Blush & Bashful: A Southern Inspired Girls’ Night In

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A few weeks ago, a friend of mine had a movie “this or that” on her Facebook page. Steel Magnolias was mentioned and my ears perked up. This southern set classic has been a favorite of our family for as long as I could remember and thus, my Steel Magnolias viewing party was born. We can all use the opportunity to sparkle a bit and a girls’ night in is the perfect setting. For our evening in, I put together a few simple Steel Magnolias inspired sweets and sips using Canada Dry® Sparkling Seltzer Water.

 The versatility of Canada Dry Sparkling Water makes recreating these sips a breeze. This bubbly water is all natural, has 0 calories and no sodium and the best part is it comes in a variety of flavors such as Mandarin Orange, Lemon Lime and Raspberry, which means you can customize the mixed drinks to your liking!

Our first sip is a Louisiana Bayou Mimosa. Set in Louisiana, Steel Magnolias brings together women from all sorts of backgrounds and shows how they still manage to have family connectedness. This locale inspired drink is best served amongst friends and as an homage to Truvy, the sassy and tart beauty parlor owner, played by Dolly Parton.

Louisiana Bayou Mimosa

Equal Parts of the following:

Orange Juice

Champagne or Sparkling Wine, chilled

Mandarin Orange Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water, chilled

Pour drinks individually using the parts above in that order. Serve in champagne flutes for an elegant flair. These make a great addition to a Sunday brunch, girls’ night in, or celebrating a special occasion! For the non-alcoholic version, simply omit the Champagne. The sparkling water will give you the perfect amount of bubbly!

The Shelby – Where Blush meets Bashful

Equal Parts of the following:

Pink Moscato, chilled

Raspberry Canada Dry® Sparkling Seltzer Water, chilled

Sugar for the rim

Dip the rim of the wine glass in water and then sugar for a beautiful finish. Then, pour drinks individually using the parts above in that order.  These are perfect for the morning of your wedding, when you have friends over, or a bachelorette or wedding shower. For the non-alcoholic version, add a little grenadine or your favorite pink drink for that signature hue.

In addition to these specialty drinks, I plan to offer the sparkling water by itself as well. I added the Lemon Lime flavor for additional variety. These are great stand alone beverages that complement the evening well.

For a specialty sweet, who can forget Claree and Ouiser at the wedding reception talking about the beloved blood-red armadillo groom’s cake. While I don’t recommend putting together your best armadillo shape, I’ve created cupcakes inspired by this infamous Steel Magnolias favorite.

Blood-Red Armadillo Cake-Inspired Cupcakes

1 box of Red Velvet Cake mix along with ingredients to make

1 can of white frosting

Food coloring, variety pack

Black gel food writer

Silver Decorating Food Spray

Pink Sixlets candies

Mix cake mix according to box directions in the form of miniature cupcakes. Your batter will be blood red. Ouiser would be proud of you. I chose the smaller size because they are perfect for nibbling! Let cool completely. Next, take 1 cup of frosting and add the following food colors: 5 drops of blue, 3 drops of red, 2 drops of yellow. Incorporate fully.

Then, add three drizzles of black gel from your food writer. Mix together until it forms a grey tint. This is an art form and will need some adjustments based on the color you would like to achieve. Apparently, grey is not a popular color for cake frosting.

Frost half of your cupcakes! Watch as guests bite into these mini armadillos – surprised by the blood red cake.

To mix it up a bit, you can also decorate your remaining cupcakes a bit more elegantly as M’Lynn would want them. Frost cupcakes with plain white frosting. Add a little sparkle with your silver decorating spray. Top with a pink sixlet for a finishing touch.

Sparkly ‘n Sweet Cupcakes

Voila! You have the perfect girls’ night in inspired by one of my favorite flicks!

Ready to sparkle? Head to Walmart to pick up everything you need, including Canada Dry® Sparkling Seltzer in a flavor of your choice. Even better, SAVE 50¢ on ONE (1) 12-pack cans of any flavor* Canada Dry® Sparkling Seltzer Water when you purchase! You can find these in the flavored water aisle.

Do you enjoy Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water during girls’ night? What about on-the-go running errands or watching extracurricular activities?