Kamayan means “by hand” in Tagalog. It refers to the traditional eating style of Filipinos — communally, without any plates or utensils. A typical kamayan meal features a table covered in banana leaves and displays an assortment of traditional Filipino dishes like whole fried tilapia, sweet cured sausages (longanisa), lechon (roasted pig), lumpia (Filipino egg rolls), etc., along with mounds of rice and sauces. My sister hosted a really cool kamayan earlier this year (pictured below). Everything was beautifully presented and made from scratch. It was really quite impressive. I love hosting festive gatherings so naturally I wanted to attempt a kamayan too. I, however, do not cook which poses a problem. I do love to bake though. I’m also experienced with cranking out a large quantity of baked goods. So, when my friend asked me to bake for her get together for approximately 30 guests (half of which would be kids) I wanted to try it out - I love baking for this particular friend because she gives me free rein. So, this was my spin on a kamayan feast - dessert style. Of course, all treats are homemade. I stuck with baked goods that could easily be picked up and stacked on top of each other. With all parties, I always consider who I'm baking for. So I picked a couple kid faves + treats that are usually more popular with adults.
I ended up going with: Funfetti cupcakes - kid fave Chocolate covered Oreos - kid fave Maple walnut brittle - adult/hubby fave Toffee snickerdoodles - adult/hubby fave Brigadeiros - I wanted to add some color Mini cinnamon twists (this was made last minute. I wasn't sure I'd have enough to fill up the board so this was used more as a filler.... still a yummy filler. =) I think it came out pretty well. This may become a regular. Next time, I'll attempt 5 feet of desserts, include banana leaves and Filipino treats too. =) We’re a family that loves to eat. So, with planning our daughter's first birthday, I naturally gravitated towards a food themed party. Candy shop, carnival, summer picnic... there were so many options. During the summer, we tend to go to a lot of farmers markets. You can get homemade pies, cookies, tamales, pierogis, fresh squeezed lemonade, artisan bread and bags of veggies and fruit all in one place. So, a farmer's market birthday party seemed like a perfect choice. A couple days before the party, I made apple butter using 6 lbs of gala apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon and vanilla. You just peel, core and chop the apples. Add all the ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for 12 hours. I puree everything with my immersion blender - and voila! I bought mini mason jars and ordered fabric on Etsy. Super easy and a useful and yummy favor. It also made the house smell really good. =D I love making dessert tables but I honestly didn't want to stress and make labor intensive treats + my mom has a tendency of over ordering and making waaaay too much food when we throw parties so I decided to stick to 3 simple summer desserts: - mini key lime pies + extras as favors - mini banana cream pies + extras as favors - mini strawberry shortcakes Then, for me, the most fun part about party planning is figuring out all the little details. So I also made: - Oreo truffles (shaped like eggs) - Muddy buddies (wrapped like corn in their husk) - Goldfish crackers (wrapped like carrots) As usual, the dessert table was set up in Kelsey's room. I also set up a favors table where I displayed larger boxed pies and apple butter. We can't forget the kiddo so their treat pint consisted of seaweed, juice box, honey stick, speculoos crackers, hazelnut chocolate, jelly beans + erasers and lip gloss shaped like food and mini desserts or crayons. I made my future cousin-in-law a spring fling cake for her bridal shower the night before so with the leftover batter and frosting, I made Kelsey a smash cake.
I saw super cute high chair banners on Etsy but didn’t want to spend $30 so I made my own (for less than $8) using different kinds of ribbons I bought at Michaels. Kelsey’s aunties made super pretty bouquets using dollar store vases, burlap ribbon and sunflowers from Trader Joe’s. I think it turned out pretty well. =) I took the past week off to spend time with my kiddos. There were definitely some challenging moments but overall, it was great! It was nice to get away from the office and spend quality, uninterrupted time with my babies. Fave moments were the family naps, Bruno Mars jam sessions and baking... Devin loves adding ingredients and helping roll cookies. I wanted to end the week by doing something special as a family but didn't want to spend any money. So, Thursday night, after the kiddos were in bed, I started prepping for a picnic in the park. I was going for anything that could be easily made, packed and reheated the following day:
-Oatmeal topped w/ strawberries for Devin -Potato purée + coddled egg + baguette (Egg Slut inspired) for Andy and I -Teether treats for Kelsey -Sausage, fruit cup and cookies to share I also packed a couple mini Disney Cars as an added surprise for Devin. I think this will be a new family tradition. |
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