Mud Kitchen Birthday Party!

We went to the Asheboro Zoo this summer and my daughter loved playing in their very fun mud kitchen.  As my husband watched her play, he told me he had a great idea for her birthday this year...he would build her a mud kitchen at home!  We kept it a secret, and my husband built it while Sarah and I were away for the day shopping for school supplies.  When we got home, she was very surprised to find a mud kitchen in her backyard - just in time for her birthday party!

There is a working cash register, working sink with drain and lots of fun stuff we picked up at Goodwill to stock it.  She couldn't wait for her friends to come cook with her!

My husband had my daughter put the finishing touches on her mud kitchen by providing her white wooden panels and Sharpie markers to write her cafe' name and menu items for display.  She went to work creating just the right menu choices and decided upon the name Muddy Gator's Cafe'.

No grand opening could be complete without an official ribbon cutting ceremony and guests to share it with.    

The table was set with some party favors and flowers for her guests.  The party favors consisted of a bar towel, rolling pin, wooden spoon, kitchen notepad and small ramekin for each guest to take home. They each had a recipe card for creating their own muddy gator special recipe.  After dinner, they would all be displayed with the recipe in front and judged secretly by each other, to decide on which one they liked the best.  They got busy "eating" my daughter's grand opening treats that were pre-made for the big occasion.  

After playing and coming up with their own mud kitchen creations, they enjoyed pizza, popcorn, chips and flavored seltzer water together.  Then it was time for all the chef's to enter their creations in the contest!

We had a tie and called in a Dad to cast the final vote!  Our chef who came up with a milk shake and muffin creation won the most votes!

To celebrate the big birthday girl, we had a strawberry shortcake cake for dessert!  It was the second one I made in 24 hours.  The first one was not good because the gluten free cake mix I used tasted terrible - so I remade it all over again with a cake mix brand I can always count on being good.  (That will teach me to try a new brand in cake mixes for a party!)

It was a great day and she loved sharing it with some good friends.  Happy 12th Birthday my theatrical, fun-loving, smart, super creative little one, who isn't so little anymore!  Mom and Dad love you to the moon and back!