When my plans for my celebrating my birthday fell through at the last minute, I decided to just have a small, intimate gathering at home. Even still, I knew I wanted to do something unique and original. I had just done a dessert bar at my son’s 1st birthday party last month, so I wanted to do something a little different. And I wanted it to be on a smaller scale, perhaps just one main item instead of a whole bunch of different foods, especially since there would be a lot less people.
I thought maybe I could do a s’mores bar. But that would require some kind of heat source, and it would have to sit out all night. Plus, I had done the whole s’mores thing over and over already. Then I contemplated an ice cream bar, but I was concerned that sitting ice cream would melt and get all messy. That’s when I came up with the idea of a waffle bar! I mean, who doesn’t love waffles. I practically make them every Sunday for breakfast. So this would be easy. Similar to an ice cream bar, I could offer a number of different toppings to go with it. I already had a Belgium waffle-maker, so all I needed to get were all the extras. I ended getting some fruits, different spreads (Nutella….Mmmmm!), and of course whip cream and nuts to top it all off.
Normally for parties, when it comes to the layout, I like to go all out. I go with a theme, create coordinating banners and food labels, and have matching napkins and tableware. But since I didn’t have time to do all that this time around, I decided to just write directly on the table (sort of). It was easy, simple, and quick. I used kraft paper to cover the table and once I had everything laid out, I labeled it all. To make it a little more interesting, I wrote out “steps” at each section of the waffle bar.
For a last minute thing, it sure turned out great! Everyone seemed to have a really good time with it. It was interactive, fun and delicious, if I do say so myself.
