Fun Holiday Party Trays

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving and now it is time to get our head wrapped around the upcoming holiday and the parties that go along with it.   Let's start planning.  What party tray will you take to the work party?  Or the kids school party?  Or what would be a good item to take to the neighbors as a little gift that everybody would love to get? 

Let's take a look at a few ideas -

This fun little wreath is so festive looking.  I found the photo but no explanation of what the tomatoes are filled with.  I think that I would use goat cheese or a combination of a soft white cheese and cream cheese.  This would be beautiful with spinach leaves also.  Think - home party or for the office.

I think this is so darn cute.  I do believe I would make this all year round, no matter the season or the weather outside.  I also believe I would use a combo of many fruits. But not so many that it takes away from the visual effects.  The kids in my family are going to love this.

Are you saying - Wants with all the fruit ?!  Well, with all the sweets that you will be offered during this time of the year, then offering some pretty and fun fruit alternative is a super idea. 

Just a little suggestion - you could add a couple little bowls of caramel to go with this arrangement.  I would use a combination of red and green apples just for the accent colors. It would sure be cute.

Enough with being healthy - let's do some sweet stuff.  The kids will love making these.  You can make your usual pan of rice crispy treat, cut them into tree shapes and decorate with any fun goodies you have.  Be sure to make the treats thick enough to press the candy canes into them.  I made one batch a bit different, and I think I really liked them.  I made them like the photo above, then I made a second pan of treats.  I cut those out, and added the second layer to the back.  I even put a little layer of peanut butter between some of them.  With the double layer, the candy cane is very secure. 
Tip - if adding the second layer, do it while they are a bit warm so you can press them together and smooth the edges. 

Check back for more ideas in the near future and get ready to party on!

Last One - Halloween Super Snacks

We are closing in on the great costume day and the excuse to make fun snacks.  As if you ever need an excuse.  I know I don't.  But here are a few super snack ideas to add to the healthy ones from the past and the sweet ones too.  

 

This is super cute and has year 'round possibilities by changing up the cut outs. You can picture cut outs of Christmas trees, bunny faces, happy faces, abstract designs - the sky's the limit.  You could possibly allow the kids to draw designs that you could cut for them.   Any citrus would work and you could fill with fruit or maybe even other goodies.  I am wondering about scrambled eggs, maybe with ham.  Think about this one.

Does your child have a microwave or toaster oven in their class room?  This would be a perfect snack for home or class.  Kids can make their own mummy pizzas with muffins or mini crust, olives, pizza sauce, green onion and a bit of white cheese.  Fun to look at and great to eat.  Want to add a little meat, just replace the olives with tiny pepperoni cut outs. 

Who doesn't like a nice spider stuffed egg?  Simple and great for kid, teen and adult gatherings.  Fix your boiled eggs as always (have you tried the baked replacement?), cut black olives for the spider parts, and add on top of the stuffing.  Want to try a little bit of a change?  Add a bit of guacamole to the stuffing.  Maybe spice it up with chili powder and garlic.  There is a world of possibilities. 

 Love these little bite size treats.  Snap peas or green beans, fresh from the market, with just a couple extras. And you have total control of what you want to use.  The tongue could be cuts of pepperoni, slices of cherry tomatoes or even watermelon if you want to add a bit of sweet.   Shredded white cheese is the finishing touch of the rotten teeth.  Again an item that the kids can make too. Yummy.

Again with the bite size snack.  This one is self explanatory.  A slice of carrot, a dab of cream cheese and an olive topper, and you have a nice edible eyeball.  I think that a few green eyes would be pretty good too.  Prefer cooked carrots?  That works too.  Just let them cool before adding the toppers.

Last but not least - mummy babies.  Your choice.  Make it super simple by using pre-made pie crust or croissant rolls, cut into tiny strips.  Wrap around your choice of hot dogs or make them minis by using Smokies sausages.  Just bake until brown.  For the eyes?  I am not totally sure what I would use.  If you just poke a couple of holes in the meat, I think the inside color would be plenty.  But you could add cloves to a full size hotdog.  Other than that, I really don't know.  Please let me know what you think.  

That's it for now.  More snack for this holiday and many for any time

of the year.