Birthday Party Help

[Caseysmommy]

Hi Guys,

Coming up in March will be my Daughters 2nd Birthday this is the 1st time trying to make it gluten free as possible. I have the cake all figured out but I am having trouble with the food part...We are having it at a local park and have thought of Hamburger and hotdogs but that is alot of work. Can anyone give me some ideas of foods that do not have to be warm or can warm easily. My husband feels we can just order regular pizza and make her and me who is gluten free also and special pizza. I feel she will end up sick. I am so scared she will be sick on her bday. I want her not to feel different he says she dosent understand yet she is too young but I understand is that selfish. Thanks for listening I look forward to your responses.

Angie

[missy'smom]

I just posted a similar question here are the ideas that were offered so far https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.ph...mp;#entry505836

a little pricey but those E d i b l e A r r a n g e m e n t s of fruit are cool and they make ones for kids

My husband said the same thing about the pizza but I want to serve all gluten-free food. I'm an adult and I would feel terrible if there was stuff at my own party that I couldn't eat.

[Lisa]

This recently crossed my path. Hopes this will help:

Throwing Your Child a Gluten-Free Birthday Party

By Abby Schwartz, NFCA Volunteer Staff Writer

As 2009 begins and the family calendar slowly fills, one date is marked boldly in our home: my daughter's birthday. Granted, hers is not until November, but we will go through many ideas and plans before settling on a party theme. Because she has celiac, food is a critical factor. Luckily, there are endless options for throwing a smashing birthday party complete with delicious, gluten-free food.

A Piece of Cake

Let's start with the most important element: the cake. Years ago, for our daughter's fourth birthday, we ordered a cake from a gluten-free bakery, drove two hours round-trip to pick it up, and carefully transported it to the site of her gymnastics-themed party. It was a masterpiece: layers of vanilla cake sandwiched with fluffy mascarpone cheese (think tiramisu) and topped with whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and chocolate shavings. The kids took a few bites and left the rest of their $40 cake to run off and do more tumbling on the mats.

After that year, we started baking our own birthday cakes. Two of our favorite gluten-free mixes come from Miss Roben's (www.allergygrocer.com). We love their chocolate and yellow cake mixes. Both are simple to make with a few added ingredients. We bake them in a sheet pan and frost them with ordinary, brand-name frosting like Duncan Hines or Pillsbury. Be sure to check the labels, as some are gluten-free and some are not. My daughter loves to help with the baking and decorating. She adds sprinkles, chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the iced cake and the result is delicious. The kids love it, too, and never suspect they are eating something gluten-free.

One bonus to using a gluten-free cake mix: it can easily be used for cupcakes. Check the package for baking times and ladle the batter into a lined pan. They are a little harder to frost than a sheet cake, but make a great treat to send in to school with your child if his or her birthday falls on a school day.

Party Entrees

To kids, the food at a party is one of the least important details. I confess to having spent too much time over the years at other children's birthday parties worrying about my daughter's feelings being hurt when she can't eat the pizza or other entr

[Pattymom]

I agree that kids are usually way more focused on things other than the food, though beign gluten free myself, I also hav ebeen frustrated when my husband suggested we serve a gluten cake, and the kids can just have somehtign else. Sometimes I want cake.

In addition to all the chips, snacks,etc. We did kabobs once that had grapes, apple chunks, pineapple chunks, cheese, and ham chunks, and ring baloney. The kids each got a little stick to eat off of, they really liked it. You could also have it in bowls and let them spear their own, but at 2 yeard old I would probably hand them out. I think we may have used strawberries too, but it was my June 1 baby so they were in season here. Really anythign you could chunk. Last year we made minirice cakes treats-pb&j and some cream cheese and jelly. The kids devoured them ,and I was spreading more as fast as they were beign grabbed. I think it was the mini rice cake that made it so popular. I also sometimes make them with peanut butter and a little dab of chocolate frosting--yummy! Only a little pb for protein, but it's a party treat!

Patty

[Amyleigh0007]

Wow! Everyone has great responses. My son's birthday is next month and I am in the same boat. This will be his first gluten free birthday party so I have been researching. In the book Living Gluten Free for Dummies it is suggested that no special gluten free food be served to all. For example, gluten free pizza served to all kids, because it does have a different taste and there will be that ONE kid who spits it out and says, "What is this?!". The author has a point. She suggests things like hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and a sundae bar where kids can make their oun sudaes for dessert.

[missy'smom]

My concern with things that require buns is that there will be gluteny crumbs everywhere. Last time we had a potluck/BBQ at our home, alot of people brought bread and my kitchen floor behind the serving table was covered in crumbs when I cleaned up afterwards. I didn't eat anything off the buffet, because of CC, even though there were a few things I could have. Kids tend to wander through the house with bread or cookie in hand and those hands wind up touching alot of surfaces. I'm not complaining. We happily do it a few times a year as a service to our church but I would rather not have to deal with so much gluten if I can help it. Plus I would have to handle the buns at some point and end up devoting extra energy to making sure I didn't CC and make myself sick.

[Guhlia]

We do hotdogs on a stick (bamboo skewer), no bun, and pretend we're camping. Kids love anything on a stick. I would suggest doing hotdogs on a stick with Utz potato chips and maybe a fruit and veggie tray with homemade dips. That way your daughter is guaranteed not to get sick.

If you're really worried about the kids liking the stick idea you could have them decorate "clothing" for their sticks and then staple it on before you serve.

You could also, instead of hotdogs, make all pick food like lunchmeat rolled around cream cheese (sweet balogna is particularly good like this), fruit and veggie trays, potato chips, glutino pretzels, and Kinnikinnick kinni-too cookies. That way everything is premade or can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until party time. Best of all, it's all finger food so cleanup is easy.

[CeliacMom2008]

Another option to adjust the time so that it doesn't fall on a meal. Then just have lots of snack foods, which can easily be gluten free. I'd go ahead with a gluten free cake. We serve Kinnikinnick gluten free cakes all the time to our extended family and friends and they never know it.

[shayesmom]

We do hotdogs on a stick (bamboo skewer), no bun, and pretend we're camping. Kids love anything on a stick. I would suggest doing hotdogs on a stick with Utz potato chips and maybe a fruit and veggie tray with homemade dips. That way your daughter is guaranteed not to get sick.

If you're really worried about the kids liking the stick idea you could have them decorate "clothing" for their sticks and then staple it on before you serve.

You could also, instead of hotdogs, make all pick food like lunchmeat rolled around cream cheese (sweet balogna is particularly good like this), fruit and veggie trays, potato chips, glutino pretzels, and Kinnikinnick kinni-too cookies. That way everything is premade or can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until party time. Best of all, it's all finger food so cleanup is easy.

I love these ideas! This could easily be adapted for kids with multiple allergies as well!

We recently had a Christmas party where the entire fare was gluten-free...and mostly dairy, egg, and soy-free. No one had a clue. Here are a few things that were served:

Chicken wings

Lasagna

Hot dogs (sliced and wrapped with bacon strips, skewered with toothpicks)

Pasta salad

Tossed salad

Salsa and corn chips (guacamole for the adults who like avocado)

Homemade baked beans

Meatballs (kept warm in a crockpot)

Veggie tray (with dip)

Fruit tray (with dip)

Shrimp cocktail

FYI, I've also made my own version of the "edible" fruit arrangements using seasonal fruit and wooden skewers. It's incredibly easy to do and presents very well. We also dipped some of the strawberries of the arrangement in chocolate.

At other times, we've sometimes splurged and made ribs or kabobs (though the kabobs weren't as popular with the kids). Barbequed chicken tenders also go over well.

I have found it easier to pull parties off if I stay away from making things that are normal gluten fare (like pizza, hamburgers, etc.). My dd is super sensitive and I don't want to alienate people by hounding them to wash their hands every two seconds. lol!

[Caseysmommy]

Wow you guys are great! I have so many ideas now. I think we might go we a cheese/meet platter with Veggie and dip tray and a fruit tray with a Gluten free Princess Cake! Im feeling much better about all this. Thanks again for all your help!