During a lunchtime chat about what influences parents most, we realized that parents get most of their info from…drumroll please…other parents! So our new Show & Tell series is a way for moms and dads to show off their skills, and teach others while they’re at it. Our first entry is from Jill Iglesias, mom to Miguel, 5, and Tristan, 3.
My sister Megan and I love to get creative. So when my little guys, Miguel James, 5, and Tristan Christopher, 3, requested a karate-themed birthday party, we pulled out all the stops. We put the boys to bed, had a glass of wine and got to work!
Kickin’ Cookies
Shopping List: Boxed sugar cookie mix (why mess with perfection, right?), ninja cookie cutters, and sprinkles.
Directions: Roll out the dough, shape with cookie cutters, then use red and black frosting. Use sprinkles for the eyes.
Tip: Lay some parchment paper flat on your rolling surface. It will make the cookies much easier to pick up and get on your cookie sheet. Watch them closely — they bake fast.
Sushi Rolls
Shopping List: Rice Krispies, marshmallows, butter, Swedish Fish, fruit roll-ups
Directions:
1. Follow the Rice Krispie treat recipe on the cereal box
2.Let the Rice Krispie mix cool, otherwise the shape won’t hold and your hands will be a mess
3. Break off a section and roll it out into a log about 1 ½ inches think
4. Cut off pieces about 1 inch in height
5. Use a knife to form a hole in the center and place one Swedish Fish inside
6. Wrap the fruit roll-up around the roll
7. Warning: adults love these too so be sure to make enough!
Ninja Juice and Ninja Water
We heart Etsy, which is where we tracked down labels for the juice boxes and water. We told Etsy exactly what we wanted, and they designed everything for us. The design comes via e-mail and all you need to do is print them out. Here is the Etsy shop where we bought all the labels.
Cupcake Tower (see picture above)
If you don’t have a pastry bag, just snip the corner off a Ziploc bag. Fill the bag with white frosting, and starting at the outside of the cupcake, wrap the icing around in circles until you reach the center. Top them off with red sugar sprinkles and more of our Etsy labels at the top of a stick for décor.
Ninja Cake
With adults coming back to the house after the karate lesson, we had to have more dessert! I made the yellow cake with my favorite boxed recipe, then it was all about the frosting. I used a ninja stencil from the party invitations, and laid it on the cake (which was fully iced in vanilla) to get an imprint of the shape. Then using a frosting can like this one, I followed the lines of the stencil.
Goodie Boxes
Orientaltrading.com to the rescue! Black Chinese takeout boxes are sold by the dozen for only $6.25! We filled them with candy, our Kickin’ Cookies, ninja figurines, and a chocolate ninja lollipop made by grandma. Yum! They too were slapped with an Etsy label that read: “Thanks for kicking it with us at our party!”
Karate Headbands
To get all the kids in the karate spirit, we picked up headbands for only $1.99 each so they could wear them during their lesson. It was so cute!
