Stick it To Me

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Summer is the prime time for street and community festivals. That means one thing for me...no, not shady rides that don’t look safe…it means Food on a Stick!

I don’t know what it is, but there is just something that makes eating food on a stick so much more amazing than using utencils. I mean it isn’t even that good, but the stick ups the fun factor.

There are a number of sweet and savory treats that you can easily serve on a stick at your next party. Hey, it will cut down on the number of plates you need to buy!

Fruit on a Stick: I love fruit kabobs with a good cream cheese and fluff fruit dip. The best fruit kabobs in my eyes include options from the berry group – strawberries, blue berries and raspberries. Frozen grapes on a stick are also popular.

Salad on a Stick: From The Food Network, this is one of the more creative things I’ve seen on a stick – Salad! Here’s the recipe that includes lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber.

Corndog: According to the Nation’s Resturant News, Corndogs were one of the first foods on a stick to originate in the U.S. I love the idea of serving these as a late-night party food. At least you don’t have to buy buns!

Meat: Possibly more popular than corn dogs, beef, chicken and shrimp kabobs are so easy to make. Grill up some meat and fish on a stick with veggies.

Candy Apples: A fall staple, candy apples always come on a stick, but are rather hard to eat.

Marshmallows or Bananas: These are very easy to make. Just tip them in melted chocolate and freeze. Yummm.

Cupcake on a Stick: Yep. It’s the new trend in the cupcake blogesphere. I found this example via the Cupcakes take the Cake blog. The recipe for this include mini-cupcakes, jellies and marshmallows.

In my research, I found that Minnesota State Fair is a hot bed for food on a stick. In fact, this year there are 50 different items being offered. You can find the full list here by searching for foods on a stick (it’s a search topic!)

Standouts in my eyes include…


Fudge Puppy: A Belgian waffle, dipped in chocolate, with whipped cream and sprinkles. Yuummmm!

Tater Tots: What a wonderful idea. Tots are easy to slide down the stick and I love the thought of making a cheese burger and offering Tots on a Stick as the side dish! (FYI – the ones at the fair sound a bit lethal… hash browns formed with cheddar cheese, bacon, green onion, sour cream)

Cheesecake on a Stick: Similar to the treats mentioned above. Cheesecake balls right now are hot in the sweet treat world. I had some dipped in chocolate on Easter…delish!

A lot of these options can be recreated for a party that you are attending or hosting. I wouldn’t suggest making a lot of them during the summer because guests usually eat lighter during the warm weather months!

Enjoy!


(Sources: SeriousEats.com, Fairborne.mnstatefair.org, Nation's Restaurant News; Images: FoodNetwork.com, MarthaStewart.com, Cupcakes take the Cake and Columbia.edu )