Why I disappear every time there’s a birthday – I eat, drink, sleep, breathe party prep
Birthdays around here are special. We don’t have many traditions but the ones we do have, have been around for years. Duh, that’s what a tradition is, right?
It’s not about the gifts. Christmas is for the gifts. I mean, err, surrounding yourself with people you love. :P Birthdays are about the cake. Everything revolves around the cake. It’s always a surprise, always homemade, and always meaningful to the person at that time.
Growing up, I can barely remember any of the presents I got but I can remember the parties and the cakes. Actually, the only presents I can really think of are *because* of the party.
Like one year, my party was a treasure hunt. There were little notes left around the house that led me from present to present. I distinctly being directed upstairs where I found an angelfish in the bathroom sink. And by the time I got back downstairs to where my next gift was (Hungry Hungry Hippo game in the refridgerator, of course….adorable, no?), my mom had completely decorated the table with my cake waiting for me.
So when I got older, that’s one of the things I want to be able to pass on. I actually never got the experience with cake decorating because that was always my mom’s job, but I’ve put even more effort into the whole “theme” of things.
Over the last few months, we’ve had several birthday parties and they’ve been some of the best ones I’ve been a part of, so of course I want to share the food and cakes with you. I just didn’t want you to have to read all this rambling sentimental stuff at the beginning of one of the “really cool party” posts. ;)
Expect to see a luau, Mario, Pacman, and some spooky treats over the next several days.
Extra large pocky wands (chocolate covered pretzel rods or sesame sticks)
rThat’s what the kids described them as anyway. The teen loves pocky but it’s not easily accessible where we live. Basically, she used to be able to get it at the bowling alley, but it’s not exactly cheap, she and her friends aren’t exactly rich, and they aren’t huge bowlers either.
She’d been begging me to try to make pocky myself, but I got really lucky and this turned out tasting like it instead. I was expecting them to taste like chocolate covered pretzels, but turns out, those are large sesame sticks….and are much softer than hard pretzel rods. I broke several just while trying to dip them in chocolate.
I had made these as a last minute appetizer to hold the kids over at a birthday party. The food wasn’t going to be ready for a little while longer, but I knew everyone was hungry. I don’t even buy sprinkles, but a friend of the family had passed a box of stuff she’d never use on to us, and there was a tiny container of those lovely pink, red, and white sprinkles up there. Perfect!
Ultimately, they were a *huge* hit, especially for such a last minute idea. I scored a million extra bonus points for them tasting like pocky and the begging for more has increase 10x. Unfortunately, sesame sticks were a random purchase at a store that had them as a feature item, and I haven’t seen them since. Maybe I could find them online?
Tip – Turn these into a themed item. Have a Harry Potter fan? Skip the sprinkles. Got a magician on board? Dip the whole thing in dark chocolate and just the tip into white chocolate. Get creative!
Tip – Whether you’re using fragile sticks like this or normal pretzel rods, lay them across a 9×13 pan (or an appropriate size depending on the size of yours). Avoid letting the chocolate end touch the pan as much as possible to avoid sticking. Toss them in the freezer for a quick set so your treat will be ready in a matter of minutes.
Recent Comments