Who's the Party Animal?

I feel the need to engage in a little bit of nostalgic recollection and take you back to the wonder years, when piñatas and Cabbage Patch Kids were all the craze, fairy bread was as cool as the Care Bears and chocolate milkshakes were the drinks of choice.

Now you may have kids of your own and are right in the midst of this season of life. But when you don’t have kids, like myself, this type of affair is unfortunately no longer in my social calendar. Since my late teens, I have only attended two children’s parties and they have been for my friend A’s two kids. You see she and her hubby are the only two people in our circle of friends that have had children grace their lives. As for everyone else, we are either single, dating or married, with dogs, cats, fish, and even snakes, but alas no kids.

At 24, the audible ticking of my you-know-what-clock is vastly absent, so I don’t think there will be any children in the horizon, just yet. So it’s been a while since I’ve struck a piñata or pinned the tail on the donkey but I guess the beauty of this particular event is that it allows me to relive these memories even if it is only for whimsical pretence.

If it isn’t already apparent, I have been enjoying participating in various food blog events of late. I know it’s not every blogger's cup of tea, but being the eager new food blogger that I am, I have been throwing myself into anything that takes my fancy. Talk to me when I am 50-kilos overweight and jaded and perhaps my enthusiasm will have waned, but right now my appetite for foodie events is at its peak. This time it is Blog Party #14 and the theme is kid’s party!

So allow me to indulge myself in this fanciful affair, as there is just no stopping the kid inside me. To get in the spirit of the occasion, I decided to improvise with a party for the only kid-type thing in my life other than my dog Jack and to a lesser extent, G. So as far-fetched as it may appear, I am throwing a virtual party for the illustrious Cocoa the monkey, the virtual face of this blog. What’s the occasion you ask? Well let’s just say Cocoa wants to celebrate good food and the good life, which of both things he is a great advocate for.

THE MENU

Mini Meatball Cups
Cheesy Polenta Fries
Oatmeal Cookies with Raspberry Ice Cream
Kir Royale Mocktale

Here is how the party ensued…
To start, Cocoa served some of his famous Mini Meatballs, presented in little pastry cups and topped with some sweet chilli sauce, they were the perfect appetisers to start off this shindig.

Being the considerate host that Cocoa was, he didn’t want his guests to become parched, so as soon as the meatballs were out he also provided them with refreshments. Kir Royale Mocktales to be exact; a refreshing concoction of blackcurrant and sparkling apple juice that surely quenched everyone’s thirst.

While kids were digging into the meatballs and mock-tails, Cocoa added some Cheesy Polenta Fries into the mix, it was a resounding hit. When asked where he got the recipe, he told them that he got the recipe from the brilliant blog 101 Cookbooks (thanks Heidi for your inspiration, hope you don't mind me slightly mimicking your photos).

Using the cheesy polenta and mini meatballs, Cocoa switched it up by putting them both on some toothpicks for a quick hit of both flavours.

Knowing that a party is never complete without dessert, he ended the festivities with some Raspberry Ice Cream topped with Oatmeal Cookies. Use the cookies as a makeshift spoon to scoop out the ice cream before it melts.

So evidently it seems this little monkey sure knows how to throw a partay. Let’s not talk about the clean up afterwards, but let’s just say that everyone left having had a great time.

Recipes will be coming soon, but make sure to check out the Blog Party roundup at Stephanie’s delightful blog Dispensing Happiness.