What Will You Serve At You Toddler’s Birthday Party?

Have you been to a toddler’s birthday party lately? They seem to cater more for the parents than the little ones don’t they – food-wise, that is? Could one of the reasons be that there’s not that many appropriate or ‘safe’ choice of food to be offered to little ones?

Let’s face it… When it comes to planning a birthday party, most of us would rather just choose the easiest way to do it when it comes to the food we plan to serve. We either cater our fare or whip up some non-labour-intensive offerings such as pasta, finger sandwiches, fried rice, maybe even some chicken wings, etc. How about a toddler’s party then? If our choices are akin to the above, then it’s surely not the little ones’ appetite we’re looking to satisfy.

It’s a tricky thing, planning a suitable yet interesting fare for a toddler’s birthday party, but if you’re going to go through it, you might as well do it well and give them a party to remember! Here are a few ideas you may like to try. We suggest you give them a go a few weeks before the actual party day, so you’ll know how to adjust the taste, amount, variations, etc.

Cornflakes chicken tenders
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cornflake crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 40g packet French onion soup mix
• 16 (1kg) chicken tenderloins, trimmed
• Canola oil spray
• Sweet chili sauce or tomato sauce, to serve

Method:

1. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place flour on a plate.
3. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. Combine cornflake crumbs, parsley, and soup mix in another shallow bowl.
4. Lightly coat chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, followed by crumb mixture, pressing crumbs on with fingertips to secure.
5. Place chicken on prepared tray. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 200°C
7. Spray chicken with oil and bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway during cooking, or until golden and cooked through.
8. Serve with yogurt or ketchup

Cheese muffins with Greek yogurt
Ingredients:

• 225g self-raising flour
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ level tsp mustard powder
• 100g strong cheese, half grated, half cubed
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 150g Greek yogurt
• 125ml milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C
2. Mix the self-raising and plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and mustard powder in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the cheese, oil, yogurt, milk, egg and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Combine all the ingredients and divide between the muffin cases in the muffin tin.
5. Place in the oven for 20-25 mins until golden. Remove and cool slightly on a rack.

Mini savoury cakes
Ingredients:

• 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup (80g) wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 420g can corn kernels, drained
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, coarsely grated
• 1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, coarsely grated
• 1/2 cup (40g) coarsely grated light cheddar
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• 2 tablespoons olive
• Yogurt or tomato ketchup, to serve

Method:

1. Sift the combined flours and salt into a large bowl. Add the corn, carrot, zucchini, and cheddar and stir to combine.
2. Whisk the egg and milk together in a jug. Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
3. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. Pour three 1/4-cupfuls (60ml) of the mixture into the pan and cook for two minutes or until bubbles rise to the surface.
4. Use a spatula to turn and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
5. Repeat in three more batches with remaining batter. It should make about 12 pancake-like fritters.

Biscuits with Icing
Ingredients:

• 250g plain white flour
• 85g golden caster sugar
• 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 2 tbsp lemon curd
• 250g white icing sugar
• 1 tbsp strawberry jam

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180C
2. Put the flour, sugar, and butter into a food processor. Whizz until the mixture forms crumbs, then pulse a little more until it forms a ball.
3. Dust with a little flour onto your work surface or rolling block and turn the dough onto it. Roll out to about the thickness of an Oreo cookie, for example.
4. Cut out your cookies with a cookie cutter place onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 mins until pale golden. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Put the lemon curd into a bowl with two tbsp boiling water and mix until smooth.
7. Sieve in 175g of the icing sugar; stir together to make a smooth icing. Put the strawberry fruit spread in another bowl and add two tsp boiling water, mix, then sieve in the remaining icing sugar.
8. Spoon the lemon icing over the biscuits, then drizzle or pipe over the pinky icing. Leave to set for at least 20 mins.
9. These biscuits keep for up to two days in an airtight tin, longer if left un-iced.