How to Have a Fun Family Game Night Pretzel Party with Snyder's of Hanover and Mattel Board Games

Thank you to Snyder's of Hanover and to Mattel for providing complimentary product samples to help us plan our event.  All opinions expressed are my own.

You've probably heard me complain before about how infrequently we get to plan a Family Game Night at our house.  When I was invited to plan a Family Game Night Pretzel Party with the help of Snyder's of Hanover pretzels and Mattel board games, how could I refuse?  After all, they did all the hard work for me.

Step 1.  Be sure you have a large assortment of pretzels.  You'll want to choose some old favorites (like the Snyder's of Hanover Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches and the Honey Wheat Braids), some pretzel varieties that your family has never tried before (such as the Cheddar Cheese & Cracked Pepper Flavor Doubles or the Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Pieces), plus some plain pretzels for dipping.

Step 2.  Choose a variety of age-appropriate games.  We had received the Apples to Apples Party Box, which was for ages 12 and up, and the Uno Power Grab, which was slightly out of the age range of our twin kindergartners.  We ended up playing the Parrot Pile-Up Game followed by the Uno Card Game, both of which were the perfect age for our twins and their 9 year old big brother.

Step 3.  Make one or more of these super-easy marshmallow pretzel dips.

Step 4.  Invite your children to enjoy the pretzels and dip before you bring out the games.  This will allow you to get all the stickiness out of the way first.

Step 5.  Bring on the games!

We started with the Parrot Pile-Up Game because we had never heard of it before and the parrot on the box looked super-fun.  This game does not require any skills other than a steady hand, which put players of all ages on a pretty even playing field.

All you had to do was add a piece of cargo to the pile on the raft and push the raft with one finger only to its next stop without letting any cargo fall off the raft.  The higher the pile of cargo got, the more fun and laughter ensued.  Parrot Pile-Up was a surprisingly entertaining game for the whole family.  It turned out our 6 year old daughter had the steadiest hand out of everyone.  She won the game by getting rid of all her pieces of cargo first.

Next, we moved onto the Uno Card Game.  This is a great game for children ages 6 and up.  The players need only to be able to match numbers or colors with a few specialty cards thrown in.

Our daughter ended up winning this game too, so she got to sit back and watch the rest of the game while munching on more pretzels.  She just could not get enough of the Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Bits and the Honey Wheat Braids dipped in the chocolate marshmallow dip.

The rest of the game went on for quite some time until it was down to my husband and our 9 year old son.  There was quite a bit of good-natured ribbing going on between them.  It just made us all laugh watching them carry on the way they did.

I think we made some great memories that night.  If you'd like to plan your own Family Game Night Pretzel Party, start off by picking up some pretzels.  You can look for specially marked bags of Snyder's of Hanover pretzels that have a coupon for $1.00 off any Uno brand game.

Visit SnydersOfHanvoer.com and Mattel.com for more items to make your Family Game Night a fun and memorable one.

3 Easy Marshmallow Pretzel Dip Recipes

Last year when my family celebrated National Pretzel Day, I bought two jars of gourmet dip and some Nutella to use as pretzel dip.  Our children did not really seem too crazy about any of the dips I chose, so I decided to come up with a must-win pretzel dip that was super-kid-friendly.  You know me though . . . whatever I make, it has to be easy with few ingredients and not a lot of prep work.  The 3 varieties of dips I ended up making were simple, but were a huge hit compared to the gourmet dips.

Recipe:  Peanut Butter Marshmallow Pretzel Dip

INGREDIENTS

Marshmallow Fluff

Reese's Peanut Butter Topping

Chocolate Sprinkles or Mini Chocolate Chips

Step 1.  Take approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of Marshmallow Fluff and put it in a small dip bowl.  Allow the marshmallow to settle.  It will smooth out on its own.

Step 2.  Drizzle Reese's Peanut Butter Topping over the top of the marshmallow.

Step 3.  Take a chopstick or a swizzle stick and swirl the peanut butter into the marshmallow without mixing it together too much.

Step 4.  Top the mixture with chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips and serve.

Recipe:  Chocolate Marshmallow Pretzel Dip

INGREDIENTS

Marshmallow Fluff

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Colorful Confetti Sprinkles or Rainbow Sprinkles

Step 1.  Take approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of Marshmallow Fluff and put it in a small dip bowl.  Allow the marshmallow to settle.  It will smooth out on its own.

Step 2.  Drizzle Hershey's Chocolate Syrup over the top of the marshmallow.

Step 3.  Take a chopstick or a swizzle stick and swirl the chocolate syrup into the marshmallow without mixing it together too much.

Step 4.  Top the mixture with confetti or rainbow sprinkles and serve.

Recipe:  Toffee Caramel Marshmallow Pretzel Dip

INGREDIENTS

Marshmallow Fluff

Smucker's Caramel Sundae Topping

Heath Bar Toffee Chips

Step 1.  Take approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of Marshmallow Fluff and put it in a small dip bowl.  Allow the marshmallow to settle.  It will smooth out on its own.

Step 2.  Drizzle Smucker's Caramel Sundae Topping over the top of the marshmallow.

Step 3.  Take a chopstick or a swizzle stick and swirl the caramel into the marshmallow without mixing it together too much.

Step 4.  Top the mixture with Heath Bar toffee chips and serve.

Although my children seemed to like them all, it appeared that their favorite was the Chocolate Marshmallow Dip.  I'm not sure if it was the chocolate they liked so much or the colorful star-shaped confetti sprinkles.  It could very well have been both.  I think anyone who likes a salty-sweet taste combination will enjoy this dip.

If you try any of these pretzel dips for your children or grandchildren, I'd love to know how they liked it or which one they ended up enjoying the most.

Celebrate Auntie Anne's 25th Birthday & Heart Health Month with the New Honey Whole Grain Pretzel

Auntie Anne’s, which serves up America’s favorite soft pretzels, is celebrating their 25th birthday this month and to coordinate with Heart Health Month, they have unveiled a new variety of pretzel, Honey Whole Grain. These delicious pretzels are 300 calories or less (260 without butter) and are made with real whole grain dough containing one full serving of whole grains (67 grams). This gives these pretzels more fiber, protein, and iron than many of their others. Plus, like all Auntie Anne’s pretzels, these are hand rolled and baked fresh throughout the day so you never get old, light-warmed pretzels.

Auntie Anne’s was kind enough to send us a birthday party kit which contained the game Twister to fit the theme, party supplies like pins and twisty straws, and 25 free pretzel coupons.

For our party, I invited several families to come but sadly only one family actually made it when the party day came. I was disappointed we didn’t have a better turn out, but we still had fun and it just meant we had more pretzels to munch on. We had a lot of fun sampling the new Honey Whole Grain pretzels as well as old favorites sour cream & onion and cinnamon & sugar. The new Honey Whole Grain pretzels are absolutely delicious and you can tell they are whole grains because of how filling they are. They are plain with just a hint of sweet (honey) and they go well with sauces or plain. All of us really liked them and were pleasantly surprised by how much.

We loved the party supplies that came in our kit.  The kids had fun playing Twister together and we even listened to some “twisting” music like Twist and Shout by The Isley Brothers and, naturally, The Twist by Chubby Checker. All in all, the party was fun, the pretzels were yummy, and we are thankful to Auntie Anne’s for letting us have this bash.

On March 9th, all Auntie Anne’s locations nationwide will be having a sampling day to let customers try out the new Honey Whole Grain pretzels. Mark your calendars! 

Also, until March 31, fans can get twisting in the “Twist and Win” online sweepstakes. Visit www.pretzelperfect.com for a chance to win $25,000, an all-new Apple iPad Mini, Coca-Cola beverages for a year, or a $25 Visa gift card. You can also follow Auntie Anne’s on Twitter and on Facebook.


Thank you to Auntie Anne's for providing complimentary product samples and a party kit to facilitate this post and for providing additional product for our contest prize.

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Snyder’s of Hanover and Lance Sandwich Crackers Crunch Time

Our twin kindergartners and our 3rd grader all go back to school at the end of August.  Needless to say, this has been a crazy busy week between making sure we have all the requested supplies, the all-important first day outfits, enough food to pack for morning snacks and lunches, and much more.  Some of our 8 year old's favorite snacks to take to school are pretzels and sandwich crackers.  We much prefer to pack these items for him over things we normally consider to be treats, like chips and cookies.  We intend to continue this tradition with our 5 year old twins.

In the past, I have heard the "againnnnnnn?" question from our oldest regarding his lunch and snack options more than once.  I must say that variety is key.  That is something that both Snyder's of Hanover and Lance Sandwich Crackers offer our children in their handy snack-size packs.  Snyder's of Hanover even offers gluten-free pretzels and 100-calorie packs.  Also, not all the Lance products have peanut butter in them, so you have snack options even if your child's classroom is peanut-free.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels are not limited to just morning time or lunchtime snacks.  They are also perfect for after school snacks, as well as desserts.  For some unique ideas and recipes, checkout the pretzel recipes on their website and on their Facebook page.


Look at these adorable Owl Minis made with Snyder's of Hanover pretzel minis and pretzel sticks . . .

Also checkout this Sea Salt Almond Caramel Pretzel Bites recipe I recently shared, which uses Snyder's of Hanover pretzel snaps . . . 

Thank you to Snyder's of Hanover and Lance Sandwich Crackers for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing additional product for our contest prize.

The Crunch Time Prize Pack includes:

• 2 Boxes of 100-Calorie Packs Pretzel Minis
• 2 Boxes of 100-Calorie Packs Pretzel Sticks
• 2 Boxes of 100-Calorie Packs Pretzel Snaps
• 2 Boxes of Whole Grain Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• 2 Boxes of Toast Chee Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• 2 Variety Boxes of Sandwich Crackers
• 2 Bags of 8 Gluten-free Pretzel Stick 100 Calorie Snack Packs

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Easy Recipe: Sea Salt Almond Caramel Pretzel Bites

A salty sweet taste combination is one of my favorites to enjoy.  I had always meant to try making something with pretzel snaps.  Of course it needed to be something tasty, but simple, like all the other recipes I share.  Just as with brownies, I always have fun experimenting with adding different ingredients.  Since our 5-1/2 year old daughter has recently been asking me to buy almonds after her first taste of a traditional Chinese almond cookie, I decided that almonds should be included in our little experimental sweet treat.  I also opted for traditional caramels without any chocolate because the thought of buttery caramel with warm almonds made me drool.

Recipe:  Sea Salt Almond Caramel Pretzel Bites

INGREDIENTS:

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Snaps

caramel cubes

almonds roasted in sea salt

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Step 1.  On a microwave-safe plate, place a pretzel snap and top it off with a caramel cube centered.

Step 2.  Test out the length of time it takes for the caramel cube to soften in your microwave without melting.  (Mine took 25 seconds, but all microwave times vary.)  You want to heat the caramel long enough so that it is warm and soft, but is still a cube.  If your caramel has started to turn into a puddle or has started to bubble, then try again using less time.

Step 3.  Once your timing has been perfected, microwave the desired amount of pretzel snaps topped with caramel on a microwave-safe plate.

Step 4.  Then immediately push a whole sea salt roasted almond into the top of each warm caramel.

Step 5.  Allow to cool for a minute and then serve immediately while still warm.

Each one of these are meant to be one adult bite-size serving.  I could not believe how delicious the scent of almonds in warm caramel smelled.  These would be great to make during the holidays because your house would smell so good for your guests.


Thank you to Snyder's of Hanover for providing the pretzels used in this recipe.

Celebrate National Pretzel Day with a Pretzel Party!

Today (April 26th) is National Pretzel Day!  I really have never met anyone who did not like pretzels.  Of course, everyone has their favorite variety, so when celebrating such an occasion, you really must try to cover all your bases.  I did not have much time to plan our party, but I think I did pretty well by using what we had in the house in addition to the items in the National Pretzel Day Celebration Kit we had received from Snyder's of Hanover, which included 10 varieties of Snyder's Pretzels, a recipe booklet, party horns, confetti, and balloons.

I must say that the pretzel party was a huge hit with our three children.  They talked about it for days after the event.  If you would like to throw one for your children, here are a few easy things I did . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

I had decided to use only 8 varieties out of the 10 I had received.  The Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches, Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Pieces, and Buttermilk Ranch Pretzel Pieces were served alone.

Since I knew that my children would be disappointed that there were not chocolate-covered pretzels included in the kit, I made a salty sweet snack mix using the Pretzel Snaps, Sourdough Nibblers, and M&Ms.

I had previously purchased Elki Bacon Blue Cheese Whipped Mustard Spread & Dip and Elki Smoky Garlic Mozzarella Dip.  I put these out in custard cups along with Nutella for dipping the Snyder's Pretzel Rods, the Honey Wheat Braided Twists, and the Sourdough Hard Pretzels.

Although our children loved almost everything, their absolute favorite variety was the Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Pieces.  Personally, I loved the Honey Wheat Braided Twists dipped in the Garlic Mozzarella Dip.

For more great party ideas and recipes, visit SnydersOfHanover.com and Snyder's of Hanover on Facebook.


Thank you to Snyder's of Hanover for providing a complimentary National Pretzel Day Celebration Kit for us to base this review upon and for providing a second kit for our contest prize.


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Good luck in the drawing!