Circus Party

If anyone is having a Circus themed party, then here are some ideas from the party I threw my son.

This is the cake that I had ordered.

Various bakeries in town wanted to charge me $100+ for this design, but I found a lady that was willing to do it for a fraction of the price AND she was smart enough to make the top of the cake out of rice krispies, and then just decorated it with fondant.

We had some veggies out and I love the idea of putting the dip right into a red pepper.

I also ordered plastic clear milk jugs and then let the guests fill them up with lemonade!

Here is what the snack table looked like.

Fresh fruit, cupcakes, cookies, popcorn, & peanuts. 

I cut up straws and added marshmallows to the sides to create, 

Strong Man Dumbbells!

Peanuts of course for a circus party!

Popcorn as well!

and that is the decor that I put up. Just twist various colors of streamers and put up some colorful balloons on top!

macaroni and cheese

I have such a big spot in my heart for macaroni and cheese.

I love the stuff.

Seriously, love it.

I'm addicted to Panera's white creamy mac and cheese.

and once I saw that the Pioneer Woman had a recipe for it, you can bet I was all over that!

It was gooey, and cheesy, and delicous!

Try it yourself.

Macaroni and Cheese

You will need:

4 cups dry macaroni

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

2 heaping tbsp's dry mustard

1 pound cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp pepper

To make:

Cook the macaroni until very firm. It should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat the egg.

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a large oval or rectangular dish.

In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour.

Whisk it together over med-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it  burn.

Pour in the milk.

Add the mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes or until very thick, whisking constantly.

Reduce the heat to low.

To temper the eggs, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the egg mixture into the sauce, whisking until smooth.

Add in all but 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir until melted.

{yea...it calls for lots of cheese!}

Add the seasonings. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. Don't undersalt!

Pour in the cooked, draied macaroni and stir to combine.

 Pour into baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

There you have it!

Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks, Recipes from an accidental country girl

Party Ideas

I found these great party food ideas that we've used around our house.

I love the fruit on a stick, it is so easy and yet so beautiful!

Then I saw this idea for veggie cups. You just put the dip in the bottom of the cup and then add veggies!

Perfect and no one has to wait in line to scoop dip on their plate!

We did burgers with chips, veggie cups, and fruit sticks.

Perfect for a get together or BBQ!

kid food

So I saw this online and wanted to try it. 

All you do is cut up hot dogs and place uncooked spaghetti through it,

then cook in a pot of boiling water.

It was super easy and fast and the kid's thought it was really cool.