|
 How
to Have a Pizza and Chocolate Marshmallow Lollipop Party,
Keep Your Sanity, Avoid Crying Children and Avert Permanent
Stains
BEFORE
KIDS ARRIVE
You are going to make the pizzas first. Get your supplies
and ingredients for PIZZA and LOLLIPOPS together and ready
to roll BEFORE your guests arrive.
Place
hats and aprons (if you plan to use them) at kids workstations
(workstations are generally kitchen tables or card tables
covered with disposable tablecloths; counter or island space
is also highly usable if kids are tall enough to reach. Avoid
allowing children to stand on chairs.
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees for pizza.
Melt your
chocolate in the microwave according to directions on the
bag before your guests arrive. Leave it in the microwave with
no power on, so the microwave will insulate it and keep it
melted. You may only need to reheat it gently and very briefly
when you are ready to use it mid-way through your party.
WHEN
KIDS ARRIVE
Wait for kids to arrive; wait no more than 15 minutes after
your appointed time to start the party. If a guest has rsvp'd
but is a no-show, make an extra pizza in case that child arrives.
Introduce
yourself, explain how you'll be celebrating the birthday by
cooking together and explain what food you will be making.
Share your rules (no running, no finger licking, etc.).
Start with an icebreaker to learn all kids' names. Maybe have
each tell their name and favorite food.
Help everyone
put on an apron and paper chefs hat.
Give everyone
a 6" by 6" piece of parchment paper. Write their
name or initials in the corner with a Sharpie Marker.
Explain
and demonstrate how to make the pizza, only handing out ingredients
when needed.
Give everyone
a piece of dough, a pre-made crust or make the dough. Explain
how they must treat it gently and stretch it out, treating
the dough as if it is fragile. Overworking dough will activate
gluten and result in a scrunched up piece of dough that needs
to rest. Add a dusting of flour to hands/dough if needed.
Bring
out a couple small bowls of sauce (or proceed to make your
own using this recipe). Show kids how to measure a tablespoon
of sauce to place on their pizzas. Using a spoon, spread sauce
to edge of dough.
Bring
out shredded cheese or blocks of cheese if kids will help
grate. Demonstrate how to grate safely. Have kids form a line
so each has an equal turn.
Bring
out toppings, let kids top their pizzas. Encourage kids not
to mound ingredients on, but to spread them out evenly.
Transition
to the chocolate marshmallow lollipops by asking kids to wrap
up their work on the first preparation. Ask kids to be your
helpers to: collect trash, put lids on bowls, gather utensils,
etc.
Place
pizzas on a baking sheet, keeping them on the parchment squares.
Put in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Pizzas are done when
the cheese bubbles and the crust becomes firm to the touch
and almost hollow when tapped. Start making your chocolate
marshmallow lollipops while the pizzas bake and then cool.
If you
need to regroup and buy yourself some time (say, to get pizzas
in the oven), send the kids off to the kitchen or bathroom
sink to wash their hands.
If you
need to buy even more time to be prepared for marshmallow
lollipops, do another icebreaker: favorite food, food kids
like to cook at home, funny food stories, foods kids don't
like, foods kids are surprised they like, etc.
Demo and
explain how to make lollipops. Everyone will get 4 marshmallows
and need to put two flushly together at the end of their lollipop
sticks. Then, they will dip them in chocolate and place them
on their piece of waxed paper labeled with their name. Then
they will select toppings and use their fingers to sprinkle
them on their "wet" lollipops. Kids have to work
fast so chocolate doesn't set before they jazz up their creations.
An adult can drizzle chocolate over the lollipops so they
look even more impressive and so kids can add even more topping.
Make sure
chocolate is melted. Pour into small bowls so kids can easily
share and dip their lollipops. Put spoons or small spatulas
in the bowls so they can help the chocolate enrobe their lollipops.
Bring out the toppings. Encourage sharing.
Attend
to the pizza if necessary (take dish out of oven, freezer,
etc.)
Wrap up
by asking kids to be your helpers: collect trash, put lids
on bowls, gather utensils, etc.
Put lollipops
and waxed paper on baking sheets so lollipops can be put somewhere
cool to set up; if house is warm, place in refrigerator. Chocolate
should be firm in a refrigerator in 5 minutes and in a cool
room in about 15 minutes.
Get kids
ready to eat their pizzas. If they will be eating at the table
where they prepared their food, whisk off the dirty tablecloth
and replace it with a fresh one.
Package
lollipops so kids may take home (or have older children do
it themselves under your direction). You can decorate the
packaging or leave it plain and simple.
|
Plan
a Cooking Birthday Party
