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Western Theme Party Food Ideas
Planning the food menu for all those cowboys and cowgirls at your western theme party can be a pretty simple and easy affair – lots of BBQ and picnic style food. However, sometimes you’ll be looking for some of those extra creative ideas to really bring that Old West theme alive. Consider some of these ideas to ‘rile things up’…
If you know in advance that you’ll be baking a cake, consider designing a treasure map to a lost gold mine atop the cake. Frost a regular rectangular cake with a tannish colored frosting (whatever you can achieve by mixing some white frosting with brown. If you don’t have brown, remember that opposite colors on the color wheel make brown such as red/gree, blue/orange and purple/yellow.) Where the X is, hide treasure underneath (actually inside the cake – i.e. plastic toys, etc.) – for the guest of honor. If you want to really go for it, pick up some tan or gold colored sprinkles you’d find at your local cake decorating store and sprinkle it around the edges to ‘age’ the look of your map!
For some versatile decorating on cakes and other desserts, consider crushed up graham crackers – they do great for simulating dirt. Whole graham cracker pieces also look great for faux planks of wood to make Old West shanties and roadsigns (with words painted with black frosting.)
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GRAB A WESTERN PARTY PACK - Sometimes time to prep is short and you need things that are more "plug'n play." This package contains four different digital items you can immediately download including Western themed Bingo as well as a couple western themed treasure hunts. Click HERE to download them. |
As possibly a more daring idea for some, serve Buffalo burgers (can be purchased at large grocery store chains and online if not.) Sometimes you can even find rattlesnake meat. These are usually found in the frozen food section. It can add an exciting flair of adventure for your party guests – truly the WILD west!
Instead of plates, serve the food on pie tins. For an interesting and fun choice of napkins, consider using one of those oh-so-handy 40% off Joann’s coupons to purchase a couple yards of calico print (one that will even match the colors of your party.) Wash the fabric at least once with a nice fabric softener to soften the fabric a bit. Then, cut the fabric into napkin sized squares. Now, you might be tempted to feel the need to sew the fringed edges of the napkins…however, you’ll find that those frayed edges will really provide a nice rustic look for your table settings!
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AGED WESTERN PAPER - Sometimes the best ideas for games and activities aren't necessarily the game itself, but the materials used to play them. Even the simplest of trivia games, etc. can be a lot more fun if you're playing on old west paper. These hand aged sheets of paper come in packages of 10 and not only look old, but they FEEL old, as well. The western cactus on each page adds to the old west feel! You can order your packs HERE. |
Have fun with the drinks. Remember, the Old West was known for good old fashioned moonshine! Order some bottled drinks (even if only enough for each table setting to just one) and, using warm water, removed the paper labels. Create your own labels in WORD to put on the bottles (the “XXX” is the traditional sign for moonshine.) These look absolutely fantastic on your table and will be fun to drink for your party guests.
Chili and cornbread is a great solution for those that are looking for something simple with minimal amount of work (unless, of course you’re making grandma’s recipe where it takes all to cook.) This menu option is also great to turn into a chili cook-off contest, allowing your guests to come with their own recipes for others to try. With the cornbread, consider offering a jalapeno option. The jalapeno pepper has such a great flavor, even for those that have a difficult time with the heat. Consider buying a small can of diced jalapeno peppers (Ortega has a brand in the markets). Puree the peppers as much as possible and incorporate a little bit of them into some of the cornbread batter. Clearly label these once cooked and those guests that like a little kick will scarf them down!
Don’t be afraid to break away from some of the traditional by serving some items that reflect a more ‘south of the border’ feel. Perhaps some chips and salsa or other Mexican flavors.
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PLAN AN OLD WEST TREASURE HUNT - Although not always the easiest to design, having an ongoing activity like this can be the perfect additional to your western party. The trick is to not reward the first place team (that way, nobody is rushing and they can do it at their leisure.) But rather instead offer a raffle at the end among all those teams who FINISHED the treasure hunt! We've found that ongoing games and activities can often work out better for some crowds over activities where everyone HAS to stop what they are doing. To download a collection of ready to go treasure hunt puzzles, click HERE. |
Other Western Theme Party Resource Articles
Western Theme Party Decorating Ideas
Western Theme Party Invitation Ideas
Western Theme Party Games and Activities
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Family Adventure Nights - FREE e-book. Learn first hand how treasure hunt designer, Joe Dean, took his family all over the world without ever leaving his own living room. Packed with ideas, this book have you rethinking how you spend your family times and meals together to create last lasting new memories! You can download it here: http://www.questadventuresociety.com/FamilyAdventureNightsEbook.pdf |
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Adventure Dad Fun - Family Adventure Ideas to Create Memories Follow The Adventure Dad as he explains fun and fresh ideas for creating lasting memories with your family. Easy to set up activities, games and adventures that will engage all age groups of kids! |
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The Lost Treasure of Akhenaten - A Family Adventure Night Looking for something REALLY different for your family? Try taking them to Egypt...without ever leaving your home. Your family will have a one of a kind experience interacting with an elaborate adventure script game where they'll need to IMAGINE being in Egypt if they hope to survive the perils that await! Simply download the file and set it up in your own home! |
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Come join the fun as we set up and go on treasure hunts all over the world! Learn to set up a few of your own, as well! |