3 Last Minute New Year's Eve Recipes

We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you all a Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that 2011 is almost over!

We’ve got lots of great party ideas, recipes, and crafts to share in 2012,

but today we thought that we would share three of our favorite last-minute New Year’s Eve Party Recipes!

We hope that you enjoy these as you ring in the New Year!

Bubbly Jell-O Parfait

Image and Recipe via Family Fun Magazine

This bubbly treat is perfect for kids and adults alike!
To make, just follow the simple directions:

1.  Make bubbly Jell-O according to the directions on a box of Sparkling White Grape Jell-O. Be sure to use club soda, seltzer, or ginger ale and follow the tips on the box for getting the gelatin to sparkle.

2. Chill the Jell-O in champagne flutes or parfait glasses. It is best to make these the day of the party so that they keep their bubbliness.

3.  Wind a metallic multicolored star garland up the stem of the glass for some extra pizzazz.

Now, grab a spoon and toast the New Year with a cool, sparkly dessert that wiggles!

Times Square Ball

Image and Recipe via Family Fun Magazine
Bring the famous Times Square tradition to your own house with this midnight snack.

To make this you will need:
head of cabbage

aluminum foil

1-inch cheese cubes

mini foil baking cups

frilly toothpicks

Instructions:
1.  Use an unopened 8-ounce can and a head of cabbage, covered and joined with aluminum foil, for the base.

2.  Set 1-inch cheese cubes into mini foil baking cups, then skewer them on frilly toothpicks, inserting the pointy ends into the cabbage.

3.  Hold the ball up high, have the everyone count down as you lower it to the table, and let snack time begin!

New Year's Hats

Image and Recipe via Family Fun Magazine

Not only are these chocolate-covered cones a festive decorating, but they are a delicious sweet topping for a scoop of ice cream!

Ingredients:

Sugar cones

Ice cream

Chocolate chips (one 12-ounce bag for 10 to 12 cones)

Icing

Fruit strips or shoestring licorice

Sprinkles

Instructions:

1.  Spread melted chocolate chips over each sugar cone with a small spatula. Let the chocolate harden for about 1 hour (or 20 minutes in the refrigerator).

2.  For chinstraps, use icing to attach the ends of a fruit strip or a length of shoestring licorice to the inside of each cone.

Use icing to decorate the hats and attach sprinkles.
3.  Scoop some of your favorite ice-cream and plop these on top to celebrate!


We hope that you enjoy these tasty treats!


Happy New Year!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

Faulkner’s Ranch Holiday Parties

It’s Not Too Late To Plan
Your Holiday Party at Faulkner’s Ranch!

The holiday season finally here!  Why not treat your closest friends, employees, and associates to a memorable time at Faulkner's Ranch!

Whether you are entertaining employees and guests or hosting a family holiday event, planning your festivities with our skilled event planners is a fun and stress-free process that takes just one phone call.

Click HERE for more information on how you can have a jolly good time at Faulkner's!

Happy Holidays Ya'll,

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

PS  - Have a big birthday coming up? Maybe a special anniversary? Or perhaps a class reunion!  Then be sure to give us a call and ask about our special winter discounted rates and packages!

Christmas Gifts for Horse and Dog Lovers

Do you have a horse lover in your family?

What about a special pup?

Whether it's a pony or a pup, a horse or a hound,

you will be sure to find the perfect gift at Faulkner's Saddlery!

Click here to see the Holiday Specials!


Happy Shopping!


~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

Give the Gift of Pony Camp!

Having a hard time thinking of the PERFECT gift for your little cowgirl or cowboy this Christmas?

Then give them the gift of Pony Camp!

Faulkner’s Ranch Pony Camp is a week-long summer camp that teaches campers horseback riding skills, pony care, and teamwork.  Days are filled with riding lessons, ranch activities, crafts, games, and more!

Parents and siblings are even invited to attend a pony show on the final day of camp that showcases all of the campers new tricks!

All levels of experience are welcome! No prior experience is required.

For more information on Faulkner’s Ranch Pony Camp please visit our website by clicking here or call 816-761-1234 to get your Pony Camp Gift Certificate! 

Happy Trails,

~Your Friends at Faulkner's

PS - Don't forget about our Indoor Pony Parties! Perfect for those kiddos with a winter birthday!

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Brrrrr! It sure did get chilly outside!

Why not warm up and satisfy your sweet tooth with these delicious

Hot Cocoa Cookies!

Image and Recipe via PipAndEbby.com

Just follow the directions below to make these delicious treats!

In a medium saucepan, melt together...

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

12 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate (bars)

Stir frequently over medium heat until smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together...

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer, beat together...

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Beat on low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture just until blended. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed until just comined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Arrange about 16 balls 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet, flattening slightly. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack (about 12 minutes.)

Meanwhile, cut 7.5 ounces of semisweet chocolate (bars) into 1-inch squares. Snip 8 marshmallows in half crosswise and stick 1 square of chocolate onto each of the cut sides like so:

Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and gently press a marshmallow half, chocolate side down, into each cookie. Bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes.

Grate 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate over the hot cookies. Then, transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough, marshmallows and chocolate. Bake each batch on a clean sheet of parchment paper.

Last and definitely not least, ENJOY!


Do you have any holiday cookie recipes that you love? 
Send them our way! We would love to showcase them!

Have a wonderful and warm weekend!

~Your Friends at Faulkner's

Reader Showcase: Pumpkin Bird Feeders

If you are like us, many of you probably still have pumpkins sitting on your front porch.

Instead of just tossing them in the trash, why not turn them into these awesome birdfeeders like Lisa Gosselin did!

Aren't those just too cool?

Lisa made these birdfeeders out of her leftover Faulkner's pumpkins by carving them and then filling them with chicken scratch.  Not only is chicken scratch cheaper than birdseed, but it is also less messy (there are no shells to worry about).

These bird feeders are not only super cute and inexpensive, but the birds can also eat off of the pumpkin meat for a water source during the winter.

Thanks for sharing this awesome idea, Lisa!  We can't wait to see what creative idea you come up with next!

For more pumpkin bird feeder ideas, check out our Pinterest board.

Have a wonderful day!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s

Indoor Pony Party Inspiration

Does you kiddo have a winter birthday?
We know just how tough it can be to come up with fun birthday party ideas.
So why not save yourself the trouble and have an indoor pony party at Faulkner's Ranch?

We here at Faulkner's specifically designed "The Pony Place" for indoor children's pony parties. The adorably decorated activity barn and celebration rooms are heated and air - conditioned, perfect for your child's birthday party no matter the month!


Pony Party features include...

1. 90 minute party with 30 minutes in the activity barn, 30 minutes in the pony barn, and 30 minutes in the celebration room
2. Professional "Cowpoke Hostess" to completely facilitate the first hour for you!
3. Cow Milking Contest, Gigantic Pin the Tail on the Donkey Game, Rockin'Ropers, minature petting farm, and of course...PONY RIDES!
4. Setup and Cleanup (you won't have to clean your house!)

For more information or to book your pony party, click here.

.......

Now it's time to get inspired!

Here are some of our favorite pony party pictures via Pinterest.

Get the party going right before it even starts with these super cute invitations...

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Of course, you can order your cake through us, or you can get one on your own.  Check out these adorable designs of cakes we found online!

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Lucky for you, the barn is already decked out western style. But, check out all of these neat ideas for western style table settings! There are so many adorable possibilities with a pony party theme.

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And of course, who could forget the party favors?

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We hope that we get to celebrate your kiddo's birthday with you!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

S'mores Crescent Rolls

Looking for an easy winter snack that goes great with hot cocoa?
All you need is a tube of crescent rolls, some mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.
Place them in the crescent roll (as seen in photo below), roll it up, and bake according to the directions on the back of the tube.
Ta Da!
Now you have some easy-to-eat s'mores!

Image Courtesy of Northern Cottage

Check back this week for some more great recipes, holiday party tips, and DIY Christmas gifts.
Happy Sunday and safe travels to anyone heading back home!


~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

Red Hot Apple Cider

It sure did get chilly outside this weekend!
So why not stay toasty inside with this delicious drink?

Red Hot Apple Cider is not only absolutely out-of-this-world good, but it is also ridiculously easy to make.

If you have the two ingredients and five minutes to whip up a batch, then you’ll be good to go!

Just follow the directions below to make this sweet and spicy drink that will give you that warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling with every sip.

Red Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients:

1 quart Apple Cider, homemade or store bought
1/4 cup Red Hots candies (or more depending on how spicy you want it)

Directions:

In a large sauce pan or a large tea kettle, heat cider and red hots over medium high heat, constantly stirring. Once red hots have completely dissolved, remove from heat, and serve in mugs.

If you want to make just one serving, you can put the ingredients in a mug in the microwave and heat it up until the Red Hots are melted.  Stir and enjoy!

You can even get fancy and garnish it with a cinnamon stick or place a decent amount of Red Hots in the bottom of the glass to give it the look shown above.


Do you have any winter drink recipes that you love?  Send them our way! We'd love to share them!


Have a great rest of the weekend!


~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

A Very Faulkner Thanksgiving

We here at Faulkner’s Ranch are thankful for so many things...

our family, our friends, and being blessed with a wonderful family business that makes us love going to work each day.

Since moving to our new location on Raytown Road, it has become a tradition for the entire family to get together at the ranch for a huge Thanksgiving dinner celebration.  We usually have between 30 and 40 people to celebrate with which means lots of laughter and LOTS of food!

We start the evening by getting in a big circle and each saying what we are thankful for...

Then it's time for the food and we aren't joking around when we say there is lots of food! Everyone brings their favorite dish so everything is absolutely delicious.

Once we are all stuffed we start the rather competitive game of Pirate Bingo. 

It works like a White Elephant Christmas Exchange.  When you win Bingo, you pick a gift...however that gift can be stolen up to three times by other winners.

Some people get the best seat in the house for this...

Especially since the game can get pretty intense...

and some tables don't have much luck and start to get rowdy...

But luckily our beautiful Bingo callers keep everyone in line.

In the end, everyone scored some pretty awesome gifts, like Jamie with his boa covered plunger.

Overall, it was a fantastic evening!

We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Stay tuned this month for more delicious holiday recipes, DIY Christmas gifts, and awesome party planning tips.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

To read more about our family traditions, click here.