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Heavenly Homemakers Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting Home About FAQs Recipes Bread and Breakfast Condiments Dairy Main Dishes Side Dishes and Snacks Desserts Gluten Free Instant Pot Crock Pot Heavenly Homemaker’s Weekly Menus Homemaking Real Food Sources Shop Contact Affiliates Advertise Disclosure Privacy Policy Simple Meals Club Members! Have you joined the club yet?! Graduation Party Food Ideas March 25, 2020 by Laura 2 Comments This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. Need some graduation party food ideas? I’ve done this a time or two and I do have some ideas… Here I am, almost ready (or not) to graduate our Boy#3. I’ve done this before, so I haven’t been quite as emotional this time around. That is, until I pulled this gem out of the archives. I haven’t stopped crying since… This was Elias with Keith last winter just a few weeks after the precious babe was placed with us . One of my favorite things about watching Elias grow into a young man ready to graduate has been seeing him with our foster and adopted kids. He has been selfless and servant-hearted as he’s helped us care for and love these babes. I sent him off to prom last year, and soon we’ll be sending him off to college. Fun fact, taking in foster children and adopting little ones who’ve experienced trauma has influenced Elias’ career path. He’s chosen to go to York College and major in Psychology. We’ll see where God takes him from there. What a fantastic young man!! Curious how we have a homeschool graduation for our kids? It’s a pretty special time, and it looks like this . And now that I’m teary-eyed, we will talk about food. I’ve always left most of the menu choices up to my graduate. It’s their celebration, after all! Of course, I do guide them toward choosing food that is fairly easy to make for a large crowd. And I also steer them toward a menu that will allow me to have most of the food prepared ahead of time so that I can enjoy the party with our guests! Graduation Party Food Ideas These are ideas I’ve either used myself or have eaten at parties we’ve enjoyed with friends. There’s really no limit to graduation party food ideas, but I do think these should be taken into consideration: What does the graduate want/like? What can be made ahead of time? What works well to feed a crowd? What can be turned over to friends and extended family so that the immediate family can enjoy the guests and the graduate? So with that in mind, here are some great party food ideas! Taco or Nacho Bar It’s quite simple to make nacho or taco fixin’s ahead of time. Set out a buffet of chips or taco shells, meat (in a crock pot to keep it hot), cheese, salsa, sour cream, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and whatever else you might like. Baked Potato Bar Bake potatoes in a crock pot like this (or in an Instant Pot on manual pressure for 10 minutes). Set them out with a variety of toppings like taco meat, chopped ham, bacon bits, shredded cheese, sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, green onions, tomatoes, black beans, chili, jalapenos, banana wax peppers, olives, steamed broccoli, steamed peas, and whatever else you might like. Smoothie Station A friend of ours did this for their son’s graduation and it was brilliant! They had several tables set up with blenders, and had friends running each smoothie station. Party guests could select their smoothie ingredients, and they offered choices like frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, and banana. They had milk, yogurt, and orange juice as add-ins. Whipped cream to spray on top – fun straws and colored napkins. It was fantastic! Finger Foods A table filled with finger foods like cheese and crackers, chips and dips, veggies and dips, fruits and dips, meatballs, smokies, cookies, and such? You can’t go wrong! It’s simple and fun! Here are our favorite dip ideas: Easy White Queso – My Current Favorite! Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip Creamy Italian Veggie Dip Cream Cheese Salsa Dip Bacon Ranch Chip Dip French Onion Dip Bacon Tomato Dip Black Bean Salsa Easy Veggie Dip Healthier Cheese Dip Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip Nacho Cheese Pretzel Dip Easy Guacomole Easy Cheesy Bean Dip Hamburber Sauerkraut Dip Cream Cheese Fruit Dip Simple Cake or Cupcakes No need to serve an entire meal if you don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with setting out cupcakes or a special cake for the graduate, and leaving it at that! Consider the cake flavors and colors that the graduate likes, then bake and decorate accordingly. (Or order from a bakery because if you have a graduate, you probably don’t have time to bake and decorate.) Dessert Bar How about serving a fun variety of dessert options cut into small portions? Cheesecake is always a hit! A variety of cookies on trays, cupcakes, donuts – what are the graduates favorites? Go with it! Fun at the Grill Serve burgers, hot dogs, and brats for an outdoor party if the weather is nice. Set out fixins, chips, fruit, and veggies. It’s simple, yet most everyone loves a meal like this! Here are our favorite special burger recipes: Simple Make Ahead Parmesan Burgers Simple Cheese-Stuffed Burgers Cheddar Ranch Burgers Pulled Pork Sandwiches It’s super easy and quite inexpensive to slow cook a large pork butt or two. Shred it and serve with with a variety of sauces and buns or tortillas. Add chips, fruit, veggies, and drinks – and you’ve got yourself a simple but great party! Coffee Station Here’s a fun idea for setting up an Iced Coffee Bar . Use the same concept for hot coffee too! The ideas for graduation party food ideas are endless! Make the most of your time celebrating your graduate! Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here ! Not a member yet? Please join us! How to Have a Successful Freezer Cooking Day March 22, 2020 by Laura Leave a Comment This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. Hoping to get ahead by having a successful freezer cooking day? Here’s how! Why have a freezer cooking day? I love to have food pre-made and in the freezer to pull out and use as convenience foods on extra busy days! It’s beyond great to have a casserole in the freezer that I can slide into the oven for dinner without any prep (because I’ve already done the prep!). In addition, it’s great to have muffins or cookies ready to pull out to bake or serve with just a few minutes’ notice. If you have extra freezer space, it is worth your time to spend a few hours getting head so you can save time and energy later! How to Have a Successful Freezer Cooking Day Here are my top bullet points, with details to follow: Make a plan But don’t over plan Consider how you can multitask Get out everything possible the night before Be prepared for a mess, and save energy to clean it up! Have your evening meal already prepared and ready to serve. 1. Make a plan. It’s a great idea to jot down a list of food you want to make ahead of time for your freezer so that you can prepare for your freezer cooking hours. Buy the groceries you’ll need, block out the time necessary for your freezer cooking extravaganza, and consider how you can make your time most efficient. 2. But don’t over plan. But wait! Take it from me, the one who used to almost pass out during her freezer cooking days by trying to execute too much then becoming exhausted and grouchy at the kids (sorry, boys). Be reasonable when you make your freezer cooking plan. If you only have two hours, your to-do list needs to be able to be fulfilled within just an hour and a half so you still have the energy to clean up afterward (see #5). It’s easy to become overexcited, thinking of ALL THE THINGS you want to put into the freezer. Yay, you! But make your lofty list, then consider paring down to what is actually doable and reasonable. Perhaps break your lofty list into two...