TREND ALERT: “The Wild Side” Adult Coloring Party!

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Hey party peeps! Today’s trend alert is all about the hot new rage…adult coloring books! EVERYONE is getting in on this hot new craze and I must admit, I didn’t think I had much time to sit down and color, but WOW, I did it recently and it was such a creative and relaxing outlet for me! I had so much fun doing it by myself, that I decided to turn it into a PARTY…of course! Check out my latest TREND ALERT: “THE WILD SIDE” ADULT COLORING PARTY!

SET THE SCENE FOR A WILD SIDE PARTY!

My favorite coloring sheets are ones of tribal animals so I decided to do the party with a “Wild Side” theme. Decorating for this was a breeze for me since I have modern safari decor elements sprinkled throughout my home’s decor. I decided to set up the party on my photo gallery wall which is grounded with a sofa table that I used to hold the food. I pulled my bar cart next to it to hold all the coloring supplies. I left two of my photo frames on the wall and replaced them with 2 coloring sheets to bring in the theme. I simply moved the silver giraffes, bling tree, ceramic elephants and black and silver candlesticks from all over my house to the party table to concentrate the modern safari decor pieces in one place to create a Wild Side themed table design. I already own zebra and cheetah print linen in my party stash which I used as runners. How cool do they look layered on top each other. I used to be afraid of mixing bold patterns, but this totally works! It’s all about living on the wild side, right?

GIRLFRIEND TIP: When planning an adult party in your home, consider your home’s color palette and decor before coming up with a theme. It is much more economical to use a color palette for your party that compliments your existing home’s decor AND you can use some of the decor you already own to decorate the party!

WILD SIDE FOOD BAR!

Sometimes when I host an adult dinner party, I like to mix it up a little bit and instead of serving a sit-down meal, I will set up food stations so my guests can try different foods in mini-portions served in individual serving containers. It makes it fun and allows for a cool wow factor for your party. I love making homemade baked macaroni & cheese but wanted to add something “WILD” to it to jazz it up for the party. While shopping in Walmart, I found the new Jack Link’s Wild Side Sausages in Original, Jalapeño and Cheddar flavors in the refrigerated section (by the hot dogs)…PERFECT! I decided I would make all three flavors of Jack Link’s Wild Side Sausage and serve them as kabobs AND dice up the Jalapeño flavored ones to top my mac-n-cheese for a spicy and wild kick! This was my first time trying them but when I saw they were made with premium cuts of beef & pork, contain no added MSG or fillers, are high in protein and gluten free…I knew these were worth a try. Boy, am I glad I did! YUMMY! Now…let’s get cookin’!

MINI BAKED MAC & CHEESE TOPPED WITH GRILLED JACK LINK’S WILD SIDE JALAPEÑO SAUSAGE & SAUSAGE KABOBS!

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
– Jack Link’s Wild Side Sausages Original Flavor
– Jack Link’s Wild Side Sausages Jalapeño Flavor
– Jack Link’s Wild Side Sausages Cheddar Flavor
– 1 box elbow macaroni
– 1/2 quart half & half
– 1 stick butter
– 5 cheeses (1 cup each: diced velveeta, shredded sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, monterey jack and 4 slices diced muenster)
– 1/2 tablespoon season salt
– 1 egg

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT:

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to the water. Pour in the entire box of elbow macaroni and stir. Cook pasta until tender.

STEP 2: Dice one cup of velveeta cheese and 4 slices of muenster cheese and add to the shredded sharp cheddar, mild cheddar and monterey jack cheese in a mixing bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup of the shredded cheeses in a separate bowl (you’ll need this to sprinkle on the top).

STEP 3: Drain the pasta. Add butter to the hot pot then pour drained pasta back into the pot. Mix in the cheese blend, season salt and half & half. Stir well until fully mixed.

STEP 4: Pour the cheese mixture into a 9×12 baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese mixture on top. Place a few butter pats on top and bake for 30 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and let cool.

STEP 5: Trim a small section of the Jack Link’s Sausages off the long end to create a flat surface. Be sure not to cut them in half as you will need the chunks big enough to fit on a skewer.

STEP 6: Add the sausages (flat side down) to a large heated skillet, coated with vegetable oil on medium heat. Cook (uncovered) for 6 minutes without moving them to get a caramelized grilled texture. Turn and cook on the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan to a cutting board.

STEP 7: To make the Sausage Kabobs – cut the sausages into 5 evenly sliced chunks and place them on a skewer. To serve, place each flavor in a separate serving container and put a sign on them so guests know which ones are which.

GIRLFRIEND TIP: Jack Link’s Sausages are perfect for entertaining as they are just as yummy hot or can be served room temperature!

STEP 8: To make the Sausage topping for the mac-n-cheese, dice a few of the Jalapeño flavored sausages into small bits. Using an ice cream scoop, fill mini bowls with mac-n-cheese and top with the diced sausage. To serve, place the mini dishes on your Wild Side Food Bar. Don’t forget to set out forks and napkins too.

THE WILD SIDE COLORING STATION!

I used my bar cart to set up the coloring station. Before the party, I downloaded a few Aztec Animal clip art graphics that I loved, added a few inspirational words to them and printed them out on my printer. I was able to print a few of each for each guest to color during the party. Place the coloring sheets on clipboards so that everyone has a flat surface to color on. These clipboards are actually cardboard folders with a clip on the outside to hold the sheets while coloring and a pocket and notepad inside to place their finished coloring sheets. These also doubled as a take home party favor for each guest! Gotta LOVE that!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE ADULT COLORING TREND? INSPIRED TO HOST YOUR OWN COLORING PARTY?

To get you started, be sure to pick up your favorite flavors or all three flavors of Jack Link’s Wild Side Sausages at Walmart where they currently have them on sale with Rollback pricing of $3.48 (now through Memorial Day).

Cheers!
Tonya

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– Styling & Photography: Soiree Event Design