Culinary instructor Valerie Taylor presents kid-centered menus that are sure to make your party extra special. Children love to be involved in the foods they eat. If you and your kids are planning a party, take them grocery shopping, and let them help with food preparation. Include lots of food that children can eat with their hands. A chocolate fest can be great fun for kids. You can serve the treats throughout the course of the party or -- if you're brave -- all at once. Chocolate Monkey The "chocolate monkey" is a chocolate-and-banana milkshake. Sprinkle the top with chocolate bits, and dress it up with fun straws. Ingredients:
2 scoops premium vanilla ice cream
1 very ripe banana, broken into six pieces
1 Tbs. chocolate syrup
1/2 cup milk, more or less, depending on desired consistency
Banana slice, for garnish
Mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles Preparation:
In a blender, combine ice cream, banana, chocolate syrup and milk. Blend until smooth. Pour into a soda glass, garnish with banana slice and chocolate chips. Serve with a straw and/or a long spoon. Chocolate Rainbow Fruit Fondue
Ingredients:
Assorted fruits in a variety of colors
Two 11.5-oz. bags double-chocolate chips
One bag (10 oz.) raspberry chocolate chips
1 Tbs. milk Preparation:
Good fruit choices include pineapple, nectarines, cantaloupe, strawberries, honeydew, kiwi, purple grapes, blueberries, blackberries and purple plums. Arrange bite-size pieces of fruit in rainbow fashion. Combine chocolate chips and milk in a microwave-safe container. Heat on high until melted. Stir chocolate mixture, and place in a fondue pot or a small chafing dish. Serve with the fruit rainbow. Let the children use fondue forks or long toothpicks for dipping. White-Chocolate Orange Fluff
Orange zest gives extra spark to this white-chocolate pudding. Ingredients:
Six large egg yolks
Zest and juice of one orange
8 ounces white chocolate, melted
3 cups heavy cream
6 Tbs. sugar
Orange twist for garnish Whisk egg yolks with orange juice in top of double boiler over medium-low heat (the water in the bottom of the pan should be simmering) until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, and stir in orange zest and melted chocolate. Beat cream with sugar until stiff; gently fold into yolk mixture. Spoon into stemmed glassware. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Garnish with orange zest or orange twists. Peanut-Butter Chocolate Spider Nests or Birds' Nests This is a fun recipe that little guests will love helping to prepare. Each child can make her own nests and eat them later in the party. Ingredients:
3 oz. peanut-butter chips
3 oz. semisweet-chocolate chips
One 3-oz. can chow mein noodles
1 cup mini-marshmallows
2/3 cup chopped pecans Preparation:
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut-butter chips and chocolate chips, and heat in a microwave until melted. Add remaining ingredients. Mix gently to avoid breaking the chow mein noodles (the "spider legs"). Spoon onto waxed paper, making about 12 nests. Chill for at least 15 minutes, until firm. Taco Surprise Burgers Your kids will love this dish: taco ingredients hidden inside two burgers. Ingredients:
Lean ground beef
Taco-seasoning mix
Mild salsa
Finely grated cheddar cheese
Buttered Kaiser rolls
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Chopped green onions
Sliced olives Preparation:
Use 8 ounces of ground beef for each burger. Mix into the ground beef 1 teaspoon taco-seasoning mix per burger. Follow this procedure for each burger: Form a small patty with 4 ounces of beef. With your thumb, make a small indentation in the center of the patty. Place a teaspoon of salsa and a generous pinch of cheese in the center.
Form another 4-ounce patty, placing it on top of the "dressed" patty. Pinch the edges of the patties together, leaving no openings. Grill the burgers until they reach the desired doneness. Lightly grill the buttered Kaiser roll. Garnish Taco Surprise Burgers with lettuce, sour cream, green onion and olives as desired. Green-Chili Grilled Corn
Ingredients:
Yellow corn on the cob with the husks intact
One stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
One 4.5-oz. can chopped green chilies
Preparation:
Combine softened butter and green chilies. Set aside until corn is ready. Soak corn in water for 20 minutes. Grill for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Peel back cornhusks and silk and slather corn with green-chili butter. Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Chips This twist on chips and salsa serves as dessert. Ingredients:
8" flour tortillas
Cinnamon
Sugar
8 oz. strawberries
Two kiwis
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 pint blueberries
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 Tbs. honey
1/2 cup coconut flakes Preparation:
Begin by making cinnamon chips. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Cut tortillas into wedges. Place on a baking sheet and very lightly sprinkle or mist with water. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for five to seven minutes. Place on a rack to cool.
Cut strawberries, kiwi and pineapple into very small pieces. Combine with blueberries, lime juice and honey. Before serving, add coconut flakes. Serve with cinnamon chips.
Fiesta Fruit Punch Ingredients:
64 oz. cranberry juice
1 liter ginger ale
Juice of two limes
Juice of two oranges
One orange, sliced
One lime, sliced
Maraschino cherries Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in an attractive pitcher filled with ice. Serve garnished with a lime slice.
RESOURCES :
The Only Kid's Party Book You'll Ever Need
(Reader's Digest, 1998)
by Gill Dickinson and Julia Goodwin
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