Last night we celebrated this year's dress-up fun with a Little Red Riding Hood themed family dinner.
I set up our table with elements from this classic story and planned our party menu with each character in mind.
Free printables from The Graphics Fairy added vintage charm to our table. Find classic story book images here.
Homespun elements like the quilt, cloth napkins and individual casserole dishes related to the mother and grandmother, while woodsy elements like a moss runner, vases of apples and branches, and wood-slice chargers referenced the wolf and woodsman. And finally, an open book and liberal use of the color red related to Little Red Riding Hood.
Little Red Riding Hood Menu
Little Red Apples
Wolf Tracks Snack Mix
The Woodsman's Chop Salad
Grandmother's Chicken Pot Pie
Mother's Favorite Cupcakes
When the children arrived home from school, they discovered the coffee table in the family room set for a party. Little Red Apples and Wolf Tracks Snack Mix were easy to munch on while working on a Little Red Riding Hood puzzle. Along with a vintage Little Red Riding Hood doll (my sister's when we were younger) and a pitcher of greenery and berries, an apple cinnamon scented color-changing candle from AirWick cast a warm glow over our party. AirWick sent me a sample candle, and it was perfect for our party. The children marvelled at the color changes, and I loved the fall fragrance that filled the room. Leave a comment on this post for your opportunity to win a free color-changing candle from AirWick.
I borrowed the movie Hoodwinked from my sister so we could watch it during our Little Red Celebration. I decorated our kitchen table for dinner so we could spend the afternoon and evening in our party space.
Our Little Red Riding Hood prefers Red Delicious apples, so these were the perfect choice for a healthy party snack.
Planning most of the party menu came easily, but the biggest challenge was choosing a dish to represent the wolf. Thanks to a sample box of popcorn shared by G.H. Cretors, I came up with the Wolf Tracks Snack Mix pictured above.
Wolf Tracks Snack Mix
6 cups kettle corn popped popcorn2 squares of CandiQuick vanilla candy coating3/4 cup roasted peanuts1/2 cup sweetened, dried cranberries
Melt vanilla candy to package directions. Meanwhile, measure 6 cups of popped kettle corn into a large mixing bowl. Pour melted candy over the popcorn, and toss to coat. Sprinkle in peanuts and cranberries, and toss. Transfer snack mix to a serving bowl, and garnish with a handful of peanuts and dried cranberries, if desired.
Who is ready to go Into the Woods for dinner? Character tags tied to our glasses served as place cards for our little family party. I added a touch of red to the moss runner by hot gluing red rick rack to the edge.
I used Paula Deen's chicken pot pie recipe to fill little red casserole dishes. This recipe calls for chicken base, which you can find with chicken bouillon in the grocery store. I would recommend adding the chicken base a little at a time, as I did not use the full amount the recipe called for, but our filling was still too salty. I'm sure this varies by brand, but using a little and adding more as needed should result in a better dish.
Little Red Riding Hood cupcakes gave a sweet finish to our family celebration. Now we are ready for dress-up fun!
There is more Little Red Riding Hood fun to come, so meet us in the woods to watch the story unfold this week.
