Recipe(tried): Princess Birthday Party Food

Hi, Karen - Tell your little princess happy birthday for me! For the food, try to imagine that you are at Buckingham Palace, picture what would be served at a cocktail party, and translate that feeling into kid food. Use pretty serving pieces and doilies.

Off the top of my head, I think I'd do small sandwiches, crust removed, cut into shapes. Hearts or diamonds, maybe. Any kid-friendly filling would do. Maybe chicken salad on croissants for the moms. Think about picking up some phyllo shells (the little ones) in the frozen food section, and fill them with something nice. Custard for a dessert option maybe, or chocolate pudding. Or you could put the chicken salad in them for both the princesses and the queen mothers! You can make similar shells using a cream cheese pastry - let me know if you need the recipe. It's a little time-consuming, but not difficult. You need gem (mini-muffin) pans. You can also use them for mini-quiches, and lots of other fillings.

I'd also make a fruit salad, and serve it from a glass bowl so the pretty colors show. Or you could do Jello jigglers in a variety of colors, and combine them on the serving plate so they catch the eye.

One thing that often works well for me at kid parties is to cut carrot "coins" and top each one with a bit of peanut butter. If you use a pastry bag with a star tip to pipe the peanut butter, it looks fancy enough for a princess. Your crowd of kids might be a little young for the raw carrots, come to think of it. Maybe use small crackers instead. You can use the same idea for devilled eggs - make the yolk mixture very smooth, and pipe it onto the eggs for a prettier look. I doubt that they serve many devilled eggs at Buckingham Palace, but it's all in the presentation, right?

Have fun, and if you come up with any great ideas, share them with us!