Back to School Parties, Part One

It's back to school time! Check out these recipes for kid-friendly s

Aug 21, 2006 Carrie Grosvenor

This is part one in a series of two Back to School Party articles. Let's take a look at some great snack mix recipes to please the younger palates.

The most wonderful time of the year for parents - back to school! This year I have one son starting grade 2, and another just beginning his school journey in junior kindergarten.

Some kids dread the return to the classroom, while others are excited to see all their friends again. Throwing a Back to School party serves to reunite friends who may have not seen each other much over the summer holidays, and helps to get kids more enthusiastic about school.

One thing that all kids love are snacks. For a Back to School party, you'll want to have lots of healthy munchies on hand. Start off with veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, and sliced deli meats. Finger foods are perfect for little fingers, and older kids also enjoy this kind of fare.

For something a little different, put out colorful bowls full of snack mix. A snack mix can be as simple as throwing your favorite dry munchies into a large bowl and mixing them up. Try a combination of popcorn, small pretzels, any kind of dry cereal, corn chips, and bite-sized crackers. For the younger set, you don't need to add any seasoning or bake your snack mix, since simple and familiar flavors will appeal all on their own.

Here are two recipes for snack mixes that are a little more involved. If you want some for yourself, make two batches - you won't have much in the way of leftovers once your guests start munching!

Teddy Bear Snack Mix

  • 1 box vanilla Teddy Grahams cookies
  • 1 box honey Teddy Grahams cookies
  • 4 cups popped popcorn
  • 2 cups mini pretzels
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, combine Teddy Grahams, popcorn, pretzels, and raisins. Spread mixture on one or two baking sheets.

Combine melted butter and cinnamon; pour evenly over the popcorn mixture and toss gently to coat.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Barbeque Party Mix

  • 2 cups corn cereal squares
  • 2 cups wheat or rice cereal squares
  • 2 cups plain or barbeque corn chips
  • 1 cup almonds or mixed nuts
  • 1 cup pretzel sticks
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2-3 tablespoons dry barbeque seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • dash Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large roasting pan, combine cereal, corn chips, nuts, and pretzels.

In a small bowl, combine butter, barbeque seasoning, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Mix well. Pour over cereal mixture and toss gently to coat.

Bake party mix in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

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Coming up, we'll take a look at some simple sandwich ideas for a Back to School Party.

The copyright of the article Back to School Parties, Part One in Party Food is owned by Carrie Grosvenor. Permission to republish Back to School Parties, Part One in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.