Family Bites

DIY: The Easiest Easter Place Settings

I love to come up with simple ways to dress up a dinner or holiday table, and these Easter place settings fit the bill perfectly, I think.  

I wanted something for the upcoming Spring holiday that didn't involve dying eggs, or drawing on them with assorted waxy implements. Instead I was looking for a pretty decoration that would take less than fifteen minutes, and ideally might even be made by the kids,  if they were interested. As a busy mom, I don't always have the time for massive amounts of crafting just before the Easter holiday (oh, how I wish I did!), but I still want the table to look pretty and festive, you know?

To make these you need the following: eggs, egg cups, Easter-shaped cookie cutters, wooden skewers, cardstock, and fillings of your choice: dirt, candies, herbs, faux or real flowers, etc.

Crack the top of the eggs with a spoon and peel away the shell leaving a small opening.  Drain the egg from within and place the shell in a bowl of warm soapy water. Carefully wash the inside and set it out to dry for a minute or two. 

Place the eggs inside the cups and fill them with jellybeans, chocolate eggs, dirt, herbs or flowers. I used a little dirt from my garden, chives, Mini Egg candies, and jelly beans. Once the eggs have been filled, trace a cookie cutter on a colourful piece of paper and cut out your Easter shape.  Tape it to a wooden skewer and write the names of your guests across the image.  

Voila...the easiest Easter place setting you can make!

 

Party Savvy: It's a Jungle Out There

When I was coming up with ideas for the March edition of Party Savvy, I thought about things my boys would have liked between the ages of 3 and 6. I think that's the perfect age for this themed fête, and although it might seem more masculine in nature, I imagine it could easily be tweaked to suit some adventurous, animal-loving girls, too.

The Whipped Banana Monkey Cake is a no-brainer for this celebration; it's a simple one-layer cake, paired up with two cupcakes which are used for the ears. Iced in a rich chocolate frosting, this looks far more difficult to execute then it really is.

The Safari Sandwiches are a cute update on a regular tea sandwich. Crusts are removed, and the middles are embellised with a cut-out of a safari animal in a different type of bread. Use any filling you like, although I think almond butter and banana would be a great option for this.

What could be easier than these Tiger Tail Ice Cream Cups? Pre-portion the ice cream into small glass jars, and store the containers in your freezer until you're ready to serve. Add some festive orange sprinkles, and you'll have an instant party in a cup.

When it comes to table décor, I usually find less is more. In this case, kraft paper replaced table cloths, and I decorated with a yellow, green, and brown colour scheme that included balloons, handmade paper party cups, stripey straws, and plates.  Printed maps, antique globes, house plants, and jungle animals rounded out the décor.

As always, head on over to Savvy Mom for all of the instructions and recipes.

 

Minty Chocolate Pudding Pots and Other Things

Good Morning!

This week on the Eat Savvy blog I shared a cute idea for St. Patrick’s Day that I thought you might be interested in. These are little pots of minty chocolate pudding, made with just a few common pantry ingredients. I liked this idea because it eliminated the typical fake green food colouring that is added to so many foods this time of year. Oh, and see the serving vessel? It’s a votive candleholder! If you don’t keep glass ramekins on hand (I don’t!) these are perfect for kid-sized portions and party foods. They cost about $3 for half a dozen or so, and I love to use them at dinner parties, for both the lighting options and the serving ones.

        

Two weeks ago I had the chance to chat with Chef Michael Smith about his newest project, a collection of webisodes he's prepared with Canadian Lentils and the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.  He was charming and fun to chat with and you can read more about his latest adventure here.

        

I was in desperate need of a shaker for my powdered sugar, so I fashioned one out of an old jam jar.  A few nails hammered into the top created the holes I needed, and now it's one of my favourite new kitchen tools.

        

I’ve been working on the next edition of Party Savvy, and this time I found myself making a slew of themed paper cups.  They were so fun to put together and I figure if all else fails, maybe I’ll have a career as a party cup designer. Ha!

Have a great day!

A Money Cake for March Break

Do you remember money cakes?  I don't recall if I ever had one specifically, but Rob certainly did when he was a kid.  Essentially, a money cake is a layer cake which is stuffed with foil-wrapped coins. They are washed, wrapped, and inserted into the cake pan prior to baking. The cake is then assembled normally, and iced completely, and when you cut into the cake you never know how much money will be in your slice, if any at all.

This idea was completely fascinating to the boys, so I made them one for March Break. I used only quarters and loonies (Canadian $1 coins) and tucked about six dollars worth into the cake layers. I let them each choose where they wanted to take their slice from, and so far Ben is up a dollar. The money they get out of the cake is theirs for the keeping, which means this is really like an edible treasure hunt for them.

Traditionally, money cakes were used as birthday cakes, which is so fun. I asked my boys if they've ever seen a money cake at any of the parties they've been to, and they had no idea what I was talking about so I'm guessing the answer is no.  Because the ROI is so huge - minimum effort for maximum excitement - I just might try to bring back the money cake with an upcoming birthday.

Money Cake

• Any cake recipe you love
• Your favourite frosting
• Decorations like sprinkles or bunting
• Coins that have been washed and wrapped in aluminum foil

Make your cake as per the recipe directions.  Before popping it in to the oven, place some wrapped coins throughout the batter for each layer.

Bake and ice the cake as per your instructions.

Decorate and serve the cake, surprising the kids with the money coins inside the cake.

 

 

Parties From the Pages: The Dr. Seuss Collection

I'm in love with the idea of finding party inspiration and menu ideas from within the pages of a beloved story book. For years (yes, years!) I've been wanting to do a "Parties from the Pages" feature, and now seems like the perfect time to give it a go.

With Dr. Seuss's birthday being celebrated tomorrow, his collection of books seems like an ideal place to start.  My 13-month old niece totes around One Fish, Two Fish, Red, Fish, Blue Fish everywhere she goes, making me think that a party like this one can really span the ages.

My party menu is rather simple, and includes a sampling of foods that could be easily assembled.  

Green Eggs & "Ham" 

• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/4 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup crumbled bacon pieces

Slice the eggs in half and transfer the yolks to the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, dill weed, and spinach leave, and pulse until combined.

Transfer the filling into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, and pipe a large dollop of the filling into the egg shell. Top each piece with some of the crumbled bacon.  Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Pink Ink Drink

• 2 cups milk
• 8-10 strawberries

Place the milk and berries in a blender, and blend until completely pureed.

Sally's Sweets (As seen on Pinterest)

• 4 oz. white chocolate
• Assorted sprinkles and sanding sugar
• Plastic spoons

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Pour a small amount of the chocolate into the spoon, being careful not to let it overflow.

Scatter assorted sprinkles over the surface of the chocolate, and allow it to harden completely. Keep the spoon handles elevate by resting them on the edge of a spatula or baking pan. Eat the chocolate off the spoon like a lollipop or stir it into a cup of hot chocolate.

For the party decorations, I like to pick a colour scheme that represents the books and/or authors and incorporate it any way I can.

Dr. Seuss Party Decorations

• Red, blue, and white decorations and serving platters, dishes, cups, and cutlery.

• Red, blue, and white linens (fabric works well too).

• Stripey straws, which are a party must-have for me.

• Birthday banner made from coloured-photocopied pages of a favourite Dr. Seuss book.

• Make one or two items that represents something from the book.  In this case, I made tissue paper poufs to mimic the dust that the elephant chases in Horton Hears a Who.

What do you think? Would you base a birthday party around a popular book or series of stories?

Party Savvy: Hollywood Edition

The timing of the latest edition of Party Savvy couldn't be more serendipitous, wouldn't you agree? After all, it is the weekend to celebrate all that is gold in the movie making business, so why not base an entire birthday party around the same theme? Better yet, use a few of these ideas to throw a smashing Oscar party tomorrow night while you watch the Academy Awards with your family.

The Bag of Popcorn Birthday Cake or Tuxedo Strawberries are easy ways to jazz up your festivities. If you're looking for more savoury fare, I know my boys love the Hollywood Hotdogs and Red Carpet Roll-ups. Served with a classic Shirley Temple mocktail, of course.

As an aside, this was definitely one of my favourite parties to work on to date. Each idea is easy to execute, and something a busy mom could likely put together with just a little time, which is the whole point of these parties. Naturally, if you head on over to Savvy Mom you can get all of the details, recipes, and how-tos.

 

Pancake Hors d'Oeuvres

I missed the boat on Pancake Tuesday yesterday. We typically do partake, but this year I had a roast beef just begging to be, well, roasted, so I cooked that instead. We also just embarked on a pancakepalooza this past Sunday with the cousins, leaving us well padded with flapjacks and maple syrup for more than a few days.

But speaking of breakfast, I've been busy planning a country-style breakfast party over on my Pinterest page. I have no idea when I'm hosting this party, but I feel it will likely be sometime in the spring. Maybe I'll do it for Ben's birthday. Brunch entertaining is so effortless compared to dinner soirees, and it works for the entire family regardless of age, seeing that most of us are awake at 10am.

Regardless of when I host this party, these little pancake hors d’oeuvres will certainly make an appearance. About 1 inch in diameter, these golden discs are stacked three-cakes tall, and lightly brushed with a just a touch of syrup. They can be topped with any number of things: bananas, berries, orange segments, mint, whipped cream, nuts, or whatever tickles your fancy or can be found in your fridge. Once skewered, most of the toppings stay together easily, and the little appetizers can be passed around a party, or set out buffet-style for the taking. 

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Give a Little Love

We're not that big on Valentine's Day. Rob and I try to have a date-night at home every week, and have been doing so for many, many years, which means that February 14th isn't that significant to our relationship.

Having said that, it's often been a day where we've done a few fun things with and for the boys. I always buy them a new book, something sweet if possible, and I like to add a little extra love to their breakfast plate with heart-shaped pancakes or red smoothies. And of course we've made all manner of Valentine's Day cards for the classroom exchanges, which Jackson is boycotting this year, for reasons to0 many to list here, but all of them his own.

Despite our lack of celebration for this holiday (is it really a holiday?), I've never been short on ideas for craft and baking projects. I recently put together a few things for iVillage Canada that I thought you might like to see.

The little bags above are my idea for boy-friendly treat packaging. For a day made up of pink and hearts aplenty, it can be a challenge to create something masculine. The how-to can be found here. 

I also made some bakery-style mini cupcakes and cocoa snap cookie sandwiches perfect for a classroom parties or post-dinner dessert.

Happy Love Day!

 

 

 

A Circus Party

I promise, this will be the last party post for at least a week or so. :)

This circus party isn't for one of the many January birthdays we recently celebrated.  Instead, it's part of the Party Savvy feature over on Savvy Mom that I work on each month.

I created the desserts and food for this soirée, and as I was making everything I wondered how it's possible that I've been a mother for almost twelve years and I never thought to go with this theme for any of the parties I've thrown for the boys. I LOVED working on the many elements of this birthday bash, and feel that it looks super impressive without being difficult to execute, wouldn't you agree? I mean, a cake made out of Rice Krispies. Could it get any easier?

The Ringmaster Lemonade was my one of my favourite elements, and I think kids will look so sweet slurpping their beverage with a moustache, courtesy of the ones attached to the drinking straws.

Please feel free to visit Savvy Mom for the remainder of the recipes and decorating ideas. 

DIY: Simple Lego Party Decor

My sweet boy turned 10 yesterday.  

For tenth birthdays we don't do parties, but instead I take the boys on a trip, just the two of us.  When Ben hit his double-digit birthday we went to New York City for four days, and Jackson and I are now making plans to visit Washington, DC, in March when the weather is a little more favourable.

We did have a family dinner though, and while there was no official theme to the party, I incorporated a little Lego love into the decor, to represent Jack and his favourite hobby/toy. There was a large Lego birthday sign and some primary-coloured balloons in a small Lego centerpiece.  The cake was Lego-ish but not quite what I hoped it would be, however I was much happier with the Lego man cupcakes I made yesterday as a treat to mark the day.

To Make a Lego Birthday Sign:

I used coloured cardstock, a large circle punch and glue dots.  I cut out sqaures and rectangles, and affixed the circles with the glue, which raised the dots, giving it a 3D appearance.  I shaped the paper "blocks" into the number 10, and attached it all to a large mirror using double-sided table.

To Make a Balloon Centrerpiece:

I picked up a package of coloured balloons with sticks and blew them up, inserting them into a glass jar that I filled with Lego pieces.  I used these on the mantle and the dining table.

To Make Lego Minifigure Cupcakes:

The cupcakes were a hit, I must admit.  For Christmas, Jackson received a Lego minifigure ice cube tray in his stocking.  I melted some coloured chocolate and filled the tray with it, creating a mold for the edible men. I made a small batch of yellow cupcakes and vanilla buttercream, and added the chocolate Lego figure and a few sprinkles for decoration.