Party Treats Baked At Home
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In our busy, hurried world many people, when they find a celebration on the horizon, whiz into their local bakery to pick up a cake or two. Yet it wasn’t so long ago that our very own kitchen wizards, our mothers, regularly baked every other day to provide some wonderful treats for the family.
A home baked birthday cake was so much more personal, wasn’t it? It’s one of the things that I remember well from my childhood. Pre-made cakes were so ordinary. You can give your children the same experience and it doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming.
If you need some recipes, check out the Quick Chocolate Cake, the Simple Butter Cake or the Easy Jelly Party Cake (yum!). OK, that last one uses a packet mix but still, it will be mixed with your own special brand of action so it still counts as homemade.
You will need to have some decent baking tins and there is a great variety of pans and muffin tins on the chefstoolbox.com site. There is everything that the budding cook needs on this site, including moulds to make eggs look exciting and, once you get the urge, you are sure to want to buy some of the bundles of pans too.
All that is needed after this is the will to cook, with a cookbook or two maybe, and the chance to show the world your culinary delights par excellence!
Yes, I think you should try making your own cake. No one else will have one like it.
Summer Fruit – Healthy Snack
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When you think summer fruits imagine rich red strawberries, enticing blueberries, plump melons, juicy peaches and sweet pineapple.
These fresh fruits are just one of the many benefits that the arrival of the summer months bring. Did I mention they make great party snacks?
Summer fruit is a healthy treat which can also translate to fun and colourful food for children especially as there are so many delicious ways to serve it up. It is amazing how even the simplest of things can make a dish appealing to kids.
Add an icypole stick into your watermelon pieces and children will be more than happy to nibble their way through a mountain of watermelon. You can even use a cookie cutter to cut the watermelon into decorative shapes.
Or how about piling small scoops of melon in a simple icecream cone? Fruit skewers also allow for a wide variety of fruit to be used depending on the freshness and availability and are always popular at any meal or event.
Kids love icypoles or popsicles so how about trying your hand at making your own? Grab a couple of peaches, a large handful of strawberries, a dash or two of honey, mix with some milk (approximately half a cup) and blend. Freeze and simply serve. And smoothies are definitely a winner in the sunshine months as an alternative to a traditional milkshake.
However by far the most creative thing I have seen done with watermelon are these Watermelon Slice Cupcakes. Both kids and adults will love these watermelon cakes topped with yoghurt and a melon cherry. I doubt anyone will be complaining about how healthy this dish is as they are eating it.
Long live the summer!!
The Party Hat
By · CommentsIt’s not Christmas without those colourful little party hats that kids love and adults grudgingly wear. I think there’s something great about sitting there looking like a dill, just as everyone else is too. The kids love to see us get into the spirit of the occasion.
This year, when the kids are driving you nuts in those days leading up to Santa’s arrival, why not give them something to do? Why not let them make their own party hats this year?
You don’t need a lot of equipment and it doesn’t have to be messy. All you need is some paper plates, a stapler, scissors, colourful paint, glue and cotton wool.
This little video will show you how to make them and how good the end product can look.
How to Make Christmas Party Hats —powered by eHow.com
Sparkling Ring Cookies – For Stars!
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When organising a kids’ birthday party, you’re probably always on the lookout for special treats to make the birthday star feel like one. Well, we’ve found one that is sure to satisfy any princess.
These Sparkling Ring Cookies could be just the thing to inject some glitz and glamour into any party. They’re pretty, colourful and sparkly, made to resemble a giant jewelled ring.
They’re very simple to make (using basic cookie dough) and you could even involve your birthday princess in the process. She could then put her own decorating stamp on each one, using different coloured jubes, cashous and even edible glitter.
All you need is a quantity of basic cookie dough with some coloured sprinkles kneaded into it. Take small sections of the dough, roll them into long logs and then shape them in figure 8s with one cirle smaller than the other. Place a jube in the centre of the smaller circle, decorate the whole creation with cachous, more sprinkes, glitter and bake.
These would be fantastic as a replacement for lolly bags, although you’d need to check with the other parents about any allergies. The best bit is that you can make them ahead of time, as they can be stored for up to 5 days in an air tight container.
You could even adapt these as Christmas treats; simply make them into single small circles and serve as a treat to the kids! Or use them as special homemade gifts for friends and family. Or even as edible Christmas decorations.
Happy baking!
Gingerbread Houses Aren’t Just For Christmas
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I love gingerbread houses. They get me into an excited party mood as soon as I see them. They bring back memories of Hansel and Gretel. I always wondered what that witch’s house tasted like. This is as close as I will ever get to finding out.
Traditionally, gingerbread houses are made at Christmas but can you imagine what a great birthday cake they would make? Your children will love them.
Gingerbread houses look so difficult to make but if you use the silicone Gingerbread House Mould from The Chef’s Toolbox, it is actually quite easy to do. I recently made a Chocolate House using the same mould and it turned out really well.
I set mine on a small base but if you are going to create a chocolate or gingerbread house for a party, you could use a bigger base and create a delicious edible garden around it.
Just have a look at this Christmas version for inspiration. Everything in the garden is ready to be plucked and nibbled on.
You could theme your cake, too. Think Alice in Wonderland with a garden full of animal shaped lollies, or Mary Poppins with matching gingerbread/chocolate kites to eat.
Let your imagination run free like it did as a child.
Hansel and Gretel would haved LOVED a house like this.
Are Girls Toys Just for Girls?
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Did you know that it wasn’t until the 1940s that pink was the traditional colour for boys and blue for girls? In fact, The Ladies’ Home Journal in 1918 said, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger colour, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
Still society driven gender lines are hard for some parents to shift away from. So why do so many parents jump in to say “No, Jack, those dolls are for girls!” and are these biases heard more from fathers than mothers, or is it the other way around?
There is no denying certain differences between boys and girls and it is true that most boys will lean towards playing with superheroes, trucks, cars and dinosaurs, while girls may naturally favour dolls, tea parties and mini kitchens. In fact I’ve seen many a four year old boy have a near seizure just from passing by the hot pink ‘Barbie’ aisle in the toy store.
But there are many benefits to encouraging children to play with toys that are ‘marketed’ towards the other gender. Dolls bring out the nurturing side of children and can be particularly helpful for little ones who are preparing for a new baby to join the family. Mini kitchen
and chef sets are becoming more popular with boys through the popularity of TV shows like MasterChef. This may be no surprise considering the three judges are men.
Equally girls who are encouraged to play with dinosaurs, building blocks and trucks are more likely to do better in subjects like science, maths and engineering which traditionally have been dominated by boys.
Play is serious business and vital for the development of children. Encouraging a mix of textures, experiences and opportunities in play will only increase their ability to empathise, communicate and flourish within their community.
“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” – Kay Redfield Jamison
Simple Halloween Costumes
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Oh no! The kids want to join in on the Halloween festivities. Where do you start?
Halloween costumes don’t have to be over the top or expensive. A little thought and creativity and you can come up with something fun and simple and easy on the wallet from wardrobe basics or a trip to the Op Shop. Plus you can enlist the kids to help you make their own costume to add to their enjoyment of the event.
How about a scarecrow? A flannelette or checked shirt, rolled up jeans with patches, (you can tack them on with some cotton and take them back off again easily enough) and rope for a belt. Pad the shirt and jeans a little with some newspaper or plastic bags and stuff straw in the sleeves and jean cuffs. A bit of makeup on the face and there you have it. Cheap and simple!
Great for kids of all ages, why not dress up as a mummy? Wrap the ‘body’ in white bandages (rolls of gauze), use splotches of green paint for ‘mould’, paint on white make-up for the face and hands with “age lines” drawn on. Add a stiff legged walk and outstretched arms and BOOOOO!
Most little girls love to dress up as a princess or a fairy, and it’s not hard to rustle up a pretty dress, sparkly shoes, a tiara and a wand from the wardrobe and a few cheap purchases. Don’t have a tiara? They can be bought cheaply at $2 shops or made with some pipe cleaners and tinsel. Wands are easy to make with a piece of dowel, wrapped in ribbon and topped with a paper star or the Christmas Tree topper! Some glitter on the cheek bones and gloss on the lips and your wee girl will be the belle of the ball.
A little time and creativity and your little trick or treater will be as unique as your imagination allows. If only dealing with the post Halloween sugar rush was this easy!
Bats and Bats!
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Halloween is creeping up on us, sneaking its way closer and closer to a night of ghouls and ghosts, pumpkins and skeletons, tricks and treats.
Decorating for a party of any sort is fun and Halloween provides a once a year opportunity to be really creative and let your imagination run wild.
If the thought of carving and hollowing out pumpkins fills you with despair and causes the stress levels to rise at the thought of all the MESS, then never fear! There are plenty of other ways to get into the spirit of Halloween.
In fact, it’s the perfect time to go batty!
Really, all you need to decorate the place bat-style is lots of black; black cardboard, black paint, black crepe paper and a pair of scissors (not necessarily black!)
Draw up a bat shape on the cardboard and simply cut it out. Bats of various sizes are ideal, especially if you’re hanging them around the house. Smaller bats can be stuck to toothpicks or icy-pole sticks and used on ghoulish food platters or turned into finger puppets. If you’re feeling particularly creative you might even like to try a bat mobile.
Any empty aluminium cans can be used to create bats that will hang around the ceiling and if you’re into trick or treating, or just like to have some candy on hand in case you receive a knock at your door from a small ghoul, a bat treat cup could come in handy.
To add to the theme, hang some black and orange streamers for your bats to fly around, and finish it off with some balloons.
Once you’ve finished going batty, sit back and enjoy Halloween!
Parties For Toddlers
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When planning parties for toddlers then there is one main thing you need to take into account – simplicity. Generally the toddler age range encompasses the first birthday or any other special celebration event prior to the second birthday and for this age group, the simpler the better. They are just learning to walk, may still be a bit unsteady on their legs and have a very small attention span.
These are all things that need to be taken into account when planning the party. Toddlers, although no longer babies, can be overwhelmed by a large number of guests. Keep the guest count low for starters and plan the party around your child’s nap – usually a morning party works well before the midday or afternoon meltdown occurs.
By all means plan a tempting feast but know that the simplest touches like tablecloths and cutlery can become a hazard in little hands. It is also best to avoid balloons at the event as toddlers will not appreciate a popping balloon going off in their hands.
Children of course love presents, however at this age, it is best to open the gifts after the event to avoid further anxiety from the birthday toddler and their toddler friends.
When planning the event – outside is best to avoid destruction and breakage occurring within the house. A backyard or nearby park is great – anywhere that allows the toddlers to run around and play.
Weather depending, you can plan activities for the party although again aim for simple unstructured fun. Fun in a paddling pool or sandpit is a great way for kids to experiment or how about an age appropriate jumping castle? Children of all ages love bubbles and music – toddlers being no exception.
In reality, birthday celebrations for toddlers are more for the parents than the child, but you can still make sure that they enjoy the event as it occurs – even if they don’t remember it afterwards.
Amazing Cakes
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You may be in a slight panic due to the fact that your child’s birthday is coming up and you want to at least attempt to put a home-made cake on the table. Great cakes or even amazing cakes do not have to be difficult.
Take a leaf from Martha Stewart’s book and get inspired. Somehow she manages to make cake making effortless. For girls try this hopscotch inspired polka dot number filled with orange marmalade. Boys will love this rocket ship cake covered in delicious buttercream icing. And for those mums that hate to bake – how about this non-bake rice cereal confection cake. It looks traditional enough for a birthday celebration and no doubt tastes great.
But we don’t have to look abroad to source fun and innovative cake making ideas. Australia’s very own Woman’s Weekly is constantly coming up with amazing and tantalising cakes to appeal to all age ranges which have all been triple tested for your own benefit.
These flower themed cupcakes are perfect for a spring birthday party or for movie night, kids will love this popcorn centred baked treat.
Cakes can also be created at special times of year such as Halloween. This is the perfect time of year to create a spooky raspberry ice cream cake or even spider covered cupcakes.
Whether your child is into pirates, Dorothy the Dinosaur, loves skateboarding or just hanging out at the beach – you are bound to find something that will suit their style and your cooking skills.
If you are unsure about a recipe, it is worth doing a trial bake prior to the big day. This may mean more cost to you initially (for double the ingredients) however ultimately it will mean less stress on the big day.
