Trolls Holiday Movie Night Inspiration & Recipe AD

This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Last year my boys just fell in love with trolls. I really think it was the music that captured them…it didn’t hurt to have fun characters and plenty of action to boot. They were all super excited when I told them that this months Movie Night was going to be Trolls themed, and then when I told them it was for a new Trolls Holiday they were even more excited! What made it even better is that The Grinch aired before it on NBC, so we got a two-for night! Now don’t fret if you missed it because Tues Nov 28th you can pick up this new movie exclusively at Walmart! It’s already on our stocking stuffer list!
Now that the Bergens’ one holiday is gone – and the Trolls don’t have to worry about being eaten by their neighbors – Poppy, the eternally optimistic Troll queen, has made it her mission to bring a brand new day of celebration to Bergen Town.
When Poppy recruits reluctant Branch and the rest of the colorful Snack Pack to join her quest, she’ll try to prove to her best Bergen friends, Bridget and King Gristle Jr., that life would be better if they’d just adopt a new holiday. But just because Poppy won’t rest until the village embraces Ticklepalooza or Balloon Squeal Day doesn’t mean the Bergens are ready to launch a celebration as loud, crazy and glittery as the little Troll suggesting it.
The returning cast includes your favorites – Anna Kendrick as Poppy, Justin Timberlake as Branch, Zooey Deschanel as Bridget, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as King Gristle Jr., James Corden as Biggie, Ron Funches as Cooper, Icona Pop’s Caroline Hjelt as Chenille and Aino Jawo as Satin, Kunal Nayyar as Guy Diamond, Walt Dohrn as Cloud Guy, Smidge, and Fuzzbert, and Kevin Michael Richardson as the narrator.
I couldn’t help but get excited to pick out snacks and create some fun “troll” recipes! I wanted to keep a soft color theme and plenty of snacks my boys already know and love. We had popcorn, cupcakes, colorful candies & smoothies.
One of my favorite things to play with is cupcakes! For Trolls Holidays Movie Night I wanted a fruity & fun cupcake so I decided on a Strawberry with Creamcheese.
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 2/3c Flour
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2c Butter (softened)
3/4c Sugar
3 Eggs
1/3c Strawberry Puree
1/4c Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4c Finely Diced Strawberries
Icing
1/2c Butter (softened)
1 8oz Pack Cream Cheese
3c Powdered Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Toppings
Cotton Candy (pink or blue)
Edible Glitter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt & set aside.
In separate bowl mix butter & sugar until blended well.
Mix in eggs, milk, vanilla & strawberry puree
Mix in dry ingredients until combined.
Divide mixture evenly among 12 paper-lined muffin cups.
Bake for 20-24 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool before frosting.
Once cool pipe frosting onto top making sure you have enough to sick your cotton candy to.
Tear off pieces of cotton candy and place on top of each cupcake.
Finish with your edible glitter
*Note: Make sure you frost and add cotton candy right before serving or they may both become stiff and unappetizing.
I was trying to be very mindful of the menu. I wanted things to be colorful and fun. So when it came to making the smoothie, I choose to use mixed berries to get a pretty pastel purple color vs just using strawberry or blueberry.
This is a fairly simple recipe that you can have lots of fun with.
Ingredients
Smoothie
1c Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
1/2 bag Frozen Mixed Berries
1c Milk (your choice, we used 2% but have used Almond)
Topping
Whipped Topping
Pastel Flower Sprinkles
Edible Glitter
Rock Candy Sticks
Put all of your smoothie ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Top with whipped topping
Top with sprinkles & glitter
Garnish with rock candy (here’s where you can get creative, there are all kinds of options for garnishing!)
I’m thinking next months movie night will need to be The Grinch themed! Oh, lets see what I can come up with! If you have any ideas you would like to share, feel free to send them to me on Pinterest!

iichiko Kurobin Hot Toddy

This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
With most of the country caught in a nasty winter…you just know a head cold isn’t far behind. That means it’s time to put away the shaker and grab a kettle to whip up a Hot Toddy. Your classic Hot Toddy is made with a base of brandy, whiskey or rum, but today’s recipe I’m going to share is created with a Japanese spirit and will surely be your new favorite way to banish the winter blues.
Since 1958, iichiko has prided itself on putting quality first, the way it’s always been done and will always continue to be done. Iichiko’s Kurobin is made from 100% barley produced using a single distillation process combining techniques of low pressure and atmospheric distillation. Luminous in color, Kuorbin presents gentle aromas of violet on the nose.
On the palate there are hints of red cherry, tangerine and yellow peach with notes of fruit cake and lychee. It has a refined sweetness and silky, round mouth feel with a long finish.
The Kurobin Hot Toddy, by Heidi Merino of The Liquid Chef
1 oz iichiko Kurobin
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1 bar spoon agave nectar
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 oz boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
combine ingredients in a cup and stir with a cinnamon stick
Kurobin is available in Hawaii, New York and California.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bringing The Family Together With Manwich Monday’s

This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Manwich for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Nothing better than getting the family around the table and talking about the day. Okay almost nothing…how about getting the family around the table, talking about the day, and eating a tasty and filling dinner. My boys will agree Manwich Monday’s are a delicious way to start the week!
Manwich has this amazing kid-stopping power, because Manwich makes meals a messy-licious treat to be enjoyed with both hands – giving moms and dads an easy, quality ingredient to bring the family’s attention back to mealtime and away from everyday distractions like TV, texting or the stress of school. Plus, each can of Manwich is free of artificial flavors and preservatives.
With three different canned sauce varieties, there is sure to be a perfect one for your family – Manwich Original, Manwich Bold and Manwich Thick & Chunky. To learn more about Manwich products, visit their products page.
It doesn’t take much to create a delicious, filling meal the whole family will enjoy. Just take 1lb of hamburger meat, brown it then add in your favorite Hunts Manwich variety, heat and serve on a bun with your favorite toppings.
You can always mix it up and create many recipes from the Hunts Manwich sauce..if you’ve never had it, Manwich is a hearty sauce (no meat included) with a sweet and tangy taste perfect for sandwiches, pastas and more…I’ve used Manwich to create many fun meals over the years for the boys, like these Easy Sloppy Joe Cups…
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs Hamburger Meat
2 Cans Manwich
2 Cans Biscuits
2 C shredded Cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Brown hamburger meat, drain.
Mix in Manwich sauce
Slightly roll out each biscuit, place into greased muffin tin to create a “bowl”
Add in Manwich meat & top with cheese
Bake as directed on biscuit can
Now the debate is what yummy recipe will we use for the upcoming National Sloppy Joe Day March 18th! Right now its a toss up between Saucy Meatloaf or Sloppy Joe’s Tacos! Which would you choose?
To find Manwich products in a store near you, use the product locator on ConAgra Foods’ website here.
Follow the hashtag #ManwichMondays, sign up for their ReadySetEat enewsletter & check out the Manwich Mondays Recipes for more inspiration on ways to bring the family together!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Big Red Margarita Cocktail

Big Red Margarita Cocktail

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Ah sports, a great time for rivalries, get together, food & of course lots of drinks! I was serving up some deliciousness yesterday and today I’m going to share one of my hits with you! As you may or may not know, I attended the Rockstar Uproar Tour last year as a guest of Pura Vida Tequila where I was able to sample some drinks, take in the festival & meet Godsmack! Read More Here…Since then I have enjoyed creating recipes using this top of the line tequila. In case you missed the first one’s I shared here is my Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos & their Sully Smash (delish by the way!). Now I bring you my Big Red Margarita…
1 1/2 oz Pura Vida Extra Añejo Tequila
2 1/2 oz Big Red Soda
1 oz Cherry Grenadine
Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice. Stir to chill and combine. Enjoy
My Sparkling Life https://mysparklinglife.com/
Since football season is over, being fruity and red makes it the perfect V-Day drink to make your love…you know put the kids to bed early enjoy some quality time with a few Big Red Margaritas. But Football and V-Day are not the only times to enjoy this drink…So when’s the best time to enjoy? Anytime, I started making them around 3 yesterday, but multi-platinum rock band Godsmacks lead singer Sully Erna, has a brand new tradition that is taking on in the rock world: 8:15TequilaTime. The band & fans everywhere are taking a moment at 8:15PM everyday, to raise a toast to the good life (Pura Vida) with Pura Vida Tequila.
Be sure to check out some of my other recipes utilizing tequila
& Remember to ALWAYS drink responsibly!