Continuing with the theme of good eats for the summer, I am pleased to announce that I have a new-found love for 'party pails.' Party pails often have several things for a party, all in one bucket or pail, and can easily be taken with you, wherever you're headed.


New friend to MBP, Heather Fredenburg, Independent Consultant with Tastefully Simple, wanted to help me 'Bring the Party' with me on my beach vacation this summer. Heather hooked me up with a Bring the Party Pack. The party pack contained a mix for margaritas, rimming sugar, guacamole dip, and vanilla caramels. I couldn't wait to to see these items in hand, and Heather sent them out to me, lickity split. The party pack shipped directly from Tastefully Simple, to my home.

 My 'Bring the Party' Pack from Heather. 
The Vanilla Caramel Candies are in the little packs.


 Vanilla Caramel Candy... Can you say yum!?

When I opened the box from Tastefully Simple, I found a nice sized black plastic bucket, covered by a lid. I removed the lid to find the Strawberry Margarita Mix, Giddyup Guacamole Mix, Rimming Sugar, and Vanilla Caramel candies. I thought that this would be a lot of fun to take with us to the beach, so I set it aside for a couple of weeks. It was hard to stay out of the tub, though... the Vanilla Caramel candies didn't last past the first week they were in my home. They were so incredible chewy, melt-in-your-mouth yummy, and delicious, that after I tasted one, I was going back for more!

Here's the Tastefully Simple Bring the Party Pack Bucket, and then the Strawberry Margarita Mix and Rimming Sugar...



My dad, the mixologist adds the tequila to the mix, then adds water and stirs...


 Rimming the glasses with the Rimming Sugar...

The rest of the party pack did go on vacation with us, though. We purchased a bottle of tequila, and mixed up the Strawberry Margarita Mix, as directed. It was super easy. I removed everything from the party bucket, and gave it a good wash. Next, I dumped the margarita mix into the bucket, added water, and tequila. My dad was eager to try the margaritas right away. So, instead of waiting for them to freeze, we just drank the first round unfrozen. To rim the glasses (or plastic cups, because we didn't have real stemware at the beach house), we dumped the rimming sugar onto a plate, rubbed a wedge of lime around the rims of our cups, and dipped them into the sugar. It didn't want to stick to the plastic all that well, but I'm sure it would have had no trouble rimming real glass. We ladled the strawberry liquid into our cups, and enjoyed our yummy margaritas while we played a round of cards. My dad and my sister added a little extra tequila to their margaritas, but mine was just right- the perfect balance of strawberry flavor and  tequila.

We then placed the lid back on the bucket, which held the margarita liquid, and placed the lid over it. I stuck it in the freezer, and let it sit overnight. The next evening, we had frozen Strawberry Margaritas, and they were even tastier than the non-frozen ones. The margarita mix lasted for over a week, and as long as it could be kept cold, it was easy to transport from beach house #1 to beach house #2.

So simple- I started with the Giddyup Guacamole Dip Mix from Tastefully Simple, and went from there...

Halved, pitted avocados went right into the bowl with the mix and water, and voila- fresh, delicious guacamole with a kick. Yee Haw!


While on our second week of vacation at the beach, in house #2, we decided we'd better give the yummy guacamole mix a try. The directions instructed me that I would need 2-3 ripe avocados, so we picked those up from the grocery store. I had to have my mother-in-law help me with the avocados a little, because I had honestly never worked with them before. I emptied the Giddyup Guacamole Mix into a bowl, added water and mixed it. I let it sit for about fifteen minutes, and then added the avocado pulp.  I then mixed it all together, until the guacamole was to the desired consistency. I looked really good, but I knew that I needed to stick it into the fridge for about an hour, or so, so that it would chill through. So, I did, and waited, and when time was up, I dug into the guacamole with a tortilla chip. I love guacamole, and the Giddyup Guacamole Mix from Tastefully Simple did not disappoint. It was thick, creamy, and had a nice little spicy kick that I'm not used to tasting in guacamole. I snacked on it, as did others in the house, off and on with the tortilla chips, pita chips, etc. Once I got started with it, I could not stop eating it. It was so fresh, and yummy. I never imagined how simple it could be to make my own fresh guacamole at home.

Delicious Beer Bread from Tastefully Simple...


As an added bonus, cousin Steph brought some Tastefully Simple's Bountiful Beer Bread Mix with her on our vacation. She baked it one evening, and my husband saw it out the next morning. He thought it looked pretty tasty, and he was right! He loved the Beer Bread from Tastefully Simple so much that he had three slices of it. Everyone loved the Beer Bread... it was gone before lunchtime!

Other Great Tastefully Simple products I can't wait to get my hands on:
Everyday Grilling Seasoning


Sweet Bell Pepper Focacia

Lemonade Fruit Dip Mix


My first experience with Tastefully Simple's products was fantastic! I would highly recommend their delicious food mixes. If you're looking for easy dishes, desserts or add-ons to your meals, check out Tastefully Simple with Heather! Some of these mixes would be great to give to students headed back to college this fall, would be wonderful for someone recovering from surgery or illness, makes a great gift for teachers, perfect for birthdays and housewarmings, etc.

Want It? Buy It!

You can earn free Tastefully Simple products just by hosting a party with Heather. Have an in-home party, show the catalog and collect orders, or have your friends shop online. Want the best of both worlds? Why not consider joining Heather's Tastefully Simple team? She'd love to show you the ropes, and coach you on the road to having it all! Just want to do a little shopping? No problem- head on over to Heather's Tastefully Simple Website to shop your heart out! It's also a great idea to keep up with Heather by liking her Tastefully Simple Facebook page.




Want It? Win It!

One lucky reader will win their very own Bring the Party Pack from Heather's Tastefully Simple! You can take the party with you, wherever you go! Just use the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter to win. You must be 21 to enter and/or win this giveaway. Though it does not contain alcohol, MBP does not support the idea of anyone under the legal US drinking age of 21, having products that are intended to be used with alcohol.

Special thanks to Heather F. for introducing me to Tastefully Simple. My catalog is all marked up with all of the yummy products I can't wait to try! We also thank Heather for offering this wonderful summertime giveaway to our readers!

Good luck, and thanks!

Disclosure: Other than the above featured products, which I was sent directly from this representative,free of charge, for review purposes, I was not compensated for facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own. Your experience may differ. MBP and its team members are not responsible for prize fulfillment or shipment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway