Friday March 19 , 2010

Flowers & Eggs? It must be Spring!

Food ideas for celebrating spring with children.

Flowers and eggs? It Must Be Spring!

Whether you celebrate in conjunction with the Christian Easter holiday, or simply enjoy the end of the long dark winter, spring is a time of wonder, celebration, and new life. When planning a spring children’s party be sure to incorporate some of the symbols of spring.

Is there anything more exciting than seeing the first flowers of spring begin to bloom? Many of those flowers not only look beautiful, but taste delicious too. Violets, pansies, and red bud flowers are all edible. Add them to salads. Use them as a garnish, or decorate your cakes and cupcakes with flowers.

If you don’t want to actually eat flowers, you can use a flower shaped cookie cutter to make flower cookies, or cut sandwiches into flower shapes.

Dying hard boiled eggs is an activity and a snack for your party. Use food coloring, or make natural the natural dyes shared in Dying Easter Eggs - Naturally.

For a sweet treat make Birds Nests with jelly bean eggs.

Bird’s Nests

¼ cup peanut butter
¾ cup chocolate chips
2 cups chow mein noodles
jelly beans

Melt peanut butter and chocolate slowly in a saucepan. Stir in chow mein noodles. Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper. Place 2 or three jelly beans in each nest. Allow the nest to cool.

cupcake decorated with violets

Other Spring Fun Foods

Fruit is always a kid favorite. Serve fruit as fruit salad, fruit kabobs, or make individual fruit pizzas by spreading cream cheese on bagels and topping with fruit. For spring parties turn pear and apple halves into spring animals.

Make a bunny. Put a lettuce leaf on a plate. Place a pear half on top of the lettuce with the core side down. Place a bit of cottage cheese, whipped cream or vanilla yogurt behind the large side of the pear. This is the bunny’s tail. Use cloves or chocolate chips to make eyes on the smaller end. Ears can be made with almond halves or make paper ears attached to toothpicks.

Lady bugs can also be created with apples. Cut the apple in half. Place core side down on a plate, and make spots with chocolate chips.

Most children also enjoy vegetables and dip. Celery stuffed with peanut butter or cream cheese is popular. Serving chicken salad on cucumber slices can also be a fun and nutritious snack.

Celebrate Spring

Spring is an exciting time when life seems to be bursting all around you. Enjoy that newness and wonder when hosting a children’s party. Flowers and eggs are symbolic of that new life, not to mention delicious and fun to serve at your party.

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