What do you serve at a monkey party for a 2 year old?
Let’s face it, people can only eat so many bananas and toddlers aren’t going to eat much. With that in mind, I decided on food with a Mexican/tropical/monkey flare that was simple and tasty. Don’t worry, I threw a few bananas into the mix for fun, I couldn’t help myself.
A short, afternoon party (2 -5pm) meant I had to get all the food out at the beginning and be ready to replenish if necessary.
The menu looked something like this:
- Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs
- Spicy Cilantro Dip with Veggies
- Banana and Black Bean Empanadas
- Mini Pizzas
- Chicken Tortilla Rolls
- Guacamole
- Tortilla Chips & Salsa
- Healthy Handfuls (store bought monkey-shaped cookies)
- Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas on a Stick (Video)
- Banana Shaped Sugar Cookies
- Monkey Cupcakes
The Verdict:
The meatballs were a hit….not my favorite thing but I figured “the men folk” needed something substantial to gnaw on. I made 60 and they disappeared…poof! I have no idea where they went? It’s a good thing I ate one before they left the kitchen (quality control…wink, wink). I used frozen meatballs and added a 1/4 cup of grated onion to the sauce outlined in the recipe.
I make the cilantro dip a lot because it’s different than the average dip and it’s a snap to make in the food processor. (Caution: mucho spicy)
The banana and bean empanadas, an idea borrowed from Kelly at Buzzville and her Monkey Party Recap post, were the surprise hit of the day. Everyone “pooh-poohed” the idea (banana and beans?!?!) but loved the taste. We served the turnovers with warm red pepper jelly for dipping. (Note: these are fussy things to make, my Aunt almost had a breakdown chopping and fitting all the filling into the tiny pockets…these are not for anyone with high blood pressure…thank you AC!)
Auntie Alison did the mini pizzas…which rocked. They were supposed to be for the kids but she ended up making 60 because the adults kept scarfing them down. You could put little monkey faces on the pizzas by using black olives, pepperoni and peppers if you have extra time on your hands (yah right?!). We decided to form a frantic assembly line and throw on the toppings at high speed instead of making monkey faces.
Chicken Tortilla Rolls were good filler and a good thing to dunk into the guacamole and salsa. Thanks Costco.
Healthy Handfuls, the store-bought monkey-shaped cookies, sucked. They looked so awful, I did not serve them. My audience was 2 year olds, so you know that’s bad. Talk about false advertising.
The “chocolate dipped frozen banana on a stick” was a highlight. A unique idea that’s fun and super simple to make. We handed them out before the cake, while the kids (and parents) were playing in the yard. I’m sure you can imagine what the kids looked like with their faces and hands covered in melted banana and chocolate. This is definitely not an indoor treat.
Banana-shaped sugar cookies were super cute and yummy. This recipe never fails and the kids love them. Either the kids are getting older or the Moms are mellowing because no one wanted the plain cookies. ICING for everyone…wooHOO!
The Monkey Cupcakes brought a tear to my eye. Why can’t everything be so easy? Thanks to Auntie Clare, Auntie Lerae and especially to the bottle of wine.
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