Kayla's party was yesterday and today, J is at work and this house is filled with 3 exhausted females. The party was a great success and although the sun was strong, it was in the low 80's with no humidity. We have tents and trees, so in the shade it was perfect. Kayla loved having her friends over and all the kids appeared to have a good time. It was a Backyardigans theme and I got all the stuff for it and then Friday, Kayla tells me how excited she is to have her Backyardigans party hat. Um...I hadn't gotten hats b/c the kids really don't wear them. So out to the store we went Saturday morning to get them. It was the only thing she asked for at her party and she wouldn't stop talking about wanting her hat. She actually did wear it. :)

At one point I came outside and Kayla ran up to me all dramatic with her hands and arms spread out to her sides and said, "Mommy, EVERYONE is here." She was SO excited!

I got a lot of compliments on the food and we have a TON of leftovers. I'm thankful for having two freezers. My parents also took some home. It's pretty ironic too, that although Kayla has only one food allergy, I actually juggled 4 food allergens at her party. I have a girlfriend who's daughter has a peanut and chocolate allergy and another friend who I just found out her son is allergic to strawberries. Peanuts are "easy", as we avoid them anyway and the cake mix I use is dedicated peanut, egg and dairy free. I actually had originally planned on doing a chocolate cake filling because Kayla loves chocolate. But when possible, I would rather have all my food safe for all my guests. It's not always possible, obviously, but chocolate is easily avoided. I am also leaving strawberries out of the fruit salad.

This year's dairy-free menu is as follows...
Entrees:
Sausage, Peppers & Onions
Slow Cooker Sweet & Tangy Chicken (this was a new dish I found and it got rave reviews!)

Side Dishes/Appetizers:
Kielbasa wrapped in Crescent Rolls
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Antipasto Rice Salad
Baked Beans
Fruit Salad

We also had chips, pretzels and onion dip. And for the kids, I make Chicken Fries. They are dairy free and both my girls LOVE them. I get them through Market day.

Here are the recipes for the above menu...
Sausage, Peppers & Onions:
This is being made by my Mom - so I don't have the specifics besides the obvious, Sausage, Peppers & Onions.

Slow Cooker Sweet & Tangy Chicken:
INGREDIENTS
2 (18 ounce) bottles barbecue sauce
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together barbecue sauce, pineapple with juice, green bell pepper, onion, and garlic.
2. Arrange 4 of the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour half of the barbecue sauce over the chicken. Place remaining chicken in slow cooker, and pour remaining sauce over the top.
3. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 to 9 hours.

Kielbasa Wrapped in Crescent Rolls:
I simply take Kielbasa and wrap them in rolled out Pillsbury Crescent rolls (which are dairy-free). I then bake them in the oven until the rolls are cooked. then I slice them up and serve. Delicious!

Herb Roasted Potatoes:
INGREDIENTS:
6 large potatoes, cut in quarters
6 medium onions, quartered
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place potatoes and onions in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle the vegetable oil over vegetables and sprinkle with pepper, parsley, basil, and thyme. Lightly stir vegetables to coat all sides with oil and seasonings; bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until fork-tender, turning occasionally to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Antipasto Rice Salad:
2 c. cooked rice
1/3 c. Italian salad dressing
1 1/2 c. assorted meats (ham, turkey, salami)
1/4 c. diced cheese
1/4 c. black olives
1 c. sliced vegetables (green peppers, green onions)
2/3 c. chopped tomatoes

Toss rice with Italian salad dressing. Stir in meats, cheese, black olives and vegetables. Chill, then stir in tomatoes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

For the cake - I use Cherry Brook Kitchens yellow cake mix. The company makes cake mixes that are dedicated peanut, egg and dairy free and they are delicious. I got a Pablo cake pan (from the Backyardigans)and will be putting a lemon cake filling in the cake.

Lemon Cake Filling (I got a lot of compliments on this as well)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Juice of medium lemon
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually add water and whisk until well blended. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Boil one minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cool to room temperature, without stirring.

YIELD: 1 cup; fills one 8" layer

For my onion dip, I will use Tofuti's Better than Sour Cream. You really can't taste the difference between that and "real" sour cream.

Today I will slowly work on getting our house back in order. No easy task after a party. I have a feeling my tired girls will get a wee bit of extra tv today to give me the time to clean and recuperate. (I actually put all the recipes together for this post a few days ago, so don't think I had all morning to type this - LOL.) Any bets on whether I get any rest time today?