Author: Sarah
Star Wars Birthday Party on a Budget
When you’re a boy turning six, is there anything cooler than a Star Wars birthday party with your closest friends? My middle child certainly doesn’t think so. Last Sunday was his second Star Wars birthday party in his six years of life. I very much enjoy planning and putting together parties, whether our annual Christmas party, going-away parties, our Twilight Zone movie night, a Preschool Halloween Party, or (why not?) Star Wars birthday parties. (Check out my Guide to Party Menu Planning here for some ideas on getting event-ready.) The only problem is, when you have three children with three birthdays in the space of 6 weeks, throwing a party for each of them can become not only time-consuming but pretty dang expensive. Have you been to kids’ birthday parties these days? They’re insane, and not scary-clown insane like when I was a kid. I’m talking bounce house rental-five-tiered cake-hired-DJ insane. Which our family is really not into.
So this time around, we decided to go low-key. I let my son invite five friends from school and we attempted to do a reasonably simple Star Wars party on a not-insane amount of money. In the end, it was a fun, low-stress event that didn’t cost an arm and a leg (and didn’t give my kid a celebrity complex). Here are a few of the details.
Menu:
The internet is FULL of Star Wars party food ideas, from elaborate Death Stars carved out of watermelon to punny joke foods like “Vader tots.” We kept it middle-of-the-road with some regular foods and some Star Wars-themed choices.
1. Bacon-Ranch Star Pasta Salad
Amazon sells this star-shaped pasta by Barilla.
I thought it would be a great idea for a pasta salad…though I didn’t realize that those stars are barely bigger than a grain of rice–the kind that come floating in a can of Campbell’s chicken soup. So it was a bit hard to tell that the shapes in our Bacon-Ranch Pasta Salad were stars, but hey, it still tasted good!
2. Veggies and Dip. A party staple.
3. Dark Side Chips & Light Side Chips. Also known as blue corn and regular tortilla chips.
4. Salsa and “Carbonite Dip” (guacamole).
No use denying how cheesy this was. Get it? Han Solo trapped in carbonite? “I love you.” I know.”
5. Fruit Sabers
I can’t take credit for this idea–it’s all over Google images–but it sure was a hit with our partygoers. Duct tape elevates basic fruit skewers to multicolored light sabers!
6. Yoda Soda
If this ice cream soda drink is supposed to look like frothy fog from Yoda’s Dagobah swamp, it totally nailed it. (If it’s not, it’s super bizarre.) A mix of Sprite, softened lime sherbet, and 8 oz. of cranberry juice combine to make this creepy treat the kids went nuts over.
7. Dark Side vs. Light Side Cake
Okay, this one I can take credit for: a three-layer (vanilla-chocolate-vanilla) Dark Side vs. Light Side cake, with chocolate Darth Vader fighting vanilla Luke Skywalker. Does it make me evil if I say I’d choose the dark (chocolate) side every time?
Games:
1. Light Sabers in the Swamp
If you’ve been to as many baby showers as I have, you may realize that shower games can be stealthily adapted to serve as kid party games. Our first party game is based off the old “find the diaper pins in rice” shower standard. In this version, Yoda has lost his lightsabers in the “swamp” (a shoebox) and needs your help getting them back.
Wearing a blindfold, our partygoers had to sift through this box of rice, popcorn kernels, and small pasta to see if they could pick out five small Lego lightsabers.
It’s so much harder than it looks! Even the adults had a hard time getting more than three in a forty second turn.
My kids had enough Lego lightsabers to make this game work, but you can also purchase them on Amazon for about 5 bucks. Budget-friendly game for the win!
2. Star Wars Tic-Tac-Toe
This game could not be any easier. Print out five crossed light sabers for X’s and five Death Stars for O’s and glue to card stock paper. Use electrical tape to draw a tic-tac-toe board on any surface (we used our back patio table) and let the kids have at it! My boys played this repeatedly in the week leading up to the party.
Favors:
A good party favor that isn’t just junk you wish your kid had never gotten is a kid-party diamond in the rough. As a parent, I tried to consider other parents’ feelings about whatever party favors we offered. These super cute party food printables from Kreations By Kristy were an inspiration.
I think I could potentially resist C-3PO Carrots, but Ewok Food? I need that in my life.
The kiddos helped me make bags of Goldfish, pretzel sticks, and Craisins and place them in 89-cent Star Wars cups I found at Target. Edible but not junk, in a reusable container, for approximately $2 each. Party favor gold.
Decor:
Decorating for a Star Wars party definitely does not have to break the bank. The amount of free material is almost staggering–if you know where to look.
1. Printables.
To decorate on the cheap, printables are the way to go. Along with the above food printables, the Internet is a never-ending resource for Star Wars party printables. Many of them are free, from DIY pennants to coloring pages, so happy searching!
2. Welcome sign.
Let your guests know they’re in the right place when they get to your house by printing an Obi Wan Kenobi image with this phrase below it.
3. Use what you got.
So your kid wants a Star Wars party? Presumably that means you have more Star Wars stuff lying around your house than you know what to do with. Use it to your advantage by turning toys into decor!
A couple of Halloween costume masks and a lunchbox served as a table centerpiece, and a play treehouse was placed in the family room newly dubbed the Forest of Endor. The Star Wars universe is big. You can creatively fit a whole lotta random stuff into it.
4. Star Wars terrariums.
Again, a matter of using what’s on hand. Star Wars Lego figures get cool new digs when you place them in glass with rocks and foliage. A fun, free centerpiece idea if your kids have some minifigures and you have some glass containers on hand.
I’m really pleased with the way this kid’s party turned out–and even more pleased with what a wonderful kid HE is turning out to be! Happy Birthday, Elliot, and may the force be with you!
Low-Sugar Mango Almond Tart
Happy Easter! Here in the Phoenix area, it’s a beautiful weekend for this celebration of Christ’s resurrection–a weekend we get to spend with family, friends, and the winner of the Creepiest Easter Bunny competition 2015.
My kids and their cousins were super good sports about posing with the bunny that looked like it might burst out in a maniacal cackle at any moment.
On this Easter day, as our Lenten fast comes to a close, I’d like to share with you another recipe I made while my husband and son were doing their six weeks of eating less sugar. It really was a fun challenge to make desserts that would taste good with a major sugar reduction. (I’m sure diabetics are rolling their eyes, like, yeah, tons of fun.) This mango almond tart was a definite winner. The original recipe from Eating Well is for a raspberry-almond tart, which I’m sure would also be fabulous, but as I had no frozen raspberries in the house when inspiration struck, I used the frozen mangoes hibernating in our fridge and it turned out delicious, too. With only a quarter cup plus two teaspoons of added sugar in the entire 9-inch tart, I’d say this dessert stretches the sugar pretty thin without it being noticeably absent. My guess is you could substitute any berry or even peaches for the mangoes with lovely results. I could see making it for company–at a tea party, perhaps, or as a light but satisfying dessert for a spring dinner party. Or just for a husband and son who were brave enough to last 40 days with less sugar. I applaud them and feel no guilt today about letting my 7-year-old dive head-first into an Easter basket full of candy.
Low-Sugar Mango Almond Tart
(Adapted from Eating Well)
Ingredients:
1/2 c. sliced almonds, skins on
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
4 c. diced mangoes, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
2 tsp. powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan or pie dish with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, combine sliced almonds and sugar until almonds are finely ground. Set aside 1/2 c. of the mixture.
3. Add 1 1/3 c. flour to the remaining sugar-almond mixture and pulse to blend. Add butter a few pieces at a time and process until well incorporated.
4. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts until blended. Add to the food processor and process until the mixture begins to form a dough that looks like wet, crumbly sand, about 1 minute. Set aside 1/3 c. of this mixture.
5. Transfer the remaining dough to the prepared tart pan. Spread evenly, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan to form a crust.
6. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of flour to the sugar-almond mixture you set aside in step 2. Toss mangoes with 2 Tbsp. of this mixture until coated. Spread the coated mangoes evenly over the tart crust, then sprinkle the remaining sugar-almond mixture over the mangoes. Take the reserved 1/3 c. of dough from step 4 and pinch into small clumps. Sprinkle these all around the tart.
7. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until the crumbs on top are golden. Cool at least 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Makes 1 9-inch tart.
Ham-Asparagus and Cheese Strata
Can you believe it’s almost Easter? I feel like I’m still cleaning up from Christmas and like I still need to get my husband a Valentine’s Day gift. Just the other day I emailed someone saying “Hope your new year is off to a good start!” I clearly need to get with the times. It’s 97 degrees outside and going to be April in two days. (Speaking of which, anybody got any good April Fool’s pranks?) Pretty soon it’ll be 2025 and I’ll be going, wait, I thought I was still in my twenties! Or at least my thirties!
As the seasons seem to roll by faster and faster and time slips through my fingers like so much crumbly pie dough, I am comforted by the rituals of holidays. And when I say “rituals,” I mean food. As of this moment, my family has literally zero official plans for Easter, which is weird since we are very active Catholics and celebrate Easter as probably the most important holiday of the year. But even though we haven’t pinned down our plans, there are certain things I know will happen. Like ham. Ham will happen. After Easter eggs, ham seems to be the quintessential Easter food for Americans. According to About.com, the reason for this is that meat used to be slaughtered in the fall, and before refrigeration, pork was cured–a process that takes several months. It was around Easter that the hams were finally finished being cured and ready for consumption. And here I thought it had something to do with usurped pagan rituals. The things you learn, right?
Like most Americans, I have come to expect a ham to be the centerpiece of an Easter dinner, typically followed by weeks of leftovers in the form of ham soups, ham macaroni and cheese, and anything else ham can decently be included in. But before the Easter dinner, Easter brunch is another opportunity to enjoy this traditional Easter food. This ham-asparagus and cheese strata took center stage in our Easter brunch last year and I am still thinking about it. (Then again, I practically think it’s still 2014, so maybe don’t read too much into that…) Really, though, this dish was highly memorable. Its delightful rainbow of pastels was perfect for Easter, and I got a bigger kick than I probably should have out of the sunny-side up eggs nestled around its top. I loved the taste of the salty ham with the milder asparagus and piquant bite of Gruyere cheese. Plus, working vegetables directly into a breakfast casserole always gets my approval.
So as I’m trying to decide what to make for Easter breakfast, or brunch, or whatever we end up doing this Sunday, this one is at the top of my short list. Ham will happen.
Ham-Asparagus and Cheese Strata
(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients:
8 oz. asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
5 cups bread cubes (preferably French bread)
2 c. shredded Gruyere or white cheddar cheese
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1 c. diced cooked ham
10 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
olive oil, to taste
salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes or until bright green. Remove and set aside.
2. In a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish spread half the bread cubes. Top with the cheese, green onion, and half the ham and asparagus. Top with remaining bread.
3. In a bowl whisk together 4 of the eggs and the milk. Evenly pour over the layers in the dish. With the back of a flat spatula, press the bread down into the egg mixture. To with remaining ham and asparagus. If making ahead of time, stop here, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
4. Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and with the back of a wooden spoon, press 6 indentations into the top of the strata. Pour a whole egg into each indentation. Return to oven for 20-25 more minutes. Let stand 15 minutes.
5. Drizzle top of strata with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Cut into squares and serve.
Serves 6-8.
Fig, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad with Toasted Cinnamon-Pecan Vinaigrette
Have you ever had a really unforgettable meal at a restaurant, then gone back anticipating having it again, only to find it’s been taken off the menu? Or worse yet, that the recipe’s been changed and what you order is not nearly as delicious as what you remember? There’s a popular restaurant in Phoenix called La Grande Orange I’ve been to only a couple of times and enjoyed. Once I got a salad there with a truly spectacular pecan vinaigrette. While nuts have been growing on me for the last few years (you know, figuratively, not literally), I have historically not been their biggest fan. This dressing, though, was a revelation. Sweet, rich, and complex–this dressing probably gets alllll the ladies. I’ve thought about it frequently since our last visit to La Grande Orange. Imagine my disappointment, then, looking up the LGO menu recently and not seeing it listed!
Well, I couldn’t let it go at that. I had to at least Google and tinker around to try to recreate a version of it (if not call LGO’s chef and tearfully beg for the recipe). The dressing on this salad is the result. Since I don’t actually remember LGO’s salad itself, just the vinaigrette, I chose ingredients I tend to like with sweet dressings: dried figs, pear slices, goat cheese, and arugula for a little spicy kick. I must say the whole picture of flavors came together dee-liciously. I might have even liked my homemade pecan vinaigrette with its touch of cinnamon even better than the restaurant version, if you can believe it. So here it is, the salad with the most delicious vinaigrette ever–and possibly the longest name ever. If this were in a cookbook, I’m pretty sure my editor would make me cut some words out of its 11-word title.
Fig, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad with Toasted Cinnamon-Pecan Vinaigrette
(Dressing adapted from Food.com)
Ingredients:
Salad:
8 c. arugula
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
4 oz. dried figs, sliced in half
Dressing:
1 c. chopped pecans
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Cinnamon, to taste
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
Directions:
1. Assemble salad ingredients on a platter or in a large bowl.
2. Toast the pecans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle cinnamon over top. Bake 3-5 minutes, checking at 3 minutes for doneness. The nuts should look dark brown but not burnt.
3. To make vinaigrette, whisk together Dijon and honey. Slowly whisk in olive oil, then balsamic vinegar. Stir in cooled toasted pecans. If you like a more emulsified texture, give the whole thing a few pulses with an immersion blender.
4. Toss salad with pecan vinaigrette, or serve on the side.
Serves 4.
Iced Chai Tea Latte
Surely I’m not the only one who wishes Starbucks delivered. When the kids are in no state to get hauled into the car or I’m in no state to go out in public, I find myself wishing for a coffee and tea delivery service–or at least a personal secretary a la Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada to go get some for me. (Then she could do my laundry, too, and clean my kitchen while she’s at it! Heck, let’s let her babysit my kids and give me a pedicure, too!) You know Starbucks would make a killing, though, if they offered delivery. It could be a whole separate arm of the business. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t done so already.
But… they haven’t.
This being the case, when the afternoon drag strikes, sometimes I really need something to get me through. Thankfully, there are ways around the lack of Starbucks delivery when you really, really want an iced chai tea latte. Enter this recipe. It takes about an hour to chill to the point of being pleasant as an iced drink, but to if you, like me, can foresee that in the next hour you’re A.) Probably going to want an iced caffeinated beverage and B.) Probably have no chance of getting out of your house to get one, you’re in good shape. Other positives include spending approximately 35 cents instead of almost $3, as well as taking in only about 40 calories instead of 180 for a Starbucks tall. This version won’t taste quite as spicy and sweet as the Starbucks version, I’ll admit, but that’s because it contains only 7 grams of sugar, whereas the Starbucks tall contains 31 grams (the equivalent of 7.5 teaspoons). So for a simple substitute to spare you the trip through the drive-thru with crazy hair, no makeup, and/or a carful of screaming kids, it sure does the trick.
Iced Chai Tea Latte
(Inspired by The Life You Live)
Ingredients:
2 chai tea bags
3/4 c. water
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. ice
1/4 c. milk
Whipped cream
Directions:
1. Steep 2 chai tea bags in 3/4 cup boiling water for 7-8 minutes. Stir in sugar until dissolved.
2. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. In a fresh glass, pour tea over ice. Stir in milk and top with whipped cream.
Serves 1.