A first birthday is an exciting milestone. Aside from the traditional cake that the guest of honor dives into, it is always a good idea to have other food on hand for your guests, be they little ones or adults. There are several things to keep in mind when you are planning the menu for you party that will make things easier as well as make your party a success.
Keep to Your Theme
Many parties have a theme and making food to match can be a big hit. Making the cake match the tone of the party is probably the most obvious option, but you can also incorporate the theme into the rest of the food as well. Use your imagination when it comes to transforming regular menu items. For instance, if you are serving peanut butter sandwiches at a dinosaur themed party, cut them out with cookie cutters into dinosaur shapes. Or, call green punch "bug juice" at a bug themed party. Hot dogs with the bottom section sliced into eight pieces and then boiled will curl up to resemble an octopus for a party under the sea.
Make Age-Appropriate Food
Don't worry about getting too fancy on the food, especially if you have many small children attending the party. Regular foods with a themed twist will likely have a bigger impact and be just as delicious. Jell-O Jigglers in a party corresponding color are a handy finger food to have on hand as well as the usual chips and fruit. Keep it simple and make sure it is all finger food that the guest of honor can eat as well.
Make Foods That Are Easy to Prepare
Parties are hard enough to prepare, even when the guest list doesn't involve many small children. Make it easy on yourself in the food department by doubling up where you can. For instance, juice boxes are easily managed by children and don't require much hovering to make sure they don't spill. Choose foods that you can prepare a day or two ahead of time so that you aren't rushed on the day itself. Finger foods are always popular at parties because they can be cleaned up easily, allow people to sit comfortably without having to locate tables and chairs and there is no need to provide silverware. Keeping things simple with the food will give you more time to focus on important things like the cake and the birthday child.
