Parties are a great way to reconnect with friends and family and celebrate with delicious food! But having good food is also important because people will remember the food!
When we got married, we had a professional chocolate fountain and that’s all that people remembered about our wedding day! People connect food to memories. It’s a thing, you know!
So what can you do to make your party extra special? Here are some of my favorite ideas and what I’ve noticed people searching for on my blog, before big holidays.
1. Chocolate Fountain
A chocolate fountain is a fountain that flows with melted, liquid chocolate and guests can dip food items into it. It’s like so spectacular to see and fun to have at a party.
2. Vietnamese Garlic Noodles
Oh my, if you haven’t tried Vietnamese style garlic noodles, try it! They have this at many Vietnamese restaurants around the San Francisco Bay Area.
But most notably, Thanh Long and Crustaceans restaurant, have THE MOST famous garlic noodles and after 20 years, I finally figured out their secret recipe! I know many people, including my best friend, who bring this to their potluck get togethers and it’s always an impressive hit!
3. Sushi Bake
When I first tried sushi bake in 2006, holy moly, I was blown away! I have never ever seen anything like this and I had to post the recipe on my blog. So yes, I am claiming that this is THE Original Sushi Bake Recipe.
It’s a sushi casserole and although it doesn’t look big, it can feed a lot of people, especially at a party. Best of all, it’s easy to make and you don’t have to roll sushi!
4. Chinese Hot Pot
If you really want to know how my family celebrates, we do hot pot at home. Being Chinese, we love doing hot pot at home as it’s something different than the same old, same old. Everyone can customize what they want too.
5. Afternoon Tea with Trader Joe’s
Afternoon teas are fancy and it’s usually at an expensive hotel or tea place. But you can totally do it at home with food from Trader Joe’s! We did an afternoon party for my daughter and everyone had a blast! Plus, it was unique and special.
6. Instant Pot Braised Pork Belly
Asian style braised pork belly is SO savory and gourmet. Best of all, it’s super easy to make in the Instant Pot!
7. Easy Funnel Cake
So funnel cake isn’t just at county fairs or amusement parks because you can totally make this at home!
8. Baked Mochi Donuts
Who doesn’t love donuts? What about mochi donuts? These donuts are baked not fried, which means they’re simple to make a batch. They are SO heavenly. Your guest will be pleasantly surprised!
9. Air Fryer Wings – 4 Recipes
Wingstop was our go to place for wings. But now, since I’ve figured out how to make most of their wings, we do them at home.
10. S’mores in the Oven
There’s no need for a campfire or to be outdoors for that matter. You can bake a whole batch of s’mores in the oven very quickly! They make excellent desserts!