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Cowboy
Themed Parties Ring in Fall with a Yee-haw |
by:
ARA |
(ARA)
- Barbecues are not just for summer anymore,
but the rich flavors can be enjoyed year-round
and even in-doors. As kids head back to
school this fall, a great way to celebrate
is with a Cowboy themed BBQ.
“Kids of all ages have an inner-cowboy screaming
to come out” says Dotty Griffith, author
of “The Contemporary Cowboy Cookbook” and
an expert on entertaining and cooking cowboy-style
“Whether you are rounding up the gang for
a back-to-school bash or just celebrating
a birthday, a cowboy themed party is an
easy way to engage children, have fun, and
create an experience that is sure to be
unforgettable.”
Here are a few suggestions to help you “rustle
up” a good time:
Lasso the Gang: Create eye-catching, mood-setting
invitations with your kids by writing out
the party details on construction paper,
rolling them up in a colorful bandana and
tying with twine. Also, consider finding
horseshoes and attaching the invitation
to them, or if the invitations can be hand-delivered
attach them to a cowboy hat. At the craft
store, try to pick up themed stickers or
hand stamps to decorate the invitations.
Show-Stopper Props: For the truly adventurous
wrangler host who wants a sure fire way
to impress the kids, try any of the following
rentable props to make them feel right at
home on the ranch -- OK Corral entrances,
split-rail fences, bales of hay, long-horn
steer or buffalo skulls, a covered wagon,
three-dimensional farm animals like pigs,
cows and lambs and a ranch scene mural for
fun photos.
Character Building: Everyone loves to play
dress-up, so encourage the children to come
to the party donning a western-themed costume,
i.e. a cowboy, cowgirl, or sheriff. At craft
stores, look for straw cowboy hats and bandanas,
just in case someone wants to touch up their
outfit during the party.
What’s Cooking: As we all know, children
can be very picky eaters. That’s why the
simple cuisine of the Wild West – a true
American BBQ -- is so perfect, as it can
be interactive and fun. To help capture
the flavors of the west while putting together
a down-home American ranch BBQ for the little
cowboys, look for recipes and products that
do double duty and will make the your job
as head rancher look effortless.
Griffith suggests delighting kids with finger
food appetizers like chicken strips and
sliced vegetables and recommends using a
bold, creamy Ranch dressing like new Wish-Bone
Ranch-Up! as a dipping sauce. The dressing
does its double duty with its easy squeeze
bottle that is great for allowing kids to
make designs on their plates and dip away.
Pick an easy to serve main dish like hamburgers
and allow kids to get creative when topping
them with other kinds of easy to squeeze
condiments, like colored ketchup or mustard.
Griffith also suggests side dishes that
are sweet and tangy like a coleslaw or potato
salad using Western Dressing, which is known
for its sweet and smooth taste. And save
the best for last by serving an assortment
of ice cream in spatter ware coffee mugs.
(For more Wild West recipe ideas, go to
www.wish-bone.com)
Serving It Up: Purchase cowboy-themed plates
and cups at any craft store; set the table
with white paper table cloths and allow
kids to draw their favorite western scenes
around their eating area. Use colored bandanas
as napkins, turn Cowboy hats upside down
to use as chips bowls and try to find plastic
cowboy figurines at craft stores to decorate
the table.
Musical Cowboy Hats: For a sure to please
game, play musical cowboy hats and have
kids walk around hats until the music stops.
The one who manages to get a hat after each
round wins.
Ready, Set, Draw: Create a craft area for
the children and supply them with all the
usual suspects, glue, crayons, glitter,
etc, but add a little Wild West flare, by
giving them twigs, grass and wildflowers
to see what they come up with.
Kiddie Tunes: Divide the children into small
groups and have one adult teach each group
the words to a favorite campfire song like,
“Old McDonald” or “Home on the Range.” After
the kids have mastered the tune and the
words, have each team put on a show for
the other cowboys and cowgirls on the ranch.
Go on now -- round ‘em all up for a celebration
that will have them saying, “Ye-haw” for
months! For more ranch-inspired recipe and
entertaining ideas from Dotty Griffith,
visit www.wish-bone.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content
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