Tuesday, June 24, 2014

jadelyn's second birthday party | a birthday party cooking guide

It seemed like it was only yesterday when I gave birth to Jadelyn. Time really flies when one has kids and this week, Jadelyn turns 2.
Since the beginning of this year, when Aden turned 4, I had decided that I would do my own cooking when we throw a party because we were just sick and tired of catered food.

The plan was to cook 8 dishes. So in the end, these were what I cooked.
I know it looks daunting, but seriously, all it took was some planning!

In the event that you are interested in cooking for your kid's parties, here's how I did it.

A week before the party, I cooked the fried rice and chicken curry. These dishes freeze really well! I did leave out the coconut milk for the curry and added that on the day of the party.
Two days before the party, I cooked the italian chicken and pasta bake. This was covered with cling film and kept in the fridge.
I also marinated the chicken wings (recipe at the end of this post) and the tandoori chicken. These were placed in ziplock bags and kept in the fridge until the day of the party. Both were baked in the oven, and the wings were given a quick grill (we love grill marks on our chicken) by the LAM on the day of the party.


One day before the party, I stuffed the tau poks. This time, I added chopped water chestnuts as well. YUM!
These were fried on the day of the party - they stay crispy for a long time so they are really great for parties!

Finally, on the morning of the party, I cooked the french beans and made the cauliflower and broccoli gratin.
 We had a great time at the party - the kids played outside in the driveway.
My lovely cousin, Lynette who writes at The Brown Sugar Pantry, and her very good friend, Diana, made Jadelyn's birthday cake. Each year they take over the making of the birthday cake so I can cook. And this year, they made Jadelyn a Kissy Kissy Owl Cake!
 Which Jadelyn (and everyone else) absolutely loved!
Happy birthday, our little moppet!

The beautiful pictures in this post have been published with permission from Jason from Jason Itchi Photography. He can be contacted at https://www.facebook.com/jasonitchiphotography.

RECIPE
Grilled Chicken Wings (Makes about 20)

Ingredients:
2kg chicken wings (or other chicken parts)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons Shao xing wine
2 tablespoon chilli sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
white pepper

Method:
1. Marinate chicken for at least 12 hours.
2. Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes on one side, turn chicken over, bast with remaining marinade and bake for another 15 minutes, or until wings turn golden brown.
Note: We gave the wings a quick grill on the barbecue. If you'd like to do that, reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.




6 comments:

  1. Diana, you clever lady! Now I get it. Advance preparation is the way to go. I should do that too for family gatherings. And Happy Birthday to your pretty daughter! You have beautiful children, a lovely family indeed!

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  2. Happy Birthday to Jadelyn!

    Totally agree that time files like crazy when we start to have kids... Everyday is always intensive with always something to do...

    Despite your busy schedule, you have manged so well organising such a great party. Great job, Diana! You must be a super mum!

    Zoe

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  3. Happy Birthday to cute Jadelyn!
    What an awesome party! Delicious food....thumbs up to you, for making them all yourself!

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  4. Hi Diana, great planning! And what a lovely family you have :) Love the advanced cooking plan that is so well thought out. I'm so going to steal this idea for my kids' parties. Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Thanks Aditya!!! It's really easy to do once you have worked out when is cooked when! Good luck!! :)

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