Explosion of Parties

Summer is a great time of year! Parades, fireworks and celebrations! It seems every town and city has a summer celebration such as strawberry days, corn days, county fairs, corn days, or whatever is important in your area! Bring this celebration attitude to your house. Celebrate all those important everyday events - like winning a soccer game, losing a first tooth, or even "It's finally the weekend" with a party. In fact, why not an explosion of parties. We have some great food ideas to help!

Show off the colors:

There are many ways to adorn your feasts with a theme of patriotism.  A Star Cake pan is simple and easy to create! A couple of tips, the 3 “magic” colors of red, white and blue and presto! You have a cake to take to a potluck, on a picnic, to give to a friend or neighbor or for a surprise to your family! Always stunning, guests will enjoy your masterpiece!

For those who want a lighter taste, strawberries and blueberries make great toppings for nonfat cream cheese desserts and arranged creatively with non-fat whipped topping, you once again have just the festive colors you need for your celebration! Or use nonfat yogurt and granola with your berries and layer them in parfait glasses. Those who partake will be impressed!

For those younger bakers who like to help, use a patriotic mix of sprinkles to adorn frosted cupcakes or star shaped cookie suckers with a star cookie pop pan. You can usually find star designed baking cups in your local grocery store at this time of year.

For a special brunch, a Patriotic Cookie Bouquet can become a much talked-about centerpiece.

Decorating the Food:

To decorate your table, small American Flags can be placed in a short vase, sort of like a flag bouquet or place them among some red, white and blue carnations.

Small toothpick flags can adorn party sandwiches created with bread in the shape of stars with fancy bread tubes. Make the bread ahead of time and freeze for use in all the upcoming holidays! Use star shaped cutters to create “cheese stars” or other appetizers for your hors d’oeuvres table.

Once you start, this color theme can go on and on…

How about an explosion of summer picnics?

At minimal cost and maximum fun, you may want to schedule picnics on a routine basis. It is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, play with your children and get away from all the electronic equipment in your house such as televisions, phones (keep the cellphones off), computers and radios.

Finding a favorite picnic area is a good idea. Picnic sites should be checked out ahead of time for safety and facilities. What would fit your family? If you have small children, playground equipment is a must. No child can resist flying high in a swing or speeding fast down a slide. For elementary age children you may want to find a recreational area that offers activities such as swimming, boating, hiking,  or baseball field for longer activities. For teenagers - if you can entice them to come along - let them bring a friend and their music!

While my children were growing up we planned Sunday afternoon picnics almost every week during the summer. Our favorite spot was near a pond where they could go canoeing or use playground equipment. Sometimes we would invite friends to come along. During the week the question would come up “Who’s coming to the pond with us?” It’s fun to share picnics with others!

Here's a picnic checklist:

• Picnic blankets or something to sit on

• Eating utensils – forks knives, spoons, plates, glasses, etc.

• Serving utensils – large spoons and forks, extra paper plates are always handy, a sharp knife

• Paper Towels – they can also serve as napkins to save space

• Can/Bottle Opener

• Portable Cutting Board

• Seasonings – salt, pepper, sugar, whatever you like to spice up your food

• Condiments – mustard, ketchup, pickles

• Plastic storage bags/Trash bags – clean up

• Moist towelettes

• Beverages/Water/Ice

• Jacket – just in case a thunderstorm comes up

• Lawn chairs

• Insect repellant – this is a must almost everywhere

• Sunscreen – especially for toddlers

• Flashlight – always handy

• Balls – soccer, baseball, basketball, beach ball, etc.

• Books/magazines – for when the kids take a “nap” – not likely

• Portable Radio or CD player – especially for teenagers

• Camera – Don’t miss that great photo opportunity

• Map – You may want to take a different route home for fun!

For a quick, easy to handle “picnic grab bag” try the insulated tote. Insulated lining will keep foods the correct table - just sling over your shoulder and go. You don’t always have to travel far for a picnic. Your own backyard can be a wonderful place for a fun event.

Here are some fun summer time recipes for your parties and picnics...

SPINACH DIP:

• 2 packages (10 ounces each), frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1-8 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 cup sour cream (can be low-fat)
• 1 cup plain yogurt (can be low-fat)
• 1 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic

Combine all ingredients, chill for at least two hours. It's always better to make dips the day before so that the flavors have a chance to blend. This makes for a tastier dip.

ONION DIP:

REFRESHING SUMMER PUNCH:

• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can whole kernel corn or Mexican corn
• 2 eggs
• 14-ounces corn muffin mix
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• Paprika to taste

• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Cucumbers
• Radishes
• Finely sliced onion
• Bacon Bits
• Croutons
• Crumbled hard-boiled eggs

• Ham Chunks or Bacon to taste
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Finely chopped onion
• Canned pork and beans
• Dash of salt
• Dash of vinegar
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar per 14-ounce can of pork and beans

Mix all ingredients in a medium or large saucepan, depending on how many servings you need. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until everything has combined nicely. Serve hot.

OLD GLORY CAKE:

• 1 box of your favorite cake mix, preferably white
• 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, defrosted
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries.

Bake cake in a rectangular cake pan. Let cool. Place cake on platter, then frost with whipped topping. Place strawberries and blueberries in flag design on cake. Serve alone or with ice cream for a fantastic dessert!