party food | Desert Chica

Vampire Donuts

byKaren•September 13, 2017

Halloween is coming and along with it all the fun Halloween decorations, costumes, and treats. I recently started watching Van Helsing on the Syfy channel. Vampires aren’t as cool as zombies but the show is fun (and a bit intense). It’s definitely not a show I can let my boys watch though. We can, however, start watching the adorable new Disney Junior show, Vampirina next month. It looks super cute! In honor of Halloween and its ultimate mascot, how about making some vampire donuts?

Vampire Donut Ingredients

1 box of cake mix + required ingredients
White Wilton Candy Melts
Black Icing
Red Icing
Wilton Candy Eyes
Brach’s Vampire Teeth
Wilton Donut Pan

Make Vampire Donuts

Start by making the cake mix according to the directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the donut pan with non-stick cooking spray. Use a measuring cup for easy pouring. Pour the donut mix into the donut pan, making sure not to fill all the way to the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let the donuts cool for 5 minutes.

Decorate Vampire Donuts

Melt white candy melts in the microwave or with this Wilton Melting Pot. Dip the top of the donuts in the white candy melts.

Everyone loves donuts, even the undead! Check out these homemade vampire donuts, perfect for a fun Halloween themed treat.

Place two candy eyes above the donut hole. Place two vampire teeth below the donut hole. Use the black icing to create hair above the eyes. Don’t forget the V of the hair! Then use red icing to create blood coming from the teeth. Done!

Everyone loves donuts, even the undead! Check out these homemade vampire donuts, perfect for a fun Halloween themed treat. Halloween Kid Recipe | Halloween Recipe | Halloween Party Food | Halloween Food

Happy Halloween!

Kids Shark Drink

byKaren•July 17, 2017

Who’s ready for a fun themed drink, perfect for shark week or an ocean-themed birthday party. This kids shark drink is fun for adults too! At least this adult. 😉 Plus it’s super easy to make, I love fun and easy!

Kid’s Shark Drink Ingredients

lemon-lime soda
blue sports drink
shark gummies
peach gummy rings
fun striped straws

Kid’s Shark Drink Directions

Start by filling your glass with ice, placing a shark among the ice. I think it looks best somewhere in the middle of the drink but the placement is totally up to you. Don’t worry this is one shark that won’t bite. 😉 For extra fun check out this shark fin ice cube tray.

Fill the glass halfway with the blue sports drink. Then top the glass off with the soda until the glass is full. Top it with another gummy shark. Add a fun straw to your drink and slide two peach gummies on it as ‘life preservers’. Done. Easy and fun!

If you think the drink is too sweet, you can always substitute the soda or sports drink with a low sugar/diet option. It would still be super fun either way!

More Easy Themed Party Food

Lightning McQueen Graham Crackers

byKaren•June 9, 2017

Lightning McQueen is back and racing into theaters for Cars 3 on June 16th! What’s my favorite way to celebrate a fun new movie? With a cute craft or snack of course. You can’t go wrong with these Lightning McQueen graham crackers. They are adorable and fairly easy to make.

Lightning McQueen Graham Crackers Ingredients

6 graham cracker sheets
1/2 cup vanilla frosting
red food coloring
1 large white Airhead candy
6 yellow pieces of taffy or yellow tootsie rolls
12 mini Oreo cookies
black decorating gel

How to make Lightning McQueen Graham Crackers

1. Line a large cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.

2. Place a graham cracker on a cutting board and with a knife, draw an outline of the car on the cracker. Carefully and gently, (so the cracker does not break) cut along the outline and place the cracker on the lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the crackers are cut into car shapes.

3. Place 1/2 cup of vanilla frosting into a bowl. Add 1-2 drops of red food coloring and mix well. Add additional coloring, if necessary, until you achieve a bright red color. Set aside.

4. For the side windows, cut a white Airhead in half, lengthwise. Cut out 6 rectangle shapes (about 1 inch long) and 6 tiny right angle triangles from the 2 strips. Set aside.

5. For the lightning bolt, firmly press down on 6 pieces of yellow taffy (or tootsie roll) to flatten each one out. With the tip of a knife or scissors (or you could even use a toothpick), trace the shape of a lightning bolt on each taffy piece and cut out each shape. You may find it easier to use small kitchen shears. Set aside.

6. Spread a thin layer of red frosting onto each car-shaped graham cracker.

7. Place a side window (rectangle piece) at the top of each car (towards the middle) and press gently into the frosting. Place the back side window (triangle piece) to the right of the larger window. Press down gently.

8. Place a yellow lightning bolt on each car with the end of the bolt almost touching the right end of each car.9. Add 2 Oreo tires to each car, one on the bottom left side and the other on the bottom right side.

9. Add 2 Oreo tires to each car, one on the bottom left side and the other on the bottom right side.

10. With the black decorator icing, pipe the number “95” on each car, to the left of the thunderbolt.

Ka-chow! You are done and ready to serve super cute Lightning McQueen graham crackers.

Smurf Party Idea: Smurfberry Recipe

byKaren•April 7, 2017

Every child of the 80’s is going to appreciate today’s fun snack idea. Who wants to make Smurfberries!!

Now that new Smurf movies are being released, we can pass our love of the little adorable blue guys on to our kids. I think these Smurfberries are the perfect way to celebrate our love of all things Smurf! A little fruit, a little candy, a lot of fun! And if you prefer marshmallows to candy melts, don’t miss my Papa Smurf fruit tray and Smurf yogurt trifles,

Smurfberry Ingredients

1 dozen fresh strawberries- washed and dried
½ cup Wilton royal blue candy melts
½ cup Wilton blue candy melts
½ cup Wilton red candy melts
¼ cup Wilton bright white candy melts

Smurfberry Recipe Directions

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside. Add the royal blue candy melts to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 50 seconds. Stir until melted and smooth.Dip 4 strawberries into the melted royal blue chocolate and place back on the lined cookie sheet to harden.

Microwave the blue candy melts for 50 seconds. Stir until melted and smooth. Dip 4 of the strawberries into the melted blue candy and return to the cookie sheet to allow the chocolate to harden. Microwave the red candy melts for 50 seconds and stir until melted and smooth. Dip the remaining strawberries into the melted red chocolate and place back on the cookie sheet.

Ready to celebrate the latest Smurfs movie with a fun recipe? How about making your own smurfberries! This smurfberry idea is perfect for a Smurf party too!

Place the white candy melts in a Wilton icing bag or a Ziploc bag. Twist the end of the bag to close. Microwave for 30-40 seconds or until the candy is melted and smooth. With a pair of scissors, cut off the corner of the bag and pipe small dots all over the red strawberries. Chill until ready to serve.

More Party Food Ideas

Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees

byKaren•April 6, 2017

Who doesn’t love a fun snack especially when it’s easy to make and yummy to eat? Some ideas look cool but end up being too elaborate or aren’t very kid-friendly to eat. Thanks to Ritz for sponsoring today’s kid-friendly snack. It’s a snack they can even help make, Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees.

Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees are so easy to make you can enlist your kids making it for both a special snack and fun activity. Assuming, of course, your kiddos love to help in the kitchen as much as possible like mine do.

I love finding new snack ideas that utilize ingredients we typically have on hand like peanut butter, RITZ Crackers, and fruit. The only special ingredient I needed to buy was the chocolate spread which is always a fun addition to our pantry.

Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut butter
12 RITZ Crackers
1 banana
1½ teaspoons chocolate spread
3 seedless red grapes, quartered

Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees Directions

Arrange the RITZ Crackers on a plate and start by spreading peanut butter on each one. Even a preschooler can help with this if you use a plastic knife. Then slice a banana and cut half of the slices in half. The bananas become the bumble bee body and wings. Slicing the bananas is a skill older kids can help younger siblings with. Place one full banana slice in the center of the cracker and 2 halves on either side.

It can take a little practice but piping lines of chocolate from a plastic bag with the corner cut off is fairly easy. Let your kids work on fine motor skills and pipe chocolate lines onto the banana slices to create the look of a bee. Use a quartered grape to create the bee’s head. That’s it. Easy peasy peanut butter and banana bumble bees.

RITZ Crackers Fresh Stacks are always in our pantry, the convenient stacks of crackers make it easy as a grab and go snack for my boys to share. The RITZ Crackers stay fresher and are better portion controlled. Combined with cheese, it’s one of our favorite snack ideas. I even add them to my boys’ lunch boxes when I am making a fun bento box lunch.

More Lunch Box Ideas:

Death Star Cupcakes

byKaren•March 31, 2017

We were sent a fun Rogue One movie kit last week that included a digital copy of Rogue One in order to host a fun movie night. I was assigned #TeamEmpire which goes against my normal tendencies but I attempted to embrace the dark side. My favorite way to party is with a themed cupcake, and so I decided to make mini Death Star cupcakes to enjoy while we watched Rogue One and live tweeted for the #RogueOneDigital party.

You can buy Rogue One NOW on Digital HD or Disney Movies Anywhere and April 4th for Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and On-Demand. The Bonus features are usually really cool. Rogue One bonus features include*:

A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept – and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.
Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen.
Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance, and passion.
K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.
Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary…and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.
Visions of Hope: The Look of “Rogue One” – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of “Star Wars: A New Hope” – as well as one of her most memorable foes – back to the screen.
Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars stories yet to be told.
Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connects “Rogue One” to the Star Wars universe.

* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer.

Now, who’s ready to make Death Star cupcakes for your own Rogue One movie night? All you need is a few ingredients and a little imagination!

Death Star Cupcakes

chocolate cake mix
silver mini cupcake liners
black food dye
buttercream frosting
grey jimmies
black sugar crystals
round black or gray candy

Just bake a batch of mini cupcakes and top with gray frosting. I decorated mine with black and silver sprinkles. The key piece being one small round piece of candy. I actually think a dark gray would be a better but the black candy worked for me. Download my printable “That’s No Cupcake” sign and you are done.

Pair your sweet cupcakes with salty popcorn and you are set for an easy dark side inspired movie party.

You can purchase Rogue One on Digital HD now and the Blu-ray on April 4th. Use the Disney Movies Anywhere account and watch the movie anywhere you are.

BB-8 Cupcakes

Dark Side Star Wars Basket

Healthy Smurfs Party Food Ideas

byKaren•March 15, 2017

Are you ready for the next Smurfs movie? Smurfs The Lost Village is a fully animated film that (based on the preview I’ve seen) reminds me a lot of the Smurfs cartoons I watched as a child. The movie doesn’t come out until April but until then I’d thought we make a few fun Smurfs party food ideas to enjoy.

I am always a fan of a fun cupcake and I’ve seen some cute Smurf ideas but I decided to stick a healthier idea like I did with my monster truck fruit tray.

Papa Smurf Fruit Tray

I created a template to follow using a copy of Papa Smurf’s face and parchment paper. Trace the shape onto the parchment paper, then flip it over so the ink won’t come into contact with the fruit. Cut out the design and tape it onto a tray. Now you are ready to create a Papa Smurf fruit tray. I used strawberries for his red hat, mini marshmallows for his beard and eyes and blueberries for his blue color.

I don’t love how Papa Smurf’s eyes turned out on my fruit tray. That being said, it’s a fruit tray inspired by a cartoon character so I am going to just let it go. 😉

Smurfs Party Food Inspired Trifles

Individual trifles are fun because they can be customized by taste or design. I used Papa Smurf, Smurfette, and a regular Smurf as inspiration for three different version of the trifles. Make a Papa Smurf-inspired trifle by layering red, followed by blue, white, blue and then red again.

I used the same method for my other two designs. What you use in your layers is up to you. I stuck with food I already had on hand: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, vanilla greek yogurt and whipped cream. I’ve brainstormed a few other color ideas that you might prefer.

Blue layer: blueberries, blueberry yogurt

Red layer: strawberries, raspberries, red velvet cake

White layer: vanilla pudding, white cake, yogurt, whipped cream, mini marshmallows

Yellow layer: bananas, yellow cake, pineapple

You could further customize the standard Smurf trifles by adding a cute accessory specific to a Smurf character. For example a little hammer for handy or glasses for brainy.

Beauty and the Beast Inspired Enchanted Rose Apple Tarts

byKaren•March 13, 2017

Seriously how adorable are these enchanted rose apple tarts? Fun for grown-ups and kids, basically anyone having a Beauty and the Beast themed party. This was my first time making rose apple tarts, and while they seemed a little complicated, they really weren’t. Cover them with a DIY bell jar and you have an awesome beauty and the beast party food idea!

Enchanted Rose Apple Tarts Ingredients

2 apples (the redder the better)
juice from a lemon or orange
1/4 cup strawberry preserves
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
cinnamon
flour for rolling dough

Start by adding juice from one orange (or lemon) and water to a microwavable bowl. Remove puff pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then grease and flour a muffin tin and set aside.

Core apples and cut in half. Slice apples as thinly as possible and then add to the bowl to prevent browning. Once all the apple slices are added to the bowl, microwave for 2-3 minutes. They need to bend easily without breaking.

Roll out your puff pastry to about 9″ X 13″ size. Slice into 6 long strips.

Dilute 3 tablespoons of preserves with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the diluted preserve mixture on each strip. Lay the apples across the top of each strip, overlapping the apples on the ends. Sprinkle cinnamon down the entire length and then fold the bottom half of the pastry strip up to cover the bottom of the apples. Roll the apple stuffed pastry strip from one end to the other. It will look like a rose.

Add each rolled apple tart into a greased muffin tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Once apple edges start to brown you can tent them with foil to prevent it from getting too dark.

Serve each rose apple tart in its own bell jar to create enchanted rose apple tarts! I made a set pretty easily, check my DIY bell jar tutorial for all the details including what to buy!

For the ultimate Beauty and the Beast party experience, you can have your little (or big) guy serve the enchanted rose apple tarts wearing a Beast costume!

Monster Truck Fruit Tray

byKaren•March 1, 2017

Check out this adorable monster truck fruit tray. It’s a super fun way to surprise your kids with tickets, or celebrate with a snack before attending Monster Jam!

Monster Truck Fruit Tray

While I do love celebrating everything with a fun themed cupcake sometimes I need to be a little more responsible. So for our upcoming Monster Jam adventure, I made a fun monster truck fruit tray. It turned out super cute and would work great for a birthday party or just a fun afternoon snack before you head out to see monster trucks in person.

The key to getting a decent monster truck design out of fruit is to create a simple template ahead of time. I started by printing a monster truck image I found online. Then I used it as a guide to draw a bigger version on parchment paper.

Once I was happy with my shape, I cut around the outline and flipped it over onto my serving tray. This keeps the pencil lead away from the fruit. I think keeping the truck one color makes the most sense, so I opted for a truck body of mandarin orange slices and then just added a fun stripe of strawberries.

The tires are made of dark red grapes but I think blackberries or blueberries would be awesome as well. I opted to use mini marshmallows for the side wall of the tires and the truck window. I think bananas, jicama or cups of yogurt dip could also work well.

Ok now tell me who’s headed to Monster Jam this weekend? 🙂

St. Patrick’s Day Smoothie

byKaren•February 27, 2017

While I love to celebrate holidays with a good cupcake like my Lucky Charms cupcakes, sometimes I want a lighter option. A fun St. Patrick’s Day smoothie is sweet, festive and a bit lighter than a baked good.

Don’t get me wrong, my first choice is always a cupcake but this St. Patrick’s Day smoothie is yummy too and the perfect addition to a St. Patrick’s day party or dinner. This fun St. Patrick’s Day smoothie has a fun kick courtesy of a little bubbly fizz from 7UP.

I like to keep sliced frozen bananas in the fridge for smoothies, so we always cut up bananas that have turned too ripe and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer. If you leave the bananas whole, it can be harder on your blender when making smoothies

You could buy fresh or frozen pineapple to make this smoothie but I find it just as easy to freeze crushed canned pineapple. Just place a plastic storage container with crushed pineapple in the freezer and it will be ready to use within a few hours.

Once your fruit is frozen, you are ready to combine it with a can (12 oz) of 7UP in the blender. Add a few drops of green food dye and blend again to complete the fun St. Patrick’s Day smoothie. This makes two servings and can be doubled depending on the size of your blender.

While bananas are staples in our house, sometimes we run out pretty quick. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to pick up all the necessary St. Patrick’s Day smoothie ingredients including the bananas and 12-pack of 7UP at my neighborhood Walmart store.

Smoothies are naturally a fun breakfast drink but with the addition of the bubbly 7UP, I think this St. Patrick’s Day smoothie would be a fun addition to your St. Patrick’s Day dinner too. Who wouldn’t love corned beef and cabbage with a sweet green smoothie on the side?!

St. Patrick’s Day Smoothie Ingredients

1 C sliced frozen bananas
1/2 C chopped frozen pineapple
12 oz 7UP
green food dye

If you prefer more of a punch style drink, don’t miss my Grandma’s Fruit Crush Punch, you could add a little green dye to that recipe too!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #JustAdd7UP

LEGO Batman Cookies

byKaren•January 25, 2017

LEGO anything catches my boys’ attention. Combine that with a superhero and fun movie, i.e. LEGO Batman and they are 1000% in. As we eagerly await the release of LEGO Batman in theaters next month, I decided to make a LEGO batman cookies

LEGO Batman Cookies

I kept my LEGO Batman cookies simple by using a box of sugar cookies mix and premade frosting. You could totally make these from scratch if you are so inclined. I added 1/4C baking cocoa to the mix to get a dark brown color.

Then we rolled out the dough and used this sweet batman cookie cutter set to cut out our cookies. Bake according to recipe directions.

The cookies turned out pretty cool just as roll out batman cookies but I wanted to take them to the next level and make them LEGO Batman cookies.

I warmed up the frosting briefly in the microwave until it stirred easily and was slightly runny. This allowed the frosting to go on smoothly, royal icing should work too. Then top each cookie with matching candy to complete the LEGO brick look.

They turned out pretty cool, don’t you think? It’s not lobster but I think LEGO Batman would approve. 😉

Don’t miss our other LEGO-themed desserts:

LEGO Brownies

Easy LEGO Cake

Duke the Dog Cupcakes

byKaren•December 5, 2016

What’s a movie night without a fun movie snack? My boys always ask for popcorn when watching a movie but they will never turn down an extra special movie night treat! My favorite type of special treat is cupcakes, so guess what I usually make. 😉 To celebrate the release of The Secret Life of Pets on Blu-ray (on 12/6), I thought I’d share these super fun Duke cupcakes. 🙂

Duke might not have been our favorite character at first but by the end of the movie you love him too. I bet it won’t take any time for you to warm up to yummy chocolate Duke cupcakes! And they are fairly easy to make too!

The Secret Life of Pets Duke Cupcakes Ingredients

Chocolate cupcakes
Chocolate frosting
Red and black jelly beans
Candy eyes

Start by baking your favorite chocolate cupcakes. Use a frosting tip #233 to create Duke’s fur. I made short bursts all the way around until the cupcake was covered. I then built up the sides and the center to simulate his ears and nose area.

Cut a red jelly bean in half lengthwise to create a cute little tongue. Then use a black jelly bean for his nose and two candy eyes. Done!

Now that we have our treat, it’s time to watch The Secret Life of Pets. We were sent a copy to review and we had a blast watching the movie again this weekend. You know what else is fun to watch? The cool bonus features. The Mini-Movies are definitely my boys’ favorite bonus features!

Blu-ray & DVD Bonus Features:

Mini-Movies:
- Norman Television
- Weenie
- Mower Minions
All About The Pets – Kevin Hart and Eric Stonestreet, with the help of animal trainer Molly Mignon O’Neill take you on an educational journey to learn more about your average and not-so average, household pets.
Animals Can Talk: Meet The Actors – The comedy superstars who give voice to the film’s menagerie of characters talk about their roles and the process of bringing them to life.
Hairstylist To The Dogs – Inspired by “Hairspray Live!,” Eric Stonestreet, with the help of a professional dog groomer Jess Rona, will take you through the basic steps to help your pups look as awesome as possible when they’re hanging out with their pet pals.
The Best Of Snowball – A rapid-fire, fun and oddly musical mash-up of all the best Snowball one-liners
Hot Dog Sing-Along – Join Max and Duke as they perform for their dinner in the sausage factory. This straightforward sing along is fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Sing Trailer
“Lovely Day” Lyric Video
The Humans that Brought You Pets – Producers Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, directors Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, and writer Brian Lynch discuss what went into creating The Secret Life of Pet’s compelling characters and non-stop action.
GoPro®: The Secret Life of Pets
The Making of the Mini-Movies – A fun and interesting take on the Making of the Mini-Movies – we’ll explore the themes of each of the mini-movies through the eyes of the artists who made them.

Additional Blu-ray features:

How to Make an Animated Film – A behind-the-scenes look at how to make an animated film from the various departments that make up Illumination.
Anatomy of a Scene – Filmmakers and animators take us through the multi-step process it takes to create a specific scene in the Secret Life of Pets

Vampire Donut Ingredients

Make Vampire Donuts

Decorate Vampire Donuts

Happy Halloween!

Kid’s Shark Drink Ingredients

Kid’s Shark Drink Directions

More Easy Themed Party Food

Lightning McQueen Graham Crackers Ingredients

How to make Lightning McQueen Graham Crackers

Smurfberry Ingredients

Smurfberry Recipe Directions

More Party Food Ideas

Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees Ingredients

Peanut Butter and Banana Bumble Bees Directions

More Lunch Box Ideas:

Death Star Cupcakes

Papa Smurf Fruit Tray

Smurfs Party Food Inspired Trifles

Enchanted Rose Apple Tarts Ingredients

Monster Truck Fruit Tray

St. Patrick’s Day Smoothie Ingredients

LEGO Batman Cookies

The Secret Life of Pets Duke Cupcakes Ingredients

Blu-ray & DVD Bonus Features:

Additional Blu-ray features:

Pick up a copy of The Secret Life of Pets on Tuesday, December 6th!

Desert Chica

Search This Site

Connect with me: