M&M’s® Earthquake Cake Sundaes for Game Night

This #GameNightIn shop with M&M’s® and Hasbro® has been compensated by #CollectiveBias , Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  

This M&M’s® Earthquake Cake is the perfect treat to serve for a game night in with friends. Offer your guests some fun toppings like whip cream, sprinkles and assorted M&M’s® and you have a Sundae Bar everyone will enjoy! 

Way back in high school, game nights were one of my favorite nights with friends. We played cards, board games, trivia games, etc. I still have great memories of those nights. Whether we divided into teams, or had multiple games running at the same time, it was always fun.

Now as a parent I enjoy sharing game nights with my own children, but have been thinking of reviving the old game nights with some of our high school friends who are back living in town. I have visions of either getting a sitter to watch all our kids upstairs in the playroom, or getting them all settled in with a movie so we can have a little time to ourselves.

I love the classics, and that includes both HASBRO® Jenga and Classic Monopoly along with keeping a classic bowl of M&M's® Milk Chocolate and Peanut candies within arm's reach.

But I also wanted to include a treat for our game night that would be fun and make us feel like teenagers again. Inspiration struck for a gooey M&M’s® Earthquake Cake, but then to offer some fun toppings so everyone could create their own Sundaes.

To start with an Earthquake cake is a very simple thing to whip up last minute for a party.

You will need a good chocolate cake mix, which you will not bake as directed but instead add eggs, oil and water and then pour over a bed of sweetened coconut, chopped pecans and M&M’s®.

Yes, just pour it right over the top...

Then I created a sweetened cream cheese layer. Just a little cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.

That too was just poured over the top. Then I used a skewer to swirl the top two layers together. This also pulls up some of the coconut, nuts and candies.

After baking, the cake has shifted and cracked a little. It will still be a little gooey inside, but it will have cracked like an earthquake fault line.

Of course the real star of game night is always the good, fun competition and a whole lot of catching up with good friends.

What is it about taxing your friends and charging them rent for traveling around the board that is just so much fun?

And HASBRO® Jenga is always another big hit. This game can get quite loud when it gets going. ...and of course when it comes crashing down! 

M&M’s® Earthquake Cake Sundaes



You Will Need:

• 2/3 c. shredded coconut
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 1 c. M&M’s® Milk Chocolate
• 1 box of your choice of chocolate cake mix (not prepared)
• 1/3 c. oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 c. water
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 lb. powdered sugar

Sundae Toppings

• whipped cream
• sprinkles
• M&M’s® of choice
• chocolate syrup
• caramel syrup
• Marachino cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9"x13" pan with non-stick spray.

Sprinkle the coconut, then nuts and M&M’s® in the bottom of the baking dish.

In a medium bowl, prepare the cake batter. Add the mix, oil, eggs and water with a hand mixer until just mixed. Pour this into the baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and cream cheese together, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat once incorporated and beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. 

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cake mix. With a skewer or knife, move from side to side to slightly mix the layers. You can gently swirl it, but do not mix.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is set in the middle. Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Serve with topping choices and load up the cake to create your own M&M’s® Earthquake Cake Sundae for game night! 

Enjoy!

I grabbed all our game night supplies, including both games and cake ingredients at our local Walmart. And before you head out to shop, be sure to grab this coupon for $1.00 off M&M’s®.

Follow the #GameNightIn hashtag and check out even more great ideas for making your game nights memorable at http://cbi.as/6z61. 

How do you keep the party going on your game nights?

Time for a Just Dance Disney Party - Songs For the Whole Family Review

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps

I love the Just Dance games for XBox 360 Kinect. I have amassed several different versions and still fidn it to be a great way to have fun and get my sweat on alone or with my family. This latest edition was perfect for getting my kids in on the dancing fun. With classics I grew up with, to Disney channel's current popular shows, this game has a wide variety of music sure to please all the dancers in your family.

From the moment this game arrived my kids were excited. They recognized many of their favorite characters/movies on the cover. My daughter was excited to dance to music from Bolt and Cinderella, while my son was begging to try the Phineas and Ferb song first.

This game requires the Kinect sensor for the XBox 360, which means you don't have to hold or try to dance with a remote or hand held sensor. I think this makes it easy enough for even my 3-year old to understand and enjoy.

There are a collection of dances to choose from. Just sign in and use your hand to navigate the menu.

There are so many choices on how to play. Parents can set up boundaries, kids can each have their own playlist of favorites, your can choose a non-stop shuffle perfect for a dance party marathon or just dance. My youngest also enjoyed the shake and freeze options you can try on your favorite songs. An icon pops up to tell you to "shake" and then a stop sign will appear when you should "freeze". You can choose this option before starting your dance.

My son loved dancing along to "S.I.M.P. (Squirrels in My Pants)", and I thought the lyrics were pretty funny too. My daughter even got all dressed up in her Cinderella dress to dance to "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo". With Disney being a favorite in our house this is a dance game I see them choosing over and over on game night.

My favorite part of the game is that it registers small children and gives them credit for all movement. Even when my kids start free-styling to the music. This really is exercise disguised and perfect for the Winter months when it is too muddy here in Oregon to get out and play.

Just Dancce Disney Party is rated E for Everyone,  for 1-4 players.

Order it on Amazon or Toys R Us today.

A great last-minute Christmas gift idea or stocking stuffer for the Disney fan in your family. I highly recommend trying it out for yourself. This game really gives you no excuse not to get up and Just Dance.

Don't Just Sit This Holiday, Dance! #CleverJD4

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps

Ready for a little less wobble with your gobble this year? Looking for a way to get everyone moving this holiday? Well, last night we tried out Just Dance 4 for Xbox 360 Kinect and it is a great way to keep everyone busy before and after the main event.

The toughest part of Thanksgiving for me is keeping my family busy as they wait for the meal, or try not to doze off into a food-induced coma afterwards. You know, a little healthy family competition is a good thing. And, it might even take away a little of that extra-helping guilt.

My kids had a blast with Will Smith's Wild Wild West. The new 4th edition has over 40 hit tracks and some fun new features sure to keep your family entertained.

There are many great ways to share, post to Facebook or save and watch your video creation and stills from the dance later. This was our favorite feature and caused quite a few giggles.

My favorite feature is the just sweat, which I have used with previous versions. It doesn't seem like exercising when you are just dancing.

And my husband's favorite part? This edition included Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Just epic.

This year we are staying in with colds, but I am not worried about my little ones turning into couch potatoes or asking, "is it dinnertime yet?". We are joining in on the 'Dancegiving' fun with Just Dance 4 from Ubisoft.

Be sure to get your own copy to spice up your next holiday party. Find this game on Amazon, or your favorite Ubisoft retailer.

*Disclaimer - I was given a review copy to try out, but all opinions and experiences are my own.

Game On! Family Night with #DipDipHooray

Rushing here, rushing there, some nights it is nice to put aside time to just spend as a family. Time to talk, time to laugh, and time to enjoy each other's company. Since my children were born I knew that family game night was an important tradition I wanted to start in my family. I watch for sales and pick up games when the opportunity arises. I love the classics from my own childhood, Hi Ho Cherry-o, Candy Land, Hungry Hungry Hippos.

When I told my kids I was planning a Hasbro Game Night they were excited. Especially when I mentioned they could help pick out a new game.

After walking through the game aisle we found many games we want to try, but finally agreed on Connect 4. Did you ever play this as a child? My son loves playing tic-tac-toe so he understood the concept and was really looking forward to playing with us.

You can see my entire shopping trip in my Google+ album. I was able to find everything we needed for our Hasbro Family Game Night at Walmart; the food, condiments and games were all there.

On game night, the last thing I want to do is spend all of my time in the kitchen. Meals that can go together in less than 30 minutes and please my picky eaters are a bonus.

For this #DipDipHooray party we stuck with the classics, french fries, chicken nuggets and ketchup. Of course, I love to switch things up and am always looking for a way to incorporate a little zing.

Asked to come up with a 5-ingredient meal using Tyson Chicken Nuggets, Ore-Ida French Fries and Heinz Ketchup, well I bring you my favorite Hot and Tangy Goop. Good for dipping either your nuggets or fries. Though, you might notice it is actually 6 ingredients... depending on who you ask they might encourage you to leave out the Sriracha hot sauce, or pickle juice, but I say leave them be! Sorry, I just couldn't leave out either one. The hot and tangy is what makes my mouth happy and adds a bit of kick to my favorite dipping choices.

Andrea's Hot and Tangy Goop 

You Will Need:

• 1/4 c. Heinz Ketchup
• 1 tsp. pickle juice, I used my bread and butter pickles
• 2 Tbsp. Mayo
• 1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce, or to taste
• Tyson Chicken Nuggets or Ore-Ida French Fries for dipping

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Dip liberally and often. In fact, get your own little dish so you can do some double dipping!

Enjoy.

 My kids insist on keeping the classics pure. They like their nuggets and fries with just plain ole' ketchup. Lots and lots of ketchup!

If your family loves Tyson Chicken Nuggets, Ore Ida French Fries and Heinz Ketchup as much as mine does, or you are looking for an easy weekday meal, be sure to pick up these products and enter the DipToPlay Sweepstakes! You could win a $1,000 Hasbro Game Night Grand Prize. Just enter the UPC codes from these great products to unlock games for a chance to win. Daily entry is also available. You can find the sweepstakes rules on the site.

Both my kids really had fun with Connect 4. Even my 3 year old understood about trying to get 4 in a row. This was a game my kids could even play together. Shocking? Well, they were so excited to play they even took turns.

With young children family game night means changing the games often enough to hold their interest. After Connect 4 we switched to their Toy Story Memory Game. My daughter gets so excited to play she often can't wait for her next turn. I love how intent both my kids get to remember where their favorite characters are.

And our family favorite, by far, is Hungry Hungry Hippos! The kids can't get enough of seeing who's hippo can get more marbles.

What are family's favorite games and game night food?

Connect with all your favorites on Facebook for announcements, contests and other promotions:  like Tyson on Facebook, Heinz on Facebook and Ore-Ida on Facebook.

*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ Tyson and Heinz #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own.