Not every party has to have a theme, but themed food and decorations can be a great way to spice up a night in with your friends. If you’re not the dinner-partying type, there are also several cute and festive seasonal snacks to fuel your weekday studying or weekend picnics. As the year comes to a close, all we can think about is beautiful spring weather and the impending summer vacation. Below are a few examples of my favorite festive snacks and dinner time treats that will help you celebrate springtime and get excited for summer (not that you’ll need the help after surviving finals week!).
A great way to perpetuate the chosen theme for your party is by using colors. People often relate springtime to pastel colors. There are so many easy and inexpensive ways to add a little extra oomph of color to your food—classic food dye is a wonderful option for this (about dollar in the baking aisle of your grocery store). Even choosing certain colored fruits and veggies can contribute to your theme. The delicious chocolate strawberries below were simply made by dipping fresh strawberries into melted white chocolate that was mixed with a few drops of red dye.
Approach using food coloring with caution—a little bit goes a long way when it comes to most types of food dye, and just a few too many drops can take you from white to fire engine red. These strawberries could serve as a great afternoon snack or a classy dessert to your spring themed dinner party. Coat the strawberries with clear sugar crystals or colored sprinkles for a little extra character.
Although not everyone celebrates Easter, it is a popular springtime theme in the way of food and decorations. It is nearly impossible to miss the pastel colored candy and excess of plastic eggs that fill the store shelves at this time of year. One of my favorite nerdy family traditions is to bake an Easter bunny shaped cake before Easter dinner—this is an adorable and incredibly simple addition to a springtime meal.
This cake is very simple. Just cut the pieces of your cake as pictured below and decorate. I like to either use colored coconut shreds as grass surrounding the bunny, or mix the shredded coconut with my white icing to make “bunny fur.” Kind of dorky, but you’ve got to admit this guy is pretty cute!
For something to serve your dinner guests, I love fresh veggie pizzas in the summer time. It’s always so much tastier to use in season veggies than the frozen ones—it just adds that much more of a home made feel to the meal. To see what veggies are in season now, check out my new gadget! As for the recipe to this fresh pizza, I like to use basic pie crust from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Spread the crust with a mixture of goat cheese (8 oz), cream cheese (8 oz), and one egg on the uncooked crust. Add a sautéed mixture of your veggies of choice (I like squash, corn, and zucchini) and bake as the crust package directs. Voila- your very own fresh veggie gourmet pizza. Goat cheese a little too adventurous for you? Try sour cream instead. If you are more into the classics, there’s always basic tomato sauce! The great thing about pizza is that there is never one set recipe. You always have room to make it your own.
I’ll close with a great warm weather staple- the popsicle. These are so simple to make. One option is always to buy a popsicle formed container at the grocery store and fill it with your favorite fruit juice, lemonade, or kool-aid flavor. A healthier and more seasonal twist on the classic popsicle can be easily achieved by cutting shapes out of fresh fruit with cookie cutters, inserting a popsicle stick, and freezing the shapes on a cookie sheet, as pictured below using Watermelon.
These recipes and many more can be found with the help of good old Google and the keywords “Spring Themed Food.” Enjoy these recipes at home with your friends or by the pool with a good book.
For the summer of 2011, I wish you Happy Eating!
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