A Big Girl Barbie Birthday Party

 Every little girl has had a Barbie birthday party sometime in their young lives. Yet what about the big girls who are Barbie aficionados? They too can have a fun , frilly birthday do with pink themed  food and drinks. Just give it an adult spin for more sophistication.

What would you drink at a Barbie birthday bash? Try a grapefruit MImosa. This is a heady mix of grapefruit juice with splash of Asti Spumante . The juice's tartness is the perfect foil for the bubbly's sweetness , creating a sweet tart flavor. Aother crowd pleaser is a strawberry pina colada.Its the same recipe as for a regular pina colada, made with Coco Lopez, water pineapple jiuce and half and half The pureed berries are added to this for a fruitier taste and a light blush coloring. You could also serve pink lemonade with vodka. It's just mixing the two and serving over ice. Omit the vodka, sub in ginger ale and you have an equally fun mocktail. Of course there is the Cosmopolitan the ultimate pink alcoholic beverage. This is a blend of vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice which gives it its' pink color. It's an easy shake in a cocktail shaker and then poured into a martini glass. What about dessert?A pink hued tea like Kashmiri pink chai tea would work.Its boiling Kashmiri tea with sugar water, cardamon and cinnamon. You can add baking soda if you want. Some recipes call for it The tea  turns red as it cooks and when milk is added a softy rose.

With the drinks comes food. Little girls may be happy with just a slice of pink cake but adults want something more. Think a shrimp pate to be served on crostini. The pate is made with shrimp first being roughly chopped and mixed with mayo, lemon juice parsley , scallions and mustatrd powder. THis mix is then added to tomato paste cooked with butter and shallots .Tomatoes are also put into this mix. The pate is refrigerated for three hours to set. Spoon over crostini - although you can also serve it with any kind of cracker like Saltimes or Ritz. You could also have devilled ham sliders too. The filling is a mix f the meat and mayo. if you're more ambitious you can make your own devilled ham.It taking sliced ham pureeing it wht mayo and then adding spicy brown mustard tabasco sauce, Worcester sauce and lemon. Ground black pepper gives it some bite.As for dessert. think a strawberry cake (you can use a Duncan HInes mix) with fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries for added flavor. A cooler treat is strawberry granita, an refreshing blend of sugar, pureed strawberries lemon juice and water. It's a refreshing treat especially on a hot summer night.

Yes, big girls can have a Barbie  party too. Serve fun pink cocktails and mocktails with tasty bites of rosy hued food. It's a great way to celebrate a birthday

Barbie Party Time

 The girl of the summer is definitely Barbie. Thanks to the Margot Robbie -Ryan Goslin movie , the original girl power is everywhere. There are Barbie Crocs, dresses , jackets and even pillows. Now Barbiephiles can celebrate the doll and the movie with a Barbie core do,

Most fans will probably have a pink themed party with Cosmos and trays of little girl pink Double Bubble gum. However Barbie herself may have more sophisticated that. yes , you could have Cosmos to celebrate the Nineties version (and yes, there are Sex and the City inspired barbies) along with putting the gum with ahost of other pink candy as favors. However Barbie has always been a California girl, right down to her Malibu Beachhouse. HAve a California themed party featuring burgers to symbolize the In and Out ones along with a host of food truck food to symbolize Los Angeles food truck culture. Think about fish and bulgoki tacos where guests can put all sorts of toppings from traditional pico di gallo to kim chee. Tater tots with a cheddar topping is another big food truck iitem and they're easy to make in an air fryer.Avocados are a big  Southern California product so think about a refreshing salad made with them and a tangy lemon vinaigrette. what to serve afterwards? LA's own chiffon pie fist made in 1929 by Los Angeleno baker Monroe Boston Strause, It's a kind of  a vanilla mousse fillling in a graham cracker crust. Serve with strawberries if you want a bit of pink.

Barbie has been around since 1959 so another party idea is picking a decade themed party. The Fifties and Sixties brought an era of both  hominess and sophistication. You could feature a baked ham with pineapple alogn with an ambrosia salad fullof marshmallows and citrus fruit like pimeapple and oranges. You could also end with a pineapple upside down cake, very popular in the era. The Sixties also brought us Camelot and Jackie Kennedy's love of anything French. Think croissants filled with tarragon chicken salad, or steak Diane with a creamy Bearnaise sauce.Dessert could be Barbie pink  strawberry macarons (although you can throw in some chocolate and pistacchio ones along with lemon ones) The Seventies brought us fondue but it's too hot for that. Try cheese balls dipped in chopped nuts along with a platter of  devilled eggs. You could also serve party franks with a tangy sauce and mini crabcakes. Barbie embraced the glam Eighties and you can too. Serve lobster canapes and champagne along with caviar topped crostini. What about the NIneties and the early Aughts? Try comfort food, like pizza bagels and beer that got us through the Y2K anxiety. You could also make comfort sweets like cupcakes which had a revival twenty years ago. Think Funfetti ones with mounds of homemade strawberry icing.

It's the summer of Barbie! Get wild with a LA - So Cal themed do or pick a decade and celebate. All are perfect for toasting this doll  of a woman. Enjoy the movie and the food of her life.