For the past three summers, I've had one big game night with friends. I love games so much and any chance for me to plan a party just makes me happy. So, I got a group of friends to come over and it actually turned out to be a really special night for me. I always have a ton of food at my parties and make sure to make one special punch. This time, I did all three of my favorite party foods.
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| The party food. |
1) Strawberry Cookies
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| The last time I made cupcakes. |
I've always made a good strawberry cupcake. They are my favorite kind of cupcake to make because it always turns out so moist. There is nothing quite like a moist cupcake. I've had it in my mind that cupcakes and cake are not the best at a smaller get together. They tend to be a lot messier and people aren't as comfortable eating them in front of people that they are just meeting. A cookie is the perfect solution to that. So, I thought what better way to make a cookie than turn my strawberry cupcakes into cookies. I tried my original recipe except with less liquids and more powders. It did not turn out like I wanted it to. Then, I tried this recipe and they turned out amazing. You can not just eat one cookie. They were moist and not crumbly at all. A perfect type of homemade cookie.
Recipe:
1 box strawberry cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional:
1 cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl mix together the cake mix and baking powder. Set that bowl aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and oil. Add that mixture to the first bowl. Stir together until all the pockets of cake mix are gone. Add the chocolate chips in once completely mixed.
Make rounded balls of the dough and place them on the greased cookie sheet. A tip that I always remember when rolling cookies is to make the ball taller instead of wider. Personally, I think that makes for a better rounded cookie.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
2) Punch
My mom made this punch for a family birthday party one year. A quick warning, don't drink too much of it. It hits you hard.
Recipe:
1 bottle of vodka
3 cans of a light beer
2 cans of pink or raspberry lemonade concentrate
Mix them together and serve over ice.
3) Mini Wonton Tacos
Recipe:
Package of Wonton Wrappers
1lb Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Re-fried Beans
Cheese
Olives
Make taco meat as you normally would with the ground beef and taco seasoning. After that is cooked, add the beans to the meat and mix them together.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a cupcake pan, add a wonton wrapper to each cupcake part. Add a little more than a spoonful of meat mixture to each wrapper. Then, add the cheese and olives. You can add any sort of toppings to this dish really. I keep it simple to meet everyones taste.
Cook for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
