Food for a Children's Party

If you've been reading my posts this week, you know that I'm in the middle of getting ready for the Harvest Party that my 9- and 11-year-old daughters are hosting this evening. I thought I'd take a minute to share the menu, with apologies for the lack of interesting food items.

If there's one thing I've learned from motherhood, it's that my kids and their friends do not appreciate beautifully-presented nutritious food made from scratch . . . so I'm careful about how much time and energy I put into my cooking and baking for a kids' party. The food has to be yummy, but not exotic. Pretty, but not difficult to eat. Traditional, but not boring.

The key to a successful table is presenting a variety of kid-friendly finger foods, so I sat my girls down and asked them to list all the foods they would like to eat at a party. I nixed the messy stuff, like spaghetti and ice cream, and said a big NO to pop. Here's what they came up with:

fresh veggie platter with ranch dip

fresh fruit platter

shrimp platter with cocktail sauce

deviled eggs

turkey sandwiches

meatballs

pizza

(cheese; pepperoni)

cupcakes

(chocolate cake with chocolate frosting;

carrot cake with cream cheese frosting)

cookies

(chocolate chip; peanut butter)

strawberry-pineapple punch

water

Bon appètit, kids. And watch the crumbs falling out of your mouths, will ya?

Dinner last night: teriyaki chicken, seasoned noodles

Exactly one year ago today: The Sisterhood of the Magical Sweater