On the blog today, I’m excited to share 5 Simple and Beauteeful Entertaining Ideas for Your Next Playdate. These ideas contain 2 of my favorite key factors in successful hosting these days —
One — Spend the majority of your time with your guests instead of manning your grill or being in your kitchen the whole day. All of the ideas shown today can be prepared ahead of your gathering which allows you time to hang with your guests.
Two — The food you serve should appeal to even the pickiest of eaters. There are certain foods that are universally loved by all. Serve them and as a bonus, present them in a beauteeful way!
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IDEA #1: Popcorn in Paper Cones
Serving your popcorn in these easy to make paper cones really make your gathering (however simple) into an instant party.
I usually buy SkinnyPop popcorn since they are typically healthier than other brands of popcorn plus they are completely nut, egg, and dairy free. Guests with food allergies shouldn’t have a problem with them.
All you need is some pretty card stock. I used 2 different patterns. Each 8.5 x 11″ sheet was cut in half to make 2 paper cones.
Simply twist and wrap the sheet until it looks like a cone. Secure the bottom with double-sided tape, glue, or glue dots.
Of course, I had to make a little sign. 🙂
Popcorn is so much more fun to eat when served this way!
IDEA #2: Strawberry Lollipops
After cleaning your strawberries, simply trim the tips off by shaping them into little “v’s”. This will make strawberries look like hearts. Add a long toothpick or stick and you have yourself some strawberry “lollipops.” So much more fun to eat!
You can purchase long toothpicks HERE. We use them all the time.
Idea #3: Bruschetta Salsa and Chips
While I love some spice to my salsa, not everyone has the same level of spice tolerance. Kids for one, don’t typically enjoy food that is spicy. Enter the idea of bruschetta as a dip!
Serve your bruschetta in cute, individualized containers such as ramekins as an added bonus. You can find these containers HERE.
For a simple and tasty bruschetta recipe, check this one out from Rachel Ray. Yep, I tested it out already and the recipe came out wonderful.
Idea #4: Fruit Salad Cups
These silicone cupcake liners from IKEA cost only $3.99 for a pack of 9. Healthy fruit will be even more enticing when placed in these fun, reusable containers. You can find pretty cupcake liners HERE too.
Fruit is one of those fail-proof things to serve that appeals to adults and kids alike!
Idea # 5: Grape Tomatoes and Cucumber Salad
Grape tomatoes and seedless cucumbers can always be found in our fridge year-round. Slice your cucumbers thin, sprinkle some grape tomatoes on top, and add your favorite salad dressing.
Even non-veggie eating folks will be tempted to try this pretty salad.
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Do you have a favorite food item that you serve that appeals to all of your guests? I’d love to hear about it! Thanks for reading, lovely readers. Xo, Tee.
Such fantastic healthy ideas!! The popcorn cones are GENIUS! Very simple with zero effort that looks over the top! Thanks for the great ideas!
I always struggle with entertaining ideas and those strawberry lollipops are both genius and almost too pretty to eat! I bet my kids would also find this so much fun to eat their favorite fruit in form of a lollipop!
These ideas are adorable, I absolutely love them! I especially appreciate that they’re not Pinterest-fail material, all of them look maximum impact, but easy to pull off and won’t cost a fortune to do. I’m totally making those heart-shaped strawberries. Well done!
Oh, I love this! I instantly fell in love with the paper cones — not sure what it is about them, but I fall for them every.single.time. And then the Strawberry Lollipops! So fun! Such a great idea to have fruit presented in a fun way.
These are great ideas for entertaining and perfect for parties with kids.I love the heart strawberries and think it would be cute to do fruit skewers with them. I also like the paper cones which would be super simple to make and could easily be themed.
These would all be great ideas for a small party. I love the splash of color in that salad! The strawberry lollipops are great too. I’d set up a chocolate fountain to go with those for sure. Or maybe a yogurt dip would also be great. Thank you for sharing these ideas.
Oh, I love these adorable popcorn holders. Such a neat idea and perfect for movie night. Thanks for the tip about SkinnyPop being nut, egg and dairy free. Your chalkboard sign is too cute. I’m going to have to “borrow” this idea.
I really like the strawberry “lollipops,” idea. Dipping them in some white chocolate would really take these above and beyond! I also like the popcorn funnels that provide you a cute container to serve popcorn in! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
We love to entertain so these are such good ways to make simple snacks look pretty! Thanks!
Thanks so much!
My favorite thing to serve is fruit because they usually all disappear by the end of the party. Neat idea with the strawberries!
Thanks, Jess! My kids love strawberries so it’s extra fun when they look like hearts.