What to cook for a birthday

The choice of menu and the design of festive dishes depends on who you invited to your birthday. A feast for teenagers is different from a celebration where elderly relatives will come. When thinking about what to cook for your birthday, choose recipes depending on the time of year. In summer, use more seasonal greens, fruits and vegetables, and in winter, give preference to hot food.

For any celebration that will have many invited guests, portioned dishes are good, such as rolls, canapes and sandwiches, as well as meat, cheese, vegetable and fruit platters. They look great on the table and are comfortable for guests. 

It takes time to organize a holiday, but in addition to working in the kitchen, you also need to entertain guests. Healthy Food Near Me shares recipes for simple, tasty and inexpensive dishes, the preparation of which does not take much effort.

refreshments

Light snacks are essential. With these dishes, the birthday begins, and they set the mood for the whole feast.

Canape with sausage and cheese

For a mouth-watering treat, it is convenient to use plastic or wooden skewers.

Cut the bread into pieces 1 cm thick and dry them on a baking sheet in the oven to the state of croutons. Cut the cucumber lengthwise into thin long slices. We prick half an olive on a skewer, then we string cucumber slices in the form of a wave. Behind them – cherry tomatoes, sausage, cheese and stick the skewers into the croutons.

Tartlets with mushrooms and chicken

A delicious snack can be prepared quickly, because its basis – tartlets – is sold in almost any store.

We cook chicken and eggs. Saute chopped onions and mushrooms in butter. Cut the fillet, eggs, mix with mushrooms, salt, pepper and season with mayonnaise. Put the mass in tartlets and decorate with greens.

Appetizer of eggplant, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers

A beautiful dish that looks like a peacock’s tail is a great idea to surprise guests with an unusual serving.

Cut the eggplants, sprinkle them with salt and leave for half an hour. Rinse with water, dry with paper towels and fry on both sides in oil. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into slices. Grate cheese, add crushed garlic, salt and season with mayonnaise. Lay the eggplant on a platter. Put on them a mug of tomato, cheese mass, circles of cucumbers and halves of olives.

Rolls with crab sticks

A tender dish with a delicious filling just melts in your mouth!

Cut off the crusts from the bread. We unfold 5 crab sticks, lay them on cling film with an overlap and grease with 1 tbsp. l. mayonnaise. Finely chop the remaining sticks, mix with curd cheese and the remaining mayonnaise. Put the bread on the unfolded sticks, roll it on top with a rolling pin, and then spread the curd mixture in a layer. Carefully roll up the roll and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

Sandwiches with sprats

Delicious smelling sandwiches are best served on several plates so that each guest has enough

Dry the slices of bread in the oven until golden brown. Let’s boil the eggs. Chop the greens, mix with chopped eggs and season with mayonnaise. Put on bread, put on top of a mug of cucumber, half a tomato and a couple of fish.

Salads

Simple and delicious dishes are a real decoration of a birthday. Salads are hearty and light – for every taste. To make it easier to work on the holiday, prepare them ahead of time and store them in covered containers in a cool place. 

Chicken salad with nuts

The dish is rich in proteins, so it is suitable for anyone who is very hungry.

Put on a plate layers of diced breast, nuts, fried mushrooms with onions, chopped eggs and grated cheese with garlic. We will tamp each layer with a fork and grease a little with mayonnaise.

Calamari salad with pineapple

An exotic salad with unexpected flavors and will perfectly complement the festive table.

Squid, pineapple and potatoes cut into small cubes. Peel the pepper and cut into strips. Mix with corn, chopped herbs, pepper, salt and season with mayonnaise.

Salad with sausage and beans

Appetizing salad is suitable for a holiday, and for a modest family feast

We cut carrots, onions and sauté them in oil. Cut sausage into strips, add vegetables, washed beans, croutons and season with mayonnaise.

Layered salad with mushrooms

If you cook vegetables and eggs in advance, it will take less than 10 minutes to prepare a “mushroom fairy tale”

Grate boiled potatoes on a coarse grater and lay out the first layer of lettuce. Lubricate with mayonnaise, sprinkle with chopped onion, boiled eggs grated on a coarse grater and add another layer of mayonnaise. Then lay out layers of sliced ​​champignons, small cubes of ham and again grease with mayonnaise. The top layer will be made from grated cheese mixed with mayonnaise. We wrap the salad with cling film, put it in a cold place, and before serving, decorate the dish with chopped green onions.

Salad with crab sticks in tartlets

It is convenient that the festive dish is already divided into portions.

We will cook hard-boiled eggs and defrost crab sticks. Chop the eggs, cut the cheese and sticks into cubes. Pass the garlic cloves through the press, salt, add chopped greens and season with mayonnaise. Stir and arrange on tartlets.

Hot dishes

The main treat at the holiday is the pride of the owners. Cooking hot dishes takes a lot of time, so you should take care of the products for them in advance.

Rabbit with adjika

Tender delicacy meat will appeal to everyone who likes “spicy”  

Cut the meat into portions, put in a baking dish. Pour adjika, salt and add your favorite spices. We close the top tightly with a sheet of foil and bake in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees for about an hour.

Pilaf in the oven

A light dish of chicken and rice is in no way inferior to the traditional oriental pilaf, but it cooks much faster

Cut the breasts into large cubes, salt, sprinkle with spices, add a little oil and place in a baking dish. Fry onions and carrots until golden brown. Add the carrot-onion mixture and finely chopped tomato to the chicken. Put washed rice, hot peppers and unpeeled garlic heads on top. Pour in the broth, wrap the form with foil and cook for 50 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. Remove the foil, and then heat the pilaf in the oven for another 7-8 minutes.

Chicken in sour cream sauce

A delicious chicken treat is considered “their” national treasure by Tatars, Bashkirs and residents of the Caucasus

Cut the chicken into portions and fry until golden brown in vegetable oil. Separately, fry the chopped onion until tender. Put the chicken on it, and stirring, we will cook for another 15-20 minutes. Mix sour cream with 100-150 ml of water, pour one glass of sauce, and pour the rest into the chicken. In the remaining sauce, dilute the flour and squeezed garlic through a press, salt, pepper and add to the chicken. We will simmer under a closed lid over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Pork stewed in wine

Pork meat is not as tender as chicken, but dry wine gives it an unusual aroma and taste.

Cut the meat into 3×3 cm cubes. Pour in wine so that it almost completely covers the pork. Add sugar, salt, cinnamon and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil. We wrap the coriander in paper, beat it with a culinary hammer, and then pour it over the meat. Let the pork marinate overnight. The next day, remove the pieces from the marinade and fry until golden brown in oil. Then put in a saucepan, pour marinade and simmer until tender.

Turkey azu

A great idea is to serve a traditional dish of Tatar cuisine to guests for their birthday. Delicious turkey azu is lighter than beef azu

Cut the fillet into pieces 1 cm thick and 4-5 cm long and fry in vegetable oil for 5-10 minutes. In the remaining oil, fry chopped onions and carrots, add tomato paste and fry for another 3-5 minutes. Pour 500 ml of water into the pan, put suneli hops, paprika and sugar. When the contents of the pan boil, add the meat and chopped pickles. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes. In a separate pan, fry the chopped potatoes until cooked. We shift it to the turkey and cook under the lid for another 5 minutes. Then sprinkle the azu with chopped herbs, garlic, close the lid and let the dish brew for 10-15 minutes.

Dessert

The sweet end of the birthday is the real culmination of the holiday. In addition to the traditional birthday cake or cake, guests especially appreciate delicious homemade desserts.

Bananas in chocolate with nuts

The original portioned dessert is similar to ice cream, but much healthier than the usual store-bought treat. To prepare it, you will need skewers 20 cm long.

Peel the bananas and cut them into 10-12 slices. We string 4-5 slices on skewers, lubricating each slice with almond oil. Melt the chocolate in a water bath. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the chopped walnuts in a bowl. Take one skewer, dip bananas in melted chocolate, roll in peanuts and put on a baking sheet. When everything is ready, put the dessert for half an hour in the freezer.

coconut balls

A three-food sweet treat can be made in just 20 minutes

In a saucepan, combine coconut flakes, egg whites and sugar. We put it on the stove and, stirring, warm it up for 7-8 minutes. We shift the mass into a bowl, and put it in the cold for 2-3 hours. From the cooled mass we blind round sweets, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. We will bake for 20 minutes in the oven at 150 degrees.

Chocolate chip cookies with coffee

Wonderful coffee aftertaste will be appreciated by all sweet lovers

Melt half the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Mix coffee with 6 tbsp. tablespoons of boiling water, add to chocolate and butter, add sugar and mix. Crack the eggs and whisk until smooth. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and then pour into the chocolate mass. Knead the dough by adding the remaining chocolate, crushed into crumbs. We blind 25-30 balls, put them on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. 

Jelly candies

Funny rolls will cheer up everyone who sits at the festive table

Pour boiling water over the vein powder and stir so that there are no lumps. Heat the marshmallows in the microwave until they are soft. Pour the swollen marshmallows with jelly, mix with a whisk and warm a little in the microwave. Pour the resulting mass into a greased rectangular shape and put in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, roll the frozen jelly into a roll and cut into small pieces.

Pumpkin jam with lemon

Birthday is a warm home holiday, so delicious amber jam will come in handy

Peeled pumpkin and lemon without zest cut into cubes. Put in a saucepan, add sugar, mix and let it brew for 20 minutes. Put on medium heat, cook for 20 minutes and leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Then boil the jam again and cook for another 20 minutes.

Recipes from the chef

Nice salad

For a birthday, you always want to cook something special. When tired of Olivier and fur coat, how to surprise guests? We offer to please the guests with one of the simple variants of Nicoise salad

Boil and peel eggs. Wash lettuce and cherry tomatoes. Defrost the beans and pour boiling water over them. Drain the tuna, but do not discard the liquid. Cut the eggs and cherry tomatoes in half. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces. 

Make a refill. Mix mustard and olive oil, add some tuna liquid and ground pepper. Mix well until smooth. If sauce is thick, add more tuna liquid. Optionally, you can add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.  

Mix lettuce, beans, part tuna, half the eggs and cherry tomatoes. Pour sauce over, reserving a third. Mix carefully, put in a salad bowl, adding the rest of the tuna, eggs and cherry tomatoes. Pour sauce over and serve immediately. 

Baked turkey with garlic and prunes

For hot, cook a bird with garlic and dried fruits – guests will appreciate the unusual flavor combination

Rinse and dry the turkey fillet. Peel the garlic and cut into large chunks. Pour prunes with boiling water for 30 minutes, and then cut into 2-3 parts. Using a small knife, make cuts in the turkey and stuff it with garlic and prunes. Mix oil, salt, pepper and rub the fillet with the mixture. Wrap tightly in foil. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Then open the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, basting frequently with the released juices. 

Chef’s Tips

When preparing a festive table, calculate the approximate amount of food for each guest. The volume should not exceed 500-800 grams per person. Then your guests will remain full, but at the same time they will not overeat much. Use more fresh vegetables and herbs – so the table will be more balanced.