, can be really painful to a child. So how do we deal with the health risks associated with pests while also not exposing our family to additional health risks from pesticides and chemicals.

Here are some creative and effective ideas

1.  Ants can be killed on contact similarly, except you want to add some cooking oil with the soapy water. Spray when you see them and wahla. Since this is safe, you can even have your kids do the dirty work.     From the outside, pour a line of cinnamon across doorways or window sills and watch as the aroma prevents the ants from crossing.

2.  Mosquitoes are a real pain, but easily controlled from the inside of the house. They need water and any water that sits stagnate for a period of time will attract mosquitoes. Check your shower drains, sink drains and toilet drains to make sure they are properly draining. Also, check your air/conditioning drain as well. Sometimes the water pools before it is drained to the outside.

3.  Spiders can be rid by using simple vinegar.  The acetic acid, gives it the sour taste, in vinegar will rid many spiders from your home. All you need to do is mix equal parts of vinegar and water and spray the usual areas.

4.  Rodents such as mice pose a more difficult dilemma. Mouse traps are dangerous to kids, but extremely effective. You can purchase an owl, they love catching and eating mice, but no one wants an owl staring at them while they sleep. Try an electronic mouse repellant. They plug right into an outlet and emit pulses that prevent mice and other small rodents from feeding and nesting in the walls.

5.  Roaches breath just like the rest of us. Spraying a roach with soapy water will block the roaches ability to breath, thus eliminating a pest. Longterm solutions include mixing a couple of drops of tea tree oil, romemary oil, and citronella oil with water and spraying the usual areas such as baseboards and closets.

Ridding a home of unhealthy pests does not have to be done with dangerous chemicals that are harmful to children and families. Just purchase some empty spray bottles and start mixing some of the concoctions listed above and you are on your way to naturally solving your pest problems.

Bryan Baker works with MoxiePestControl.com, a pest control company with organic solutions.

Birthday GIVEAWAY from Simply Said!

In honor of my birthday (which was Wednesday), I am hosting a giveaway for my readers. Today's giveaway is from Steffany Means from Simply Said.

I have known Steffany and her family almost her entire life so I am honored to host a giveaway for her new adventure in Simply Said.

If you haven't seen this company, you should definitely check it out. They sell decals that you can put almost anywhere. These have a way of making an ordinary space look extraordinary.

 Steffany has been so awesome to offer a giveaway for Cupcakes and Corndogs readers! This decal is only available through the consultants and not offered in any of the catalogs.

This letter decal is customizable in your favorite color and letter. It is the perfect size to add to a pumpkin or flower pot for your fall decor. While you can order from here at any time, this giveaway will close at midnight on Monday, October 15.  For ordering information, visit her Facebook Page.

Here is one of my favorites taken from the full catalog. Page 50

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Interested in hosting a giveaway here at Cupcakes and Corndogs? Email me for details! \ Linked to

Fall Dining Room Table

 Welcome back! I wanted to post about my dining room fall decor but I had a hard time deciding on a centerpiece. I decided to post both! Please let me know which you like best!

Fall Place setting

 I am using my grandmother's china with a pretty quatrefoil brown napkin that we got as a wedding present. I thought it needed something extra so I added a small twig of fall berries to each setting.

 For the first centerpiece, I used a wire pumpkin that my mom gave me, another gold pumpkin from the set I used on my mantle, and carafe with monogram and wheat (Publix)

For the second, I used the centerpiece that normally sits on the table, but exchanged the white candles for a few white pumpkins.

Which do you like best? 

Thanks for stopping by!