This past week was filled with preparations for Grayson's third birthday party. I do have to say that things weren't as hectic as I thought they would be, even with 14 kids RSVP'd -- meaning that with parents, we'd be entertaining about 30 people. We opted for an hour and a half party, and hired someone to sing for a half an hour. That would keep the kids entertained, but they still needed to be fed.
Something simple and delicious was what I sought to create. I didn't want to spend my days before the party, and time during the party making food and serving it. I wanted to add a personal touch with some homemade items, but didn't want to go overboard and offer tons of options. So I decided on making two pizzas, along with an Asian noodle salad. I made the pizza dough the night before, so all I had to do in the morning was bring it to room temperature, then form the crust, put on the toppings so it was ready to plop in the oven when needed. The noodle salad, which took about 15 minutes to make the night before, required only to be placed in a bowl for serving. Bottled water, juice and lemonade for drinks, a simple fruit salad, and I had myself a party.
My son loves fish, so I did an Internet search for fish molds/pans and found easy directions on how to make the fish cake myself - no need to buy a mold that I would use only once or twice. Using a recipe pulled from a Good Housekeeping Cook Book, I made the cake a few days early, wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil to keep it fresh and moist, all I needed to do was to frost and assemble the cake the day before the party. Initially, I was going to make the frosting, but as my mother pointed out, there was no need to add an extra step onto the process. I bought canned frosting and colored it blue. The creation of the fish wasn't as time-consuming as I thought it would be, and after about 45 minutes, the fish was completed frosted and assembled. It was the star of the show for my son. He wanted to look at it all the time. The night before the party, he told his Dad "tomorrow, I can eat the fish cake."

I guess the point of the story is that making a memorable party, one that you remember and your guests do as well, doesn't take a lot of time or money. Simple, straightforward recipes go a long way. Your friends will appreciate the personal touch.
Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends.
Laura