Clever Biscuits
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Biscuits are sometimes overlooked when planning party foods. They can seem a little unglamourous but all they need is a bit of imagination to become a smash hit with the kids.
Here are a few examples that caught my eye. I could be tempted by these.
Angry Bird Cookies.
These clever biscuits from Nadiya’s Tastes of Maldives are bright and colourful but more importantly, they pick up on a current craze. That means they will be instantly popular with the kids.
Tractor Biscuits
Choose biscuits that suit the theme of the party. This little tractor cookie would be great for a farm themed event. If your child loves Thomas the Tank Engine, boats, fire trucks or Formula 1 racing, you can decorate (or order) biscuits to suit.
Puffy Biscuits
Biscuits don’t always have to be flat. Sometimes the fun is in eating the plump, luscious biscuits decorated with puffy marshmallow sweetness. They are colourful and full of fun. Who could resist them?
Funny Faces
Give kids the chance to create their own funny face biscuits as a party activity. They might create something as good as these ones.
Biscuits don’t have to be dull or served straight from the packet. Use a little imagination and see what you can create.
Games For The Baby Shower
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One of the hardest parts in throwing a baby shower is working out how to keep everyone entertained. That’s when some simple games can come in handy.
When choosing your games, remember to make them suitable for the expectant mother. She isn’t going to want to sprint around the house in a treasure hunt!
Here are a few ideas for you.
The Price is Right
Collect a range of baby goods like dummies, bottles and nappies. You’ll need about 6 items. To win this game, the guests must guess the price of each item, just like the game on TV. The person who is closest to the correct price wins.
Guess Who
Each guest brings a photo of themselves as a baby. Pin them to a board and let the guessing begin.
The Nappy Game
Who can remember how to fold the traditional nappy? Have the guests fold a nappy and put it on a baby-sized doll or teddy. The neatest fold and best fit wins.
Pin the Dummy on the Baby
The aim is to pin the dummy on the baby’s mouth. All you need is a cut-out of a baby and a dummy, a pin or some blue tac.
These games are a lot of fun and can be a great way to help guests get comfortable with those they don’t know. Just keep them simple and you’ll all have fun.
How To Bake The Perfect Cupcake
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Have you always wanted to make cupcakes, but think it’s all too hard?
Well, here are some tips for baking the perfect cupcake.
- Make sure you fill your cupcake cases to no more than 2/3 full – this will mean they don’t overflow, or form a very tall “peak” in the middle.
- Know your oven and adjust the cooking time and/or temperature setting accordingly, or use an oven thermometer. If your cupcakes cook too fast, they will rise too quickly resulting in a “peak” in the middle, but might still be uncooked in the middle, while brown on top; if they cook too slowly, they won’t be light and fluffy.
- Always make more than you think you’ll need; any that don’t look perfect, can be put away for lunch box treats.
Now, for the recipe. This one has been adapted from the Australian Women’s Weekly “The Cake Stall”.
Ingredients
2½ (375g) self-raising flour
250g butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar
5 eggs
½ cup milk
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F – again, make sure you know your oven, don’t just rely on the temperature setting.
- Line two 12-hole muffin pans with paper cases.
- Place sifted flour, butter, vanilla extract, sugar, eggs and milk in a large bowl; beat on low speed with an electric mixer until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for two minutes or until mixture has changed to a pale colour.
- Fill cases to no more than 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cupcakes are ready when a skewer inserted into centre comes out dry.
- Leave to cook for five minutes in the tray and then move to a cooling rack.
- When cool, decorate with icing or frosting of your choice, as well as any other decorations, like Smarties, lollies, cupcake toppers, or sprinkles.
If you want to make the decoration process easier, have a look at these cupcake decorating sets with themes such as Racing Cars and Mermaids. These kits, along with the recipe above, will undoubtedly turn your cupcakes into crowd pleasers for sure!
Choosing The Right Birthday Card
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Have you stood in front of the card aisle in a store only to find yourself bamboozled with the selection in front of you? The card shelves can often be overwhelming and for the most part unsatisfactory unless you really see something which jumps out at you at first glance.
Sometimes the image speaks to you and then you discover upon opening, that the wording inside the text is extremely banal or totally inappropriate. And of course, what may be appropriate for one person may not be suitable for another.
So what should you do? When shopping for birthday cards for kids – the choice is easy. While The Spotty Napkin is best known for their range of quality party decorations, loot bag merchandise and cake bling, they also carry a range of birthday cards to suit all ages from 1-10.
The birthday cards are printed on white card stock and are blank allowing you to write your special message inside each one. The cards are designed to be cute and quirky with the intention of lifting the spirit, brightening the mind and cheering the soul.
Choosing the right birthday card is extremely straightforward. There are two cards in each age group (one for a boy and one for a girl) – making the decision quick and painless.
So whether you are shopping for your party decor and need a card, or have found a card and fancy a few extra things to go along with it, remember The Spotty Napkin when looking to add originality and style to your next birthday event.
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. Pop over to Ehow and have a look.
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
