Fun Kid's Party Food - Part 1 of 8

Welcome to the first of our 8 part series on creating fun party food for or with your kids!

These recipes are great fun to make with your kids and a brilliant way to spend a rainy day....

GOLDFISH CUPCAKES:

What you'll need:

125g (4 1/2 oz) butter, at room temperature

125g (4 1/2 oz) golden caster sugar

110g (4oz) self raising flour

2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa poweder

1 teaspoon orange zest - grated

50g (2oz) plain chocolate chips

5 tablespoons of ready made buttercream icing.

For the goldfish (Some or all of the items below - it's up to you):

- Cheerios

- Chocolate buttons

- M&M's (chocolate)

- Tube white chocolate writing icing

- Jelly beans

- Giant chocolate buttons

- White chocolate buttons

- Marshmallows

- Hundreds & thousands

- Heart-shaped chocolates

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the over to 180C / 350F or gas mark 4.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy and smooth.
3. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
4. Add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture, a little at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with the second egg.
5. Mix in the orange zest and the remainin gflour and cocoa, until blended.
6. Finally stir in the chocolate pieces.
7. Line a large muffin tray with 10 paper cases and fill each one until two-thirds full.
8. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes.
9. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove the muffins and place on a wire cooling rack.
10. When the cupcakes are cool, spread a little of the buttercream over each of the cupcakes.
11. This is where you can get creative - decorate the cupcakes to look like goldfish.

‘Tis the season for long weekend entertaining

What's even better than warm weather and sunny days? More time off to enjoy them with friends and family! Heat up the barbecue and get ready to have your friends join you in celebrating the first long weekend of the summer. That's the spirit! Good company, dinner sizzling on the grill, a warm summer night and a cold drink in your hand… What better way to pass the evening?

True — some cocktails are classics, but what makes summer special is the flavours of fresh produce, not to mention the sunny colours and playful garnishes. While it may be a stretch to say summer cocktails are good for you, many of the ingredients also pack a healthy punch. (In moderation, of course).  Here are some ingredients to add to your list:

Essential summer fare:

- Berries and berry juices. Slice them, freeze them whole or in ice cubes, puree them, blend them — there are many possibilities for these anti-oxidant packed fruits.

- Red fruits. Who says berries get to have all the fun? Cherries, grapes, pomegranates and plums also have anti-oxidants, rich colours and juicy textures.

- Citrus fruits and juices. These fruits are packed with vitamin C and are popular as ingredients and garnishes alike. (What would a bar be without lemons and limes?)

- Tropical and exotic fruits. Nothing says “tropical escape” like the flavours of pineapple and coconut. For a little something different, branch out into more exotic fare like star fruit, which makes a fuss-free garnish thanks to its shape.

- Herbs. Is mint taking over your garden? You’ll need an excuse to use it up. Other herbs like lavender, basil, rosemary, cilantro and thyme make for some unique and attractive cocktails too.

- Beer. Always great on its own, beer cocktails have been getting more attention in the past couple of years.

Our favourite Summer Cocktails:

Mojito

Ingredients: 2 ounces white rum
8 mint leaves
Half a lime, chopped
1/2 ounce sugar syrup; club soda
Ice cubes

Instructions: Mash up mint, lime, and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add a scoop of ice, then the rum. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled tumbler 1 inch from the rim; top up with club soda.

Bahama Mama

Ingredients: 1/2 ounce Malibu
1/2 ounce Kahlúa
1/2 ounce each dark and white rums
Pineapple juice
Pineapple wedge
Mint sprig
Ice cubes
                                Crushed ice

Instructions: Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the Malibu, Kahlúa, and rums. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass half filled with crushed ice. Top off with juice; garnish with pineapple wedge and mint.
Margarita

Ingredients: 1/4 cup salt
1 wedge lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 heaping teaspoons superfine sugar
1 tablespoon Cointreau or other triple sec orange liqueur
1/4 cup tequila
About 2 cups ice cubes

Instructions: Spread salt on small plate. Rub lime wedge halfway around rim of 10-ounce glass. Dip moistened side of glass in salt to lightly coat. Set aside.
In cocktail shaker, stir together lime juice and sugar until sugar partially dissolves (about 5 seconds). Add Cointreau, tequila, and 1 cup ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 25 seconds, then strain into prepared glass. Fill glass with remaining ice cubes.

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz rum
1 1/2 oz lemon juice
4 strawberries
1 tsp sugar

Instructions: Pour the rum and lemon juice and sugar into a champagne saucer with some shaved ice. Stir well. Garnish with 4 strawberries, sliced or otherwise, and serve.

Enjoy your long weekend from Tanya & Jackie @ The Party People

Surprise Party Planning Tips:

Surprise party planning can be a need for many occasions such as a birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation, retirement, etc.  Before doing surprise party planning, you need to investigate if the guest of honour would really like the party as a surprise and would appreciate the efforts involved. Whatever plans you make for the surprise party, just make sure that they are made in secret without the guest of honour having even a hint of an idea about the party.

Planning any event can be pretty stressful, so throwing a surprise party can be a little bit trickier, with the added fact that you and all the guests have to keep the party secret. Here are some tips to help make organising the party easier:

Guest List:

Writing a guest list should be one of the first things you decide to do. As you are throwing a surprise party, inviting people that the surprise guest has not seen for some time is often done. If you have not got the contact details for these people asking someone who may know them.  If you know that someone will not be able to keep the surprise party a secret, then it is best to treat them as you would the surprise guest and not let them know what you are planning, just telling them the date they need to keep free. Just one person leaking the event will ruin the surprise, so be careful who you tell.

Date:

Deciding on when the party is to be thrown is very important as you will need to ensure that the surprise guest and everyone else are able to attend on this date. You will need to come up with a cover up story on why you want the surprise guest to book time in their diary. Weekends or bank holidays are usually the best days to hold an event as more people will be able to attend.

Budget:

The next thing that you need to think about is planning a budget and finances. Consider what venue you would choose, if you would need to pay rent for the venue, decoration charges, music and entertainment, food and drinks, party decorations, etc. If you fall short of the required finances, you can ask for a contribution from close relatives or friends of the guest of honour.

Venue:

Once a date has been decided a venue will need to be booked, you will need to choose a suitable venue that will accommodate your needs and budget. Make sure the venue is accessible for everyone who is attending, for example is it easy enough to find, and there are enough car parking spaces, etc.

There are so many venues that can cater for surprise parties, but the most popular choices are:

House party – If you are planning a party on a budget or want a more personal touch then this is a good option. You can tell the surprise guest that they are invited to yours for a meal.

Function Room – Most bars, hotels, clubs etc have a function room which they hire out. Prices tend to vary and can be based on per hour, set room, per person etc. There are many functions rooms that are free to hire. Do a search on the internet, look in your local phone book, ask around.

Restaurant – If you do not want to plan a party but still want a surprise celebration then booking space in a restaurant can be ideal. Many restaurants have separate rooms for large bookings.

Whichever venue you choose, you should ensure that the cars of the invitees are not seen parked, so as to not let the guest of honour realise what is going on.

Invitations:

You then need to send out the party invitations in secret; either verbally, or through email, post, phone or Facebook. One of the most important points to remember is to let the guests know that it is actually a 'surprise' party. Here is a sample wording for surprise Birthday Party Invitations:

Surprise! Surprise!
Help us celebrate
(name of the person)'s (age)th Birthday
on (day). (month) (date)th
Complete Address
Names of the hosts

Decorations:

Helium balloons are a fantastic are inexpensive way to decorate any venue.  Check out www.thepartypeople.ie for great ideas and products to transform any room.

You then need to order the food and beverages, arrange music, dancing or some other activities, etc. Keep in mind that all these things are supposed to be done in secret.

Final Arrangements:

Tell all the guests to arrive at the party earlier than the surprise guest, an hour is usually a good time, this way people who never turn up on time will have some leeway before the surprise guest arrives.

It is advised to get someone to arrive with the surprise guest so they do not have an idea what is going on and if anything goes wrong at the other end, for example, you are running late, the food has not arrived etc and you need the guest to arrive later than planned you can contact the other person and let them know.

This list above simply helps to ensure that all the necessary things have been crossed off your to-do list.  Most importantly, you need to make sure that:

• The date is all set;
• All guests have been invited and are aware of the party as a surprise party;
• The party food and beverage order has been arranged / confirmed;
• Decorations have been ordered for the party;
• The venue is booked, confirmed, and decorated;
• Order a cake and delegate someone reliable to pick it up;
• The time party has to start; and
• Another thing to consider must be the time the guest of honour is to be brought to the venue.

Tips for Organising a Child's Birthday Party

Birthday parties are a great way to provide entertainment and fun for children. They are also ideal for bringing friends and family together. If you plan to organise a party for your child, you need to consider many factors in order for the event to be memorable and exciting. Below are some useful planning ideas and tips which might help you out in your planning efforts.

Leave plenty of time

Make sure you plan the party a good 2 weeks in advance, as their will be a lot of organizing to do, for example write the guest list; order supplies and decorations; plan the menu; and choose which games to play.

Take into account the ages of the children

Before planning the party an important consideration to take into account is the ages of the children as some parties will be more appropriate for some age groups than others.  You do not want to have to deal with bored teenagers or confused little kids!

Make a checklist

Before you do anything, sit down and make a check list of what you need for the party and in what quantity. This will help you keep track of what you have ordered or bought and what you still need to get. If you do this you won’t have any nasty surprises on the day, like forgetting the cake.

Budget

Once you have decided all the things you need for the party, perhaps you should think about drawing up a budget. This will help you keep control of your spending, as costs for kid’s parties can start to spiral out of control if not kept in check.

Keep up to date

Decide a theme for the occasion. It is best to choose a theme based in the interests of your child, be it their favourite cartoon character or television show. Ask your children who they like at the moment, as kid’s tastes can change all the time.

The themed party

Once you have your finger on the pulse regarding which children’s films, cartoons or programmes are “in at the moment” you can set about basing the party on their favoured subject.

You can go all the way and have decorations, fancy dress outfits, and music based on the chosen theme.  Other party themes which are popular with kids are:

Treasure hunt: Get into the swing of things by having costumes, jewellery, treasure maps and puzzles. This kind of party is great fun for children and can keep them occupied for hours. You can let your imagination go wild, basically, with this kind of party anything related to pirate stories or Treasure Island goes.

Magic parties: This is always good fun at kid’s parties. Hire a magician for the afternoon, and hey presto the magic can begin. Kids are usually fascinated by magic and marvel at how the rabbit managed to fit inside the hat, or at the magician retrieving all those handkerchiefs out of his sleeve. You could even hire the magician so they give the children an insight into the tricks of the trade.

Fancy dress: Why not have a fancy dress party, either get the children to come to the party in their own fancy dress outfits, and let the children have fun dressing up.

We can all remember all those hours of fun we had dressing up. This type a party is timeless. Obviously caution will have to be taken, dependant on the ages of the children as the older ones may find this kind of party “uncool”.

You can be as imaginative as you like with this, it doesn’t just have to be fun for the kids, and you can enjoy yourselves too.

Invitations

Create/buy unique invitations and be sure to send them 1-2 weeks before the party.

Cake & Decorations

Look for a custom birthday cake or consider cake decorations that fit with the theme.

Buy decorations and party supplies (from The Party People). We sell a great range of affordable decorations like balloons, plates, cups and tablecloths.   Helium balloons are an inexpensive way to add an instant party feel, and can be purchased in all different shapes, sizes and themes.

Entertainment

Furthermore, make it a point to choose games and entertainment that can keep children busy and engaged. You can go for traditional games or board games. Providing music is also great to get the children dancing and singing while enjoying the event.

Depending on the time of year, hiring a bouncy castle can provide hours of entertainment for the kids and precious peaceful moments for you.  Just make sure that the bouncy castle is supervised at all times. 

Menu

Plan the menu for your party. Be creative with the food, serve sweets, fruit snacks and finger foods.

Have party bags

A nice touch at a party is to give the kids party favours when they leave. They don’t have to be anything too expensive, just a nice memento for them to take away. If you are having a themed party, the favours can correspond with that theme, for example if you’re having a pirate party you can give the kids a bag of gold coins each.

Most importantly - have fun and enjoy the day!

Easter Games!

Easter morning is the most egg-citing time for the kids to enjoy all the treats left by the Easter Bunny! And what better way to celebrate than with Easter games for the whole family to enjoy?

Easter Egg-on-a-Spoon Race: 

Keep your friends and family on their toes by adding this tricky game to your Easter celebration. The egg-on-a-spoon race is simple to organize, but challenging to win.

All you need for each contestant is a spoon, a decorated Easter egg and of course a long ribbon or rope to use for the finish line. The object of the game is to walk (or run if you dare) past the finish line first without breaking the delicate egg sitting in the spoon. 

If you prefer not to destroy the beautiful eggs you spent so much time painting, you can substitute them with plastic ones. The first to cross the finish line without letting their egg drop out of the spoon is the winner, and can be rewarded with a prize basket, plush bunny rabbit or delicious chocolate egg!  

Easter Egg Hunt: 

An absolute must on your Easter game itinerary has to be the "Easter Egg Hunt," when the children can search for colourful eggs hidden in the yard and collect them in their baskets.

This game usually entails the parents hiding either plastic eggs filled with sweet treats and toys, or painted boiled eggs prepared the day before in the yard for the children to hunt for later. Then after the hunt, the kids can count how many eggs they found and enjoy the fun prizes and treats inside each egg.

Here are some great tips for a brilliant Easter Egg Hunt:

Keep a record

Always make a note of how many eggs you’ve used and where they’re hidden. There’s nothing worse than smelling a rotten egg in July or finding melted chocolate under the couch cushions!

Draw a map

Keep things interesting by setting up a treasure hunt for kids, says Brown. Give each child a map using picture clues for non-readers. Cut out a picture of a chair, for instance, or draw a coffee table to show them where the eggs are. Then be a bit sneaky by hiding another map at one of the clues. Use riddles for older kids and lead them to more difficult places.

Use plastic eggs

Real eggs can crack and it’s time-consuming to cook and dye a huge batch (but good fun). Instead, choose the plastic variety and ask everyone to return them at the end of the hunt so you can reuse them next year.

Supply good prizes

Every child should get a sweet/chocolate prize for participating. As well, have small prizes such as free ice cream cones. For the grand prize, choose something that kids will really love like a DVD.

Hide the prize inside

Go for random winners, rather than the children who have the most eggs. Simply place a note inside a certain number of eggs to declare the victors.

Stay safe

Think about your location carefully beforehand, and be aware of hazards such as water and traffic. An open space such as a football field is ideal. Make sure everyone knows where the boundaries of the hunt are, and if you have a large number of kids, have parents be responsible for keeping an eye on them.

Have fun & Happy Easter everyone!!

Easter Egg Decorating Ideas:

Let your imagination run wild with our great Easter egg decorating ideas for kids.  These fun Easter egg decorations will make your Easter egg hunt more colourful. 

 

Crayon Easter Eggs:

 

What you'll need:

• Crayons;
• Hard boiled eggs; and
• Neon food coloring and white vinegar (optional).

How to make them:

1. Be sure that boiled eggs are cool and dry.
2. Place a double folded kitchen towel and place it on the table underneath child's hands so if the egg slips out it will have a soft cushion to land on.

3. Use crayons to draw designs on the egg.
4. Have kids hold the egg gently so they do not crack the shell. A good tip for smaller kids is to sit the eggs in the an egg carton so they don't have to handle them much.  

1. This step is optional but adds a fun effect. If you like, mix 1 Tbsp of white vinegar into a coffee mug of water (filled ¾ full) then add several drops of food coloring.
2. Dip the crayon colored egg into the dye and let sit for about a minute.
3. Remove and let dry. The dye makes the crayon look brighter, especially if you use neon food coloring!  

Tips:

• To boil perfect eggs, place into a shallow pan, cover with water and boil gently for three minutes. Turn off heat and cover pan with a tight fitting lid and let sit for 15 minutes. Place pan in sink, carefully drain out hot water and let cold water run over them for several minutes. Turn off water and add several ice cubes and let sit for about 5 minutes more.
• Try different types of food coloring, we used neon colors!
• The longer you leave the egg in the dye, the deeper the color will be.

Sticker Eggs:

 

For something different try making these sticker dyed Easter eggs. The high point of this craft for kids is revealing the patterns left by the dye once the stickers are peeled off.

What you'll need:  

• Easter egg dye or food coloring and white vinegar;
• Hard boiled eggs;
• Paper towel;
• Cooling rack;
• Newspaper; and 
• Tiny stickers in different shapes.

How to make them:

1. Cover work area with newspapers.
2. Place cooling rack on newspapers.
3. Follow manufacturer's instructions for preparing the Easter egg dye OR place 1 Tbsp of white vinegar into a wide mouth cup (coffee mugs work great) and fill ¾ full with water, then add several drops of food coloring.

4. Use a separate cup for each color of dye.
5. Dry off egg completely with paper towel.
6. Stick on reinforcements and any tiny stickers desired on egg. Make sure that all edges are firmly applied to egg.

7. Dye egg according to manufacturer's instructions on Easter egg dye.

1. Let egg dry on cooling rack.
2. After egg is completely dry, peel off stickers. You will see white where the sticker had been.
3. If desired, dye egg again using a lighter shade (such as yellow) to fill in the white spaces.
4. Let dry completely.

 

Tips:

• If some of the sticker adhesive remains on the egg, gently scrape it off with your fingernail.
• Try different types of food coloring, neon colors are great!
• The longer you leave the egg in the dye, the deeper the color will be.

Oil & Food Colouring Marbled Eggs:

 

Simple food coloring dye technique with a twist - adding oil for marble looking eggs.  This egg decorating idea requires no special materials except a child's imagination!

What you'll need:  

• Eggs (hard boiled or raw);
• Food colouring;
• Vinegar;
• Cooking oil;
• Containers for the dye mixture (mugs will work);
• Paper towels; and 
• A few spoons.

How to make it:

1. In each container combine one tablespoon of each of the following: oil, vinegar, and your choice of food colouring.
2. Add enough water to make the liquid deep enough to cover an egg.
3. Swirl the liquid with a spoon, and quickly lower and raise an egg into it.
4. Pat dry with a paper towel, and repeat with a second color.
5. Swirl into a third coluor, if desired. Some white areas can be left on the egg.
6. Gently pat dry the completed egg, leaving a bit of the oil to give the egg a varnished look.

Tips:

• This craft requires no special materials and produces beautiful results with very little effort. The eggs can be blown when completed, but the project is so simple that you might just discard the eggs and make a fresh batch each year.