Party Food - Cheesenstein

 

 Cheesenstein will be a hit at any fall or Halloween themed party. He is very easy to make and everyone loves him! At my party, I had several people take a picture of him. However, since everyone loves him so much people were afraid to tear into Cheesenstein. You as the host should be the brave one to cut into him first. Once you do, your guests will follow.

Ingredients

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cartons (4 ounces each) whipped cream cheese
• Moss-green paste food coloring
• 1 can (4-1/4 ounces) chopped ripe olives, drained
• 2 pepperoncinis
• 3 colossal ripe olives
• 2 slices peeled parsnip
• Black decorating gel
• 1 pretzel rod
• 1 small cucumber
• Assorted fresh vegetables

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce until smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese, bacon and onions. Shape into a 5-in. x 4-in. x 3-in. rectangle; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled.
• Unwrap rectangle; place on a serving platter with a 3-in. side on top. Tint whipped cream cheese green; spread over top and sides of rectangle.
• Add chopped ripe olives for hair and pepperoncinis for ears. Cut one colossal olive in half; add parsnip slices and olive halves for eyes. With black decorating gel, pipe the brow, mouth and stitches.
• Break pretzel rod in half; add a colossal olive to each end. Press into sides of head for bolts. Cut a small piece from end of cucumber for a nose (save remaining cucumber for another use). Serve with vegetables. Yield: 3 cups.

Editor's Note: Look for pepperoncinis (pickled peppers) in the pickle and olive section of your grocery store.

Nutrition Facts: 1/4 cup (calculated without vegetables) equals 329 calories, 31 g fat (17 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 545 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 9 g protein.

Birthday Party Ideas - Bounce House

A bounce house is fun for all ages! I rented a bounce house even for my son's first birthday. He even loved bouncing in it. A bounce house is great for partys because it will keep kids busy and happy. Trust me, no one will be board at a party with a bounce house. I was able to rent a bounce house for a whole day for $75. You can typically find good rates for bounce houses at craigslist.com or just google bounce house with your local city.

Birthday Party Idea - Hay Game

The best party game I have ever witnessed was a hay game. Basically, the host bought a bale of hay and spread it out in her back yard. She put toys, pencils and candy underneath the hay. The kids all dug through the hay looking for prizes. Hay was flying everywhere! It was awesome. The kids had a lot of fun and there was no fighting either. My friend did it for a Halloween themed birthday party. But you can even do it for school Halloween parties.

You can also use straw instead of hay for this game. Hay or straw can be found at your local grocery store in the fall season. Otherwise, you can also find it at most animal feed stores. If you are having a spring birthday party you can use Easter Straw of varying colors.

1st Birthday Party Ideas - Poster

One great game for your baby's first birthday party is a picture matching game. Create a poster with pictures of your baby for each month of age. Number the pictures in random order as you paste them on a poster board. Next create a form for the party guests to match the baby's age with the picture number. The guest with the most correct answers wins.  You can award the winner a prize.

Below is the poster that I made for my son's first birthday party. I had each guest fill out the forms on the table and put their completed form in the pot next to the forms. My guests loved the game. It also only cost me $5.00 for the poster, paper, and photos.