Cooking and decorating ideas for a summer kids' party | ABC7 San Francisco

kgo

By ABC7

Monday, May 19, 2008

FOOD IDEAS

Tea sandwiches

Whipped cream cheese
Your favorite jam or jelly
Alternating bread types makes a nice design

When spreading filling on the bread make sure to go all the way to the edges for a clean line.

Use whipped cream cheese, it's easier to spread.

Use a serrated knife and use the blade with a back and forth motion as not to tare or squash the bread.

Hold the sandwich with your palm to assure it doesn't slide and you don't get finger holes in your bread.

No need to use too much jelly since your spreading it on two layers

When preparing many sandwiches make sure to cover them with plastic so the bread doesn't dry up.

Mini Pizzettes

Marinara sauce
Puff pastry dough
Shredded mozzarella
Whatever veggies you can chop and sneak in there

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Use just enough marinara to lightly cover the surface of your puff pastry.

Bake for 5 to 10 in a convection oven and 10 to 15 in a standard oven, until the cheese is baked to perfection!

Chocolate-dipped strawberries

Microwave your chocolate chips for 20 seconds and give them a stir, then for 10 seconds with a stir in between until it's all melted. If you overheat the chocolate it will tend to clump so be mindful of this. Allow the strawberries 30 minutes in the refrigerator to solidify.

DECORATING IDEAS AND TIPS (As seen on the segment)

Spring Table Runner
Base was made from 2 Flats of Wheat Grass
Whole Foods Market sells wheat grass for $15 to $20 per pallet. Give them at least a days notice to order especially if you are going to order more than one flat. It takes about 24 hours for the order to be filled.
Website: www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Flowers from your local florist
Lisa got hers at Lucky's grocery store for $4 a bunch.

Votive Holders
Instead of using candles, because you don't really want to put an open flame on the table, put little snacks inside. You could add fresh fruit, jelly beans, M&M's or whatever you prefer.

Table setting
Create a mixed-matched using all kinds of different colors and patterns. They can coordinate to create a vintage feel. It kind of looks like you gathered all the pieces over time.
Good website: www.anthropologie.com
Good resource for vintage plates: www.ebay.com

Bistro set
Available from IKEA for less than $100
Website: www.ikea.com

Featured in the segment:

Bristol Farms
845 Market St., Suite 10 Bart Level
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-979-0106 ext #3
www.bristolfarms.com
Elisa C. Moss, Catering Manager
Email: sfcatering@bristolfarms.com

Elisa Moss attended culinary school after working in the food service industry for for 8 years. She graduated in Los Angeles in 2003 and started working for Bristol Farms a few months after completion. Elisa has been a catering Manager for Bristol for four years planning and preparing events for 2 to 1,500 people. In 2006 Bristol Farms opened up their doors in the San Francisco Center where they have been gaining the respect of some pretty well establish institutions that include CAL Berkley, Microsoft, SFSU, as well as some of the larger architectural firms in San Francisco.

Creative ideas for a summer kids' party