Ultimate Birthday Party Guide: Easy Menus and Fun Ideas for a Cozy Home Celebration

The pandemic and quarantine have made their adjustments to the daily life of people. A cozy feast with those closest to you is the safest option for celebrating your birthday today.

The thought of having a party at home tends to terrify the hostesses, who start thinking about what to cook for their birthday and how to entertain the guests. We have prepared for you the best tips, birthday celebration ideas, and a ready-made menu for the festive table in a new article.

 

Tips for birthday party menu

On the eve of the birthday celebration, any hostess begins to ask the question: what to cook for a birthday? It seems that this is one of the most challenging tasks - to please all the guests. We want to relieve you of unnecessary stress, so we have collected 10 of the essential tips to help you decide on the holiday table menu.

1. First, do not stand by the stove all night. Choose a quick menu to prepare and allows you to sleep the night before and have fun with everyone during your birthday party.
2. Choose the party’s theme and tone - barbecue, picnic, Italian or French cuisine, masquerade, etc. Having chosen the theme, proceed to draw up a festive menu for your birthday.
3. Think about serving. Will it be a buffet table or a dinner party? Perhaps you invite your guests to a barbecue or organize an informal pizza party while watching a fantastic movie. In any case, you need to compose the menu so that it is convenient for guests to take and eat food. The golden rule: if people are not sitting at the table, then serve food that does not need a knife, but only a fork.
4. Ask in advance if guests have any dietary restrictions. Consider this in your holiday menu.
5. As a rule, a festive table for a birthday should include an appetizer, a main course, two side dishes, a salad, drinks, and a cake.
6. Make sure there are different colors on the table. First, we eat with our eyes.
7. Consider texture. One of the secrets to delicious food is combining different textures. Mix creamy textures with crisp, liquid with solid, etc.
8. Make sure that the dishes on your holiday table are compatible with each other. However, these ingredients should be subtle. Your guests should have a puzzle by the end of the evening.
9. Choose birthday meals that you can make in advance. You don't have to stand by the stove while your guests are having fun.
10. Try to diversify the table—no need to serve Olivier for every holiday. Delight your guests and yourself with a new delicious dish, which is radically different from your loved ones’ usual diet.

Example of birthday party menu

As a template menu for the festive table, we have chosen dishes that will be puffed up to the taste of almost every Ukrainian. However, so that the dishes are not too commonplace, we have added some author's tips that will surprise your guests. All recipes are easy to prepare using the grill, oven, stove, or electric grill - just choose the method that suits you.

Snacks

Homemade khachapuri

At first glance, khachapuri is a complex dish to prepare. However, we found the most straightforward recipe that any housewife can handle. You can make all the preparations on the eve of the birthday celebration and just put the khachapuri in the oven before the guests arrive.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• A pinch of salt, sugar, soda
• 350 gr cheese (the best combination of Suluguni + Adyghe cheese)
• 100 gr cottage cheese
• Yolk

Preparation

1. Take a bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and yogurt and knead the dough.
2. Grate cheese, add cottage cheese—season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Divide into four pieces and form into balls.
3. Divide the dough into eight equal parts. Roll a small tortilla, place a cheese ball in the center and cover with a second dough layer. Tap up the edges.
4. Roll the formed cake with a rolling pin. Scribble all over the khachapuri with a fork. Brush the top with the yolk.
5. On the day of the birthday celebration, preheat the oven to 180 C. Place 4 khachapuri in the range on different baking sheets and bake them until golden brown for about 25-30 minutes. Serve the khachapuri hot.

Canapes

There are thousands of variations of different canapes to suit all tastes. The main task is not to spend a lot of time and effort on preparing this appetizer. We suggest making two different types of canapés.

Ingredients

• Black bread
• Avocado
• Lemon juice
• Lightly salted redfish
• Cucumber
• Cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes

Preparation

1. For the first type of canapés, take black bread and cut it into small squares. Use it on the base. Mash the avocado with a fork, salt, and pepper, add lemon juice. Spread the resulting avocado on the bread. Top with a slice of lightly salted redfish and a cucumber. Place the olive oil on a skewer, and then the resulting sandwich.
2. For the second type of canapé, use the same brown bread as a base. Then cut the cheese into cubes and place on the bread, garnish with sun-dried tomato and green onions on top. The appetizer is ready.

Salads

Greek salad

Greek salad is a simple dish that will suit everyone's taste. If you want to add flavor to such a simple salad, grill any seasonal fruit and add it to the salad. It can be persimmon, peach, pineapple, strawberry. Your guests have never tasted such a salad yet.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Bell pepper
• Red onion
• Olives
• Feta
• Mint leaves
• A pineapple
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Lemon juice

Preparation

1. Wash all vegetables and cut into wedges. Then cut the feta cheese into wedges.
2. Prepare a salad dressing. Combine olive oil with dry oregano, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.
3. On your birthday, cut pineapple wedges and grill in a skillet using a grill or electric grill. Add to salad.
4. Add the dressing to the salad and garnish with mint leaves.

Hot

Filet mignon

This dish is different from the usual French meat or baked chicken. It takes no more than 5 minutes to cook, and the result will impress everyone. The number of ingredients depends on the number of guests.

Ingredients

• Filet mignon
• Olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Butter
• Sprigs of rosemary

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to maximum. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat.
2. Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. When the oil starts to boil, place the steak in the skillet. Cook the steak until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Then turn over and put a lump of butter and a sprig of rosemary on top. Cook the steak for another 3 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and transfer to oven. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Check the temperature of the steak every couple of minutes to get the right degree of doneness.
4. Transfer the steaks from the skillet to a plate and set aside for 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish

Country style potatoes

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Olive oil
• Paprika
• Nutmeg
• Turmeric
• Ground black pepper
• Dried garlic

Preparation

1. Take small, thin-skinned potatoes and wash them well under running water. Then cut into small wedges.
2. Warm up the spice and olive oil mixture. Pour over potato wedges and mix thoroughly.
3. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and bake the potatoes until tender, about 45-60 minutes.

Grilled vegetables

Grilled vegetables will be a great addition to your birthday menu. Take any seasonal vegetables, season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to the pan on the grill, electric grill, or barbecue grill and bring to readiness.

Ingredients

• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Bell pepper
• A tomato

Beverages

Homemade lemonade

Purchased drinks like Coca-Cola, Sprite, or Fanta are not only commonplace but also harmful. Prepare delicious homemade lemonade for your guests using seasonal fruits and berries.

Ingredients

• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Water
• Sugar
• Mint leaves

Preparation

1. Wash the citrus fruits and squeeze out the juice. For 2 liters of water, you need three medium grapefruits and one lemon. Cut the zest from the crusts.
2. Pour 250 ml of water into a saucepan and add sugar to taste. Bring the water to a boil and constantly stir until you have a sugar syrup.
3. Let the syrup cool. Then add citrus juice and zest to it and cover everything with water. Add mint to your drink if desired. Birthday soft drink ready.

Sangria

Besides the usual alcoholic drinks, you can surprise your friends with delicious sangria.

Ingredients

• Wine (red or white to taste) - 750 ml
• Lemon or lime
• Orange
• Sugar
• Soda or ginger ale - 400 ml
• Slices of lemon, orange, apple

Preparation

1. Cut the fruit into small wedges after removing all the seeds.
2. Pour wine into a jug, squeeze the juice from the fruit and toss in the wedges for garnish.
3. Dissolve the sugar with a bit of water or brandy. Wait until it cools down and add to the wine. Refrigerate the drink for 8 hours.
4. Before serving to the festive table, add soda or ginger ale to the drink.

Other drinks

Depending on the concept of the evening, you should diversify your bar menu. Check with your guests in advance which spirits they prefer and add them to your birthday shopping list. You should also stock up on tea and coffee for a sweet table.

Cake

Napoleon

This is a classic dessert that everyone loves. We show you how to make the most delicious birthday cake quickly.

Ingredients

• Yeast dough
• 1 liter of milk
• 2 eggs
• 300 g sugar
• 2 bags of vanilla sugar or a couple of pinches of vanillin
• 2 rounded tablespoons of flour
• Fresh berries

Preparation

1. Thaw the yeast dough sheets. Then roll the dough into weak layers. Cut the cakes to the same size. The more cakes, the taller the cake will be.
2. Preheat oven to 200 C. Bakes cakes in oven until golden brown for about 5 minutes. Let the cakes cool.
3. To make the custard, divide the milk in half. Place half of the milk in a non-stick saucepan over low heat.
4. Combine the other half of the milk, eggs, sugar, vanillin, and flour until smooth using a whisk or mixer. There should not be a single lump in the milk-egg mixture.
5. When the milk starts to boil on the stove, pour the whipped mixture into the boiling milk in a thin stream. Stir before pouring if the sugar has settled to the bottom of the bowl after beating. Cook the cream over medium heat until thick, about 5-6 minutes.
6. Let the cream cool. Spread generously with cream on each cake and assemble the cake. Make a crumb from the remaining dough and sprinkle the top layer with it. Decorate the cake with fresh berries and refrigerate to soak the cakes.

Grocery list for birthday party

Especially for you, we have prepared a list of all the necessary products for preparing a festive dinner for your birthday. We've also included some lively details like cake candles and balloons to help you create a birthday atmosphere.

• Flour
• Greek yogurt
• Sugar
• Suluguni
• Adyghe cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Eggs
• Black bread
• Avocado
• Lemon juice
• Lightly salted redfish
• Cucumber
• Cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Bell pepper
• Red onion
• Olives
• Mint leaves
• A pineapple
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Filet mignon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Butter
• Sprigs of rosemary
• Potatoes
• Paprika
• Nutmeg
• Turmeric
• Dried garlic
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Water
• Wine
• Orange
• Soda or ginger ale
• Yeast dough
• Milk
• Vanillin
• Fresh berries
• Rum
• Tea
• Coffee
• Candles on the cake
• Balloons
• Napkins

Shopping list for birthday party

The amount of ingredients you need depends on the number of your guests.

Your birthday table is ready. Using this simple grocery list, you will prepare great treats for your guests without wasting a lot of time.

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