Playdate

Why host a playdate?

Because kids and moms deserve organized fun where kids play and moms play catch-up.

A playdate doesn’t have to be structured, and shouldn’t be most of the time. But every once in a while, perhaps a few times a season, have a playdate with kids and their moms.

Host a gathering filled with a craft, a game, and a bit more to eat than pretzels. The children will be excited about the play, activity or holiday celebrated, treats served, and special memories are sure to be created.

This time also builds mom-to-mom relationships, giving you a chance to chat with each other about things that touch your lives: charities, hobbies, or passions, all while enjoying a cup of tea or glass of wine.

It need not be spectacular, but can be easy, with simple crafts, and recipes and you’ll find it well worth the effort.

Playdates can be anytime, a coffee morning, a lunch, early afternoon, late afternoon, or early evening, even a dinner. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for you and what best fits your schedule and personality.

And so it is time to look forward to, and actually enjoy playdates, with a little planning and effort, all can have a wonderful time. And the standard of a playdate will be forever raised.

Valentines Playdate

Valentine’s Day Playdate

Love and friendship are in the air! It’s Valentines Day – a most perfect holiday to host a playdate. It’s also the perfect time to get-together and spend time socializing over the cold winter months with your friends and their children.

Get started by sending homemade “invitation” valentines their way, pick a day, starting time and you’re off! Planning this heart-filled playdate is easy: Plan a few lite bites for the adults, a simple menu for the kids, top it off with a heart-felt craft and life is rosy!

ADULT MENU

Hearts are all around here, and so easy to make. Red pepper tortillas have been cut out using heart-shaped cookie cutters, lightly fried in vegetable oil, and sprinkled with salt. Serve them with a garden fresh dip, or add a few tablespoons of sour cream to bottled Ranch dressing to thicken. Garnish with a tiny heart.

Red Hot Punch

Making a punch for your playdate is like serving a party in a bowl. It’s easy to make, while a festive bowl of Valentine’s punch lets your guests serve themselves and frees you up to enjoy the playdate! The jewel-toned pomegranate seeds look like tiny red hots as they float about the punch for a most colorful libation.

Serves 4

1 bottle (750ml) brut champagne or sparkling wine (chilled)

4 oz. St. Germain Liqueur

8 oz. cranberry juice (chilled)

1- 4 oz. package of pomegranate seeds

Decorative ice ring, or 2 cups ice cubes

In a punch bowl or glass drinks dispenser, combine liqueur and cranberry juice. And pomegranate seeds. Slowly pour in champagne, add the ice ring or cubes, and serve.

TIP: For a mocktail, substitute 24 ounces of ginger ale and 12 ounces lemon seltzer. And for a suggestions on home to make a decorative ice mold or ring, see my book, PUNCH.

Hearts On Fire Pizzas

Kids just love shaped food, and these pizzas are so easy to whip up. Use cookie cutters to make heart-shaped pizzas cut from pre-made pizza dough. Add a little sauce and cheese and presto! Pizza for little ones and a craft to boot!

Serves 4

1-10 inch pre-cooked pizza dough

4 -inch heart cutter

½ cup marinara sauce

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place pizza dough on work surface or cutting board and press heart-shaped cookie cutters down firmly to cut shapes. Spread sauce and sprinkle cheese evenly. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to bubble. Let cool before serving.

TIP: To cut hearts, lay cookie cutter on top of dough, with the bottom point in the center, cut out and work your way around the dough, one dough yields 5 hearts.

Tie-dye cookies

Swirls of sugary colors make these shortbread cookies a hearts-on favorite. Heart shaped sugar cookies have been iced, and then dotted with pink and red icing. The tie-dye effect is made by taking the small end of a spoon and joining the red and pink together in a swirling motion.

Makes 24 cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

vanilla icing

1 tube red icing

1 tube pink icing

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

1. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to blend.

2. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. On a lightly floured surface, shape the cookie dough into a ball. Place in self-sealing plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into ¼ inch thickness. Cut out heart shapes. Transfer to cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

4. Ice the hearts with vanilla icing. Put dots of red and pink icing all over hearts, using the back of a spoon, make swirls to connect the pink and red and create the tie-dyed effect.

TIP: If you’re short on time, used packaged sugar cookie dough, found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Kids also like to help decorate the cookies if you want to add another craft to the party.

Vanilla Icing:

½ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

3 tbsp. water

In a medium bowl, combine butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in confectioners sugar ½ cup at a time alternating with water until fluffy and smooth.

Strawberry Lemonade

A valentine twist on the classic lemonade, its light pink color and sweet taste gives new meaning to sweethearts!

Serves 8:

1 quart lemonade

1 container frozen strawberries, in syrup

2 cups seltzer

1 pint fresh strawberries for garnish

In a larger pitcher filled with 3 cups of ice, pour lemonade, thawed strawberries, and seltzer. Pour into glasses, garnish with fresh strawberry, and serve.

KIDS CRAFT

Hearts on a String

Hang your messages of love for all to see! Ideal for little ones of all ages, these foamy hearts can be covered in glitter glue, ribbons, stickers, or smaller, colorful self-adhesive hearts.

These hearts on a string are showcased on a tree of white branches. A base of Styrofoam set in a bright red bucket secures the branches, and shredded paper in a valentine’s shade of pink fill the base for a perfect finish. This makes an ideal setting to put their artworks on display, put it on the kitchen counter, table or sideboard.

You’ll Need:

Foamy sheets in shades of pink, purple, red and white

Heart shaped cookie cutters

Decorative foamy hearts with adhesive backs

Craft glue

Glitter in shade of pink

Hole punch

Ribbons

Scissors

White branches

Styrofoam square

Red bucket

Pink paper filler

To Make:

On a protected surface, trace and cut out different sized heart shapes. Layer them together in pleasing patterns, glue and glitter where desired. Let dry. Hole punch the top centers of hearts and string a ribbon through to hang on tree.

TIP: For glitter, place heart on paper plate, glue and sprinkle glitter. Let dry. Gather the unused glitter from plate and pour gently back into glitter tube.

Summer Fun

Summer Fun

It's a warm sunny, summer day, and a perfect day for a playdate!

Break-out a pitcher of lemonade and let the fun begin.

easy summer fun is the focus here, a simple menu for the kids and adults, paired with a festive craft, make it easy to entertain in perfect summer style!

Activity

Whirly Pin-Wheels

These festive pinwheels will add pizazz to any bike or camp backpack!

To make:

Crafted from soft, foamy sheets, which come in a rainbow of colors, can be found at any craft store, making this craft just right for any age.

You'll Need;

Wooden Clothespins

4-inch squares of foamy sheets

Chenille stems

Pony beads

Tacky glue

How-to:

1. Take a 4-inch square of foam and cut a line diagonally from each corner to the center, stopping 1/4 inch from the center.

2. Cut the chenille stem in half, and fold one corner of each side towards the center. Poke the stem through the corners, string a pony bead on the stem, and bend the top of the stem down around the bead.

Glue or wrap the long end of chenille stem to clothespin.

Childrens

Sparkling Cherry Bombs

Star shaped Sandwiches

Brownie Pop-stars

Adults

Mini Pizzas

Mixed green salad

Nantucket Lemonade

Recipes

Sparkling Cherry bombs

2 liters orange flavored sparkling water

1/2 cup cherry juice

cherries for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Fill with ice, and serve.

Star shaped sandwiches

Make a variety of sandwiches, some summer favorites are mozzarella and tomato, turkey and cheese, and tomato and mayonaise. With several differnet sized cookie cutter, press firmly into the bread, and so that the cookie cutter cuts through the bread.

Brownie Pop Stars

Prepare a packaged brownie mix, when all of the ingredients are mixed, add 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spoon mix into star shaped silicone baking molds. Bake according to instructions. Let cool. Pop out brownies form forms, and insert a lollipop stick on the side of each star.

To serve: fill a small bucket with jelly beans or small candies and poke pops into to arrange.

Adults Menu

Fresh Tomato and basil pizzas

3 large red or yellow tomatoes

1 yellow onion, sliced thinly

6 basil leaves

1 package pizza dough

olive oil

1/2 cup grated cheese

4 ounces sliced parmesan cheese

Divide and roll pizza dough into 6-inch mini-pizzas

In a saucepan heat 3 tablespoons olive oil, saute yellow onions until soft, and remove.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the tomatoes until soft. Add basil, and parmesan cheese, remove from heat.

On top of each pizza place a spoonful of the onions, and then tomatoes, and top off with a few slices of parmesan cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Nantucket Cocktails

Island Girls

8 oz. cranberry juice

8 oz. vodka

4 oz. ginger-ale

2 oz. lime juice

lime slices for garnish

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher, add ice, pour into glasses and serve immediately.

May Flowers

In springtime, the weather can be unpredictable but this playdate’s activities and menu will adapt perfectly to an indoor setting, as well as out in the spring sunshine. Children love these artist inspired pots, a great combination project of recycling and gardening all in one!

Activity

Blooming pot

To Make:

The supplies for this craft can all be found at the local craft store, I have even found them in the bigger grocery stores. To make things easier for the little ones, I pre-cut the origami papers into squares and rectangles.

You’ll Need:

Tin cans that have been emptied and cleaned. One per child.

Oragami papers in bright colors or patterns

Modge Podge glue

Paint brushes, small foam ones work best

Potting soil

Seed packets

How-To:

Cut the origami paper into squares and rectangles. Coat the tin with a layer of Modge Podge, using the paintbrush. Arrange the origami papers onto the tin by pressing firmly. Brush on a top layer of glue, and once the tin is covered, set to dry. It will dry clear.

Once dry, Fill the can about two-thirds full with potting soil. Sprinkle 6-8 seeds on top and press seeds into soil. Water lightly and set in a sunny place.

Eats

Kids

Lemonade

Cheeseydogs in pastry

Fresh fruit

Artist cookies

Adults
Asparagus and ham wrapped in pastry
Hummus dip and crackers
Pink Lady Punch
Recipes
Lemonade

1 cup simple syrup( see recipe below)

2 cups fresh lemon juice

8 cups cold water

6 cups ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or large vessel and mix well.

Simple syrup

Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. The syrup will keep, refrigerated in a sealed jar or container, for up to 1 week.

CheesyDogs in Puffed Pastry

         1 package turkey or beef frankfurters
         1 roll pre-made cresent rolls
         8 slices American cheese

On a clean surface, slice the hot dogs lengthwise about 2/3 of the way through. Fold cheese and place it inside hot dog. Unwrap the crescent pastry and roll-out flat. Roll each hotdog in a piece of pastry. Lay on baking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Artsy Cookies

Light and fluffy with a shortbread-like consistency. Yummy!

         1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
         1 cup sugar
         1 teaspoon vanilla extract
         2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
         ¼ teaspoon salt
         Vanilla icing(see recipe below)
         Tubes of colored icings

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour and salt. Stir with a whisk to blend.

3. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a round log, cut into rounds about ¼ inch thick. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely.

4. Ice the cookies with vanilla icing, and decorate with the colored tubes of icing.

Adult Recipes

Asparagus and ham in puffed pastry

An easy way to entertain elegantly, I pick up grilled asparagus spears and slices of balckforest ham, and a roll of pastry. Much like the cheesydogs, I wrap an asparagus in ham, then roll the combo in a sheet of pastry dough. Pop in the oven set at 350 degreesF for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and serve. Simple, right?

Punch

         Punch Bowl and Glasses
         2 bottles(750ml each) chilled zinfandel or rose wine.
         ½ cup apricot brandy
         ½ cup Cointreau
         1 cup orange juice

Combine chilled ingredients in a punch bowl and add ice cubes. Serve.