Kitchen Adventures: Google your way to a fun theme-party snack

I love a party with a theme. There’s just something about tying everything together and making the food match the theme.

Becca Owsley

Fish Finger Cookies and Custard are a snack worthy of The Doctor himself.

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Becca Owsley

Go with a theme, such as this movie theme, to add fun to a party.

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A few months ago, I did this with an in-home catalog party. To make it fun, I went with a Hollywood theme. To make it extra fun, all the snacks I served were beefed up concession stand items.

Most of the recipes have already appeared in a kitchen adventure.

Homemade pizza bites were called Pizza Planet Pizza Bites. Popcorn was Aunt Em’s Kansas popcorn. Hot dogs became What’s Happenin’ Hot Dogs. You’ll get that last one if you watched “brat pack” movies in the 1980s.

The point is, the food became fun and tied in with the theme.

There are tons of ideas of how to make special foods or package them in creative ways. Google has become a great asset for creating a menu that matches a theme.

Movies, sports, books, hobbies or any other theme can be tied into the food. Even British sci-fi television shows.

During the Halloween season, costume parties popped up all over the place. A group of friends had a “Doctor Who” inspired costume party. Because my costume wasn’t the most creative one I could come up with, I decided to be more creative with the snack I brought to the party.

This may sound gross to begin with but bear with me.

A running gag throughout the fifth through seventh seasons of the show is an odd combination of food The Doctor likes, fish fingers and custard. Gross, right?

But through a Google search for foods inspired by the series, I found a very cute recipe that actually can be used for any occasion.

The recipe was for a butter cookie that was shaped like a frozen fish stick and rolled in graham cracker crumbs to look like it was battered.
You bake the cookies and serve them with vanilla pudding for dipping. Cute, right?

They threw a few people off because they actually looked like fish fingers but after tasting them, partygoers realized they actually were tasty cookies.

While you might not call them fish fingers and custard, the cookies dipped in pudding were yummy and could make a great appetizer-style dessert at any gathering, not just one full of sci-fi fans.

So whatever the party and whatever the theme, search the Web and be creative.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741 or bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com.

Fish Fingers Cookies
For cookies:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

For breading:
5 whole graham cracker sheets
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until thoroughly combined and fluffy. Stir in the egg and extracts until combined. Sprinkle half the flour mixture into the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a food processor, crush the graham crackers until they look like dry sand. Stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter and combine the mixture until it resembles wet sand and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and shape one tablespoon portions of dough into 3- to 4-inch fish fingers. Roll each fish finger in the graham cracker breading, completely coating them, and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 23 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Source: www.bakingdom.com