Birthday party favorites - includes recipes

Ebony, March, 1992 by Charlotte Lyons

Yields 4 servings

CARAMEL MINI-POPCORN BALLS

24   squares vanilla caramel candies
       (about 7 ounces)
1    tablespoon water
5 to 6 cups popped popcorn

Place unwrapped caramel pieces and water in large mixing bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until caramel is melted. Add popcorn; toss until well-coated. Wet hands; shape mixture into 2-inch balls. Wrap each popcorn ball in a sheet of clear plastic wrap.

Yields 1 1/2 dozen

YOGURT DIP

1    cup vanilla yogurt
1    tablespoon orange juice
1    tablespoon honey
1    teaspoon grated orange rind

Combine all ingredients in small bowl; chill.

Yield about 1 cup

FRUIT AND CHEESE KABOBS

30   seedless grapes
30   pineapple chunks
15   kiwi, cut into 4 thick slices
24   mild cheddar cheese cubes

Alternate 3 pieces of any combination of fruit and cheese on plastic or wooden picks. Serve with Yogurt Dip.

Yields 10 kabobs

TACOS 1 pound ground beef 1 1 1/4-ounce package taco seasoning

mix 1 cup water 3 or 4 lettuce leaves 1 4-ounce package shredded cheddar

cheese 8 to 10 taco shells

Diced tomatoes

Chopped onion

Pitted ripe olives, sliced

Dairy sour cream

Taco sauce

Use your hands to break up ground beef as you put it into the 10-inch skillet. Put skillet on burner. Turn burner to medium-high heat. Cook and stir the ground beef with wooden spoon until no pink color is left in the ground beef (this will take about 10 minutes). Turn off burner. Remove skillet from burner.

Use a long-handled spoon to push the ground beef to one side of the skillet. Tip the skillet a little bit so the grease runs to the other side. Use the long-handled spoon to carefully put the grease into a can or container (Be careful when handling because both the skillet and the grease will be hot). Stir in taco seasoning mix and 1 cup water. Put skillet onto burner. Turn burner to high heat. Cook until mixture boils, stirring several times with wooden spoon. When it starts to boil, turn burner to low heat. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring a few times (this will take 5 to 7 minutes).

While meat mixture is cooking, rinse lettuce in cold water. Pat lettuce dry with paper towels. Use your fingers to tear lettuce into bit-size pieces. Use kitchen scissors to cut open the package of shredded cheese. To serve, use a spoon to put some of the meat mixture into each taco shell. Add lettuce and cheese. If you like, put olive slices, diced tomatoes, chopped onion and sour cream on top of cheese. Top with taco sauce. Repeat with remaining tacos.

Yields 8 to 10 tacos