Check out my Mix and Match Popsicle recipes and tips on Oh Happy Day! A few simple purees of fresh fruit, coconut milk, or chocolate make for endless combinations of the freshest tasting popsicles that I just want to eat all summer long. Or center a whole party around.

I had a ton of fun doing the how-to pictures with the Oh Happy Day crew, though I think Jordan just wanted to get to the part where we got to eat them already. Hee.

More food and recipes as seen on Oh Happy Day.

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Key Lime Pot de Creme Gingersnap Cookie Spoons Cardamom Cinnamon Churros with Chocolate

What can I say, I’m ready for warm weather and tropical, icy drinks made from fresh fruit and coconut milk.  I may have to move out of San Francisco to have the first part happen with any frequency.

Served with Sushi Salad and Lemon Wasabi Dressing as part of a Gluten Free Picnic.

Mango Pineapple Coconut Slush

• 4 cup mango chunks (fresh or frozen)
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups pineapple juice

Combine mango, coconut milk, lemon juice, and sugar in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a wide, shallow pan or container and freeze.

About an hour before serving, remove frozen mixture from freezer and set out to begin to thaw. Check back occasionally, and start breaking up mixture with a fork when possible. Pour pineapple juice over the top. Stir occasionally, until slushy, well combined, and pourable.

Smoothie version (smoother texture): Freeze mango chunks. Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

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My dear friend Kate is moving away so we planned a little picnic now that our time together is so limited and precious. Kate is gluten free and it was set to be 89 degrees in the East Bay, so I settled on making a sort of deconstructed sushi-inspired salad. Laziness may have also played a small factor since I could have just made actual sushi rolls. Instead, I made a batch of rice in the morning, and in the time it was cooking I chopped up everything for the rest of the salad and whisked together a simple dressing to stick in the fridge until it was time for lunch.

The ingredients of this salad are endlessly flexible. I included shrimp as a non-raw option and the ahi tuna because it was calling my name at the store, but salmon would also be great here. And I will certainly be making this again when it’s crab season in San Francisco.

The avocado is non-negotiable in my opinion, but I also had cucumber and carrots in the fridge and seriously about 10 pounds of edamame in the freezer, so they rounded out this salad. I got this little handheld julienne tool as a gift and I’m kinda in love with it. It looks like a peeler but it makes the carrots and cucumbers for this salad into pretty ribbons.

All the ingredients of the salad are naturally gluten free, but for the dressing I was careful to choose tamari sauce, which is not made with wheat like soy sauce. If you do not need gluten free dressing, soy sauce can be easily substituted.  I double checked to make sure my brand of wasabi did not have any stealth gluten ingredients and we were good to go.

I brought along a little jar of roasted seaweed strips to add at the last minute. For those I just cut up some roasted seaweed snacks. The Trader Joe’s brand (in both regular and wasabi flavors) is labeled as gluten-free, so I used those, but I frequently also find them in regular grocery stores, Costco, my favorite Asian grocery, and online.

I usually can’t help myself and make a bunch of dishes to complete a menu, but this salad seemed pretty complete by itself. I just served it with this Mango Pineapple Coconut Slush to keep cool.

Sushi Salad with Lemon Wasabi Dressing

serves 4

• vinegared rice (below)
• about 1/2 pound sashimi-grade ahi tuna
• about 1/2 pound cooked shrimp (I tossed mine in a little lime juice)
• 2 avocados, sliced
• about 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1/2 cucumber, shredded or cut into matchsticks
• 2 carrots, shredded or cut into matchsticks
• lemon wasabi dressing (below)
• toasted seaweed snacks, cut into strips

Pat a layer of rice in a platter. Arrange tuna, shrimp, avocado, edamame cucumber, and carrots on top.

Serve with dressing and seaweed strips.

If making ahead: Prepare all fish and vegetables and store in refrigerator. Do not refrigerate rice. Assemble just before serving.

Vinegared Rice (Sushi Rice)

• 1 3/4 cups sushi rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

Place rice in a large bowl and fill with cool water. Swirl around the rice to wash it, and change out the water 4 or 5 times until the water stays clear.

Pour into strainer to drain and let stand for about one hour.

Combine water and rice in a medium pot that has a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Do not remove the lid. Remove from heat and let sit with the lid on for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together seasoned rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.

Transfer rice to a wide, shallow pan to allow for quick cooling. Fan it a bit, and drizzle with vinegar mixture. Fold in vinegar mixture, being careful not to stir and separate rice.  Cool to just above room temperature.

To store rice: Vinegar dressing should help preserve rice without refrigeration. Cover and store in a cool area. Refrigeration will cause rice to harden.

Lemon Wasabi Dressing

• 1/4 cup tamari sauce (for gluten free) or soy sauce (not gluten free)
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon wasabi

Whisk together all ingredients.

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Why wait all the way until the evening for birthday cake? No, seriously. Especially when you can just make a couple giant cinnamon rolls and stack them up, layer-cake style. It counts as breakfast, I promise! Plus, nothing says “Happy Birthday” like something ridiculous baked with love.

The real inspiration for this cake was the birthday girl herself. Darling Jackie is one of my dearest, long time friends. After all we’ve been through together, one of my strongest associations with her will always be her cinnamon roll recipe, which I practically tackled her to get. She got it from one of her fellow Home Ec teachers, so you know it’s good since it’s designed for teenagers to work with. But it’s also just the perfect cinnamon roll recipe and as soon as I got it from Jackie I just stopped looking. And then naturally I tried to figure out how to make her a birthday cake out of it.

I love this dough so much, it handles beautifully. It’s thick and sturdy to work with, holds it’s shape phenomenally well, but then bakes up tender and not dry and bready like so many cinnamon roll dough recipes.

I had really planned on making a 2-layer cake instead of 3, but I overestimated the amount of dough I would need by, oh, a whole layer’s worth.

No matter, all three 3 layers were quickly demolished by our full house. I’ve put the 2-layer version below for reasonable people, and the 3-layer version below for awesome people.

Of course this recipe is also amazing in it’s original form as regular cinnamon rolls, just roll up the dough and slice into 12-15 slices.

2-Layer Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Birthday Cake

dough recipe adapted from Jackie

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup warm milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• about 8 cups flour

For filling

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon

Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, salt, and eggs. Stir well and add yeast mixture.

Add about 4 cups flour and beat until smooth.  Keep adding flour (between 3 and 4 cups) until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto surface and knead for 5-10 minutes.

Place in greased storage bag and refrigerate overnight or until ready to use. Or, if using the same day, place dough in warm place for 1-2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

Punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.

Roll out each on floured surface into a 15 x 20 rectangle.

Spread dough with 1/2 cup melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture.

Trim off uneven edges. With a clean ruler and sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice dough into 1 1/2 inch strips.

Prepare 2 8-inch cake pans by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray.

Loosely roll first strip (loosely to give the middle space to expand as it rises and keep the layer more level) and place in pan. Add another strip where the first strip ends, wrapping around loosely to continue the spiral. Don’t worry about sealing together the strips of dough. Continue adding more strips until pan is almost full, leaving about a half inch gap around the edge. Repeat with other pan. Any leftover scraps can be rolled up and baked separately.

Let rise in warm place for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until layers are nicely browned.

For Assembly

Allow cinnamon roll layers to cool slightly. Carefully remove from pans and discard parchment.

Reserve prettiest roll for top layer. Place bottom layer on cake plate and top with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting (below) and repeat with middle layer, reserving about 1/4 cup of frosting for top. Top with top roll layer.

Thin down remaining frosting to make a glaze (you can also just use the normal frosting, I thinned it down so the spiral of the top cinnamon roll would be visible). Add a few tablespoons of milk at a time and whisk until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle glaze over top cinnamon roll.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• about 1/2 cup milk

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Gradually add in powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

3-Layer Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Birthday Cake

dough recipe adapted from Jackie

• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 eggs
• about 12 cups flour

For filling

• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, 1 cup melted butter, salt, and eggs. Stir well and add yeast mixture.

Add about 6 cups flour and beat until smooth.  Keep adding flour (between 4 and 6 cups) until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto surface and knead for 5-10 minutes.

Place in greased storage bag and refrigerate overnight or until ready to use. Or, if using the same day, place dough in warm place for 1-2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

Punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 1/4 cups sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.

Roll out each on floured surface into a 30 x 20 rectangle.

Spread dough with 3/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture.

Trim off uneven edges. With a clean ruler and sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice dough into 1 1/2 inch strips.

Prepare 3 8-inch cake pans by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray.

Loosely roll first strip (loosely to give the middle space to expand as it rises and keep the layer more level) and place in pan. Add another strip where the first strip ends, wrapping around loosely to continue the spiral. Don’t worry about sealing together the strips of dough. Continue adding more strips until pan is almost full, leaving about a half inch gap around the edge. Repeat with other pan. Any leftover scraps can be rolled up and baked separately.

Let rise in warm place for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until layers are nicely browned.

For Assembly

Allow cinnamon roll layers to cool slightly. Carefully remove from pans and discard parchment.

Reserve prettiest roll for top layer. Place bottom layer on cake plate and top with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting (below), reserving about 1/4 cup of frosting for top. Top with top roll layer.

Thin down remaining frosting to make a glaze (you can also just use the normal frosting, I thinned it down so the spiral of the top cinnamon roll would be visible). Add a few tablespoons of milk at a time and whisk until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle glaze over top cinnamon roll.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• about 1/2 cup milk

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Gradually add in powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

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Carl Weathers gives good advice. I took chicken with bones, threw it in a pot, added some broth, and a (sweet) potato, and baby, I had a stew going for my Arrested Development party.  It may not look like much (no stew does), but even with it’s short cooking time it’s deeply flavorful, and manages to be a little exotic without losing it’s “comfort food” value. The coconut milk and curry go along way to make it special. This stew was the surprise hit of the night!

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Carl Weathers’ Stew with Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Coconut Milk, and Curry

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 pounds chicken thighs (bone-in)
• 2 pounds  sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2″ cubes
• salt
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Combine chicken broth, coconut milk, and curry powder in a large pot and bring to a simmer over low to medium heat. Add chicken and sweet potatoes, and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender. Remove chicken and pull the meat off the bones. Return meat to the pot. Add salt to taste and garnish with scallions and cilantro.

More Arrested Development party ideas

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One of the first plans I had for the Arrested Development party was to do a banana stand photo booth, but I didn’t really want to spend a lot of time or money building one. Thankfully, I found tri-fold cardboard (the kind for science fair projects) that was already yellow and about the right size, which made the whole process quick and easy to assemble with no construction skills required!

If you can’t find yellow, of course you can paint your own. If you can’t find the tri-fold board at all, you will need 2 24″x36″ pieces of foam core board or heavy cardboard and 4 12″x36″ boards.

Don’t forget to make some banana stand aprons to pose in!

You will need:

• 2 yellow 48″x36″ tri-fold project boards (these are from Michael’s)
• 2-4 sheets of foamcore board (dollar store)
• string of large colored lights (these are from Party City)
• roll of yellow duct tape (yellow if you can find it- got this roll at Party City)
• heavy glue (or more tape)
• x-acto knife or box cutter
• Bluth Frozen Banana Stand Sign (see below)
• Optional: 1 additional yellow tri-fold board to create curved banana top

Bottom half:

The tri-fold board is the right idea, but it currently folds in the wrong direction. With an x-acto knife or box cutter, carefully slice between cardboard pieces of the first tri-fold board to separate into three pieces. Re-assemble pieces, yellow side down, and tightly tape together with duct tape along the seams. Flaps should now fold in the correct direction. At this point with the flaps at the correct angle, you can also seal up the outside seam with yellow duct tape if desired.

Stand the board up and angle sides to desired angle. Place over a piece of foam core and trace the inside, creating a trapezoid shape (trapezoid does not need to be full depth of tri-fold board). Cut 4 trapezoids.

With tape or heavy-duty glue, attach trapezoid to bottom inside of tri-fold board.

Then attach a second to the very top. Reserve remaining two trapezoids for top half.

Top half:

With the second tri-fold board, once again carefully separate into three pieces. Before reassembling, this time we need to make a window. Using center (widest) piece, cut a 3 inch strip off the top, and a 3 inch strip off the bottom. These pieces will be the top and bottom of the window. With remaining piece, cut in half lengthwise to create shutters.

Set shutters aside and reassemble pieces with yellow side down, leaving open the space where shutter pieces used to be. Tape seams to connect sides with top and bottom strip.

Attach trapezoids to top and bottom of assembled board.

Final assembly:

Stack top half over bottom half. Attach top trapezoid of bottom half to bottom trapezoid of top half with heavy glue or duct tape. Attach Bluth Banana Stand sign to top strip above the window. Find a good angle for the shutters and tape into place from the back. Attach lights (mine have clips).

Optional: Cut a curved banana top from the 3rd board. We didn’t have space to add this for ours.

Bluth Frozen Banana Stand Sign

I did my best to re-create the Bluth Frozen Banana stand sign. I had it printed as a 20″x30″ enlargement/poster at Costco Photo Center (only $8.99 and available to pick up just hours later, love you Costco). You can order them already mounted on a board, or I mounted my own by using spray adhesive onto a sheet of foam core board. Trim carefully with a sharp x-acto knife.

Free printable Bluth Frozen Banana Stand sign for download (click through all the way for full size)

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This soup I served at my Arrested Development party is definitely not watery and has more than a smack of ham to it. Maybe that’s not authentic, but it’s hearty and flavorful, and enough to keep you going on a long day of earning money for H.O.O.P. or posing for the Ladies of Literacy calendar.

I don’t know how  I kept accidentally making healthy-ish food for this party. Serve with Bluth Cornballs with Buttermilk and Fresh Corn.

More from the Arrested Development party menu. 

Lindsay’s Hot Ham Water with Tortellini, Chickpeas, and Kale

• 2-3 quarts ham broth (below), chicken broth, or a combination (my ham broth came out strong so I used a combination)
• 2 -3 cups coarsely chopped ham
• 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
• 3 cups chopped kale
• 1 pound fresh cheese tortellini
• parmesan cheese for garnish

Combine broth, ham, and chickpeas in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Add kale and tortellini* and simmer until kale is wilted and tortellini is just cooked, about 6 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

*If not serving immediately, cook tortellini in a separate pot. Quickly cool under cold water to stop cooking process. Toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. When ready to serve, heat soup and add in tortellini to just heat through.

Ham Broth

• ham bone with a little meat on it
• you can also add: other ham scraps, vegetable scraps such as carrot pieces, onion pieces, celery pieces, peppercorns

Place ham bone (and other scraps if using) in a very large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to more than cover.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 3 hours. Add a little water once or twice an hour to maintain level.

Remove from heat and remove bones and any vegetables. Strain to remove any remaining pieces and discard. Taste the broth- if watery or not flavorful enough, return to a boil and allow some of the water to evaporate until a good flavor is achieved. If too strong, add a little water.

Cool broth to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for a few hours, until fat has solidified on top. Remove solidified fat before using.

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I really do want to marry these ice cream sandwiches. The outside is my favorite chocolate cookies, and the inside is my favorite, easy to make gelato. It’s made from just a few pure ingredients and tastes so fresh and light and intensely vanilla. It also doesn’t freeze to a solid brick when stored in your freezer. I love it when the easiest recipe and the best recipe are one and the same.

Of course you can use a store-bought ice cream or gelato instead. I made several batches and made each batch a separate flavor by just folding in a few toppings. One batch got chopped maraschino cherries and mini chocolate chips, and another got a swirl of salted caramel sauce. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite, I CAN’T CHOOSE.

The technique of assembling the sandwiches is pretty cool. Simply spread the soft gelato (or softened store-bought ice cream) in a lined pan, checking for the desired thickness. Then you freeze this until it’s firm enough to cut to the same size as the cookies.

The frozen bananas are just crazy easy. You don’t even need to be Mr. Manager to master them.  They are also accidentally the healthiest party dessert I have ever made. Good thing I rolled most of them in toffee pieces to negate that a little.

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Bluth Frozen Bananas

• Bananas (a little on the green side)
• 2 cups chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• about 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• garnish (I used chopped toffee, a combination of chopped macadamia nuts and toasted coconut, or sprinkles)

Peel bananas and carefully insert a popsicle stick in one end (I cut off about the bottom third or fourth of the banana first to make this easier and create a shape that was easier to work with). Place bananas on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper and freeze for at least 15 minutes, or until solid enough to work with and not fall off the stick.

Combine chocolate chips and about 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil in a double boiler or in the microwave and heat until melted (stop to stir it every 20-30 seconds to prevent burning).  Check the chocolate for thickness- a thick chocolate will make a very thick coating. Add more oil as needed until not too thick (mine was about the thickness of maple syrup). Dip one banana in the chocolate until coated.

Working very quickly, roll in desired toppings, as the chocolate hardens very quickly after hitting the cold banana. Place completed bananas back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and return to freezer. Can be made many days in advance.

Ice Cream Sandwiches with Homemade Chocolate Cookies and Gelato

Makes 8

For Assembly

• 1 batch chocolate cookie dough (below)
• 1 batch easy gelato (see below) or about 1-1.5 quarts other ice cream or gelato, softened
• mix-ins such as maraschio cherries and mini chocolate chips, or salted caramel sauce

Heat oven to 350.

Roll out cookie dough to about 1/8″ thick. With a clean ruler and sharp knife, cut into 2×4″ rectangles. Carefully transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone baking mat. Poke holes in each cookie with a sharp skewer for decoration.

Bake for about 10 minutes (will vary depending on thickness of your cookies), until cookies have firmed up around the edges.

Meanwhile, line an 8×8″ square pan with foil (you may use another size pan if you prefer, this size pan is what gave me the height I wanted for the gelato once spread out. You may need more ice cream or gelato to get a good thickness with a larger pan), going up the sides so a little foil hangs over the edge of the pan. Smoothe out as many wrinkles as possible. Spread gelato straight from ice cream maker (or softened store-bought) into pan. If adding mix-ins, sprinkle over the top and stir in slightly with a knife. Level off the top and place in freezer until very firm, about 3 or 4 hours.

Working quickly, remove foil and ice cream from pan and flip onto a cutting board. Discard foil. With clean ruler and sharp knife, cut 2×4″ rectangles of the ice cream. Press rectangle between two chocolate cookies. Place in a pan or container lined with waxed paper or parchment. Return to freezer to firm up again before serving, about 2 or 3 hours. Can be made many days in advance.

Chocolate Cookie Dough

This is a half recipe of my favorite, go-to chocolate cookies. Full recipe posted here. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup  butter, softened
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cocoa until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to cocoa mixture and continue beating until fully incorporated and smooth.

Cover dough and chill just long enough to make dough stiff enough for rolling out.

Easy Gelato

3 cups half and half (or half milk, half cream)
1 cup  sugar
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat half and half and sugar over medium to low heat just barely bubbling and until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator to thoroughly chill- about 3 or 4 hours.  Freeze in ice
cream freezer.

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Dare I say these are worth a few Cornballer burns to make? I knew it would be fun to make cornballs for the Arrested Development party but I didn’t really think they would be THIS GOOD. The addition of buttermilk makes for a flavorful and light and tender cornball.

The batter whips up in a few minutes with mostly ingredients you already have on hand. The batter is simply dropped in scoops into the hot oil, and in a few minutes you have delicious cornballs- crispy on the outside, soft and light on the inside. A round scoop like a cookie dough scoop is perfect for getting rounder cornballs.

Free printable Cornballer label and other Arrested Development party ideas

Bluth Cornballs with Buttermilk and Fresh Corn

Adapted from this recipe

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup minced green onion
• 1 cup fresh, frozen, or canned corn kernels
• oil or frying

Whisk together cornmeal, flout, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and sugar until well combined. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in green onion and corn.

Fill deep fryer or heavy pot with a few inches of vegetable oil and heat to 365 degrees. Once oil is hot, scoop batter (about 2 tablespoons or size of a golfball) into hot oil, being careful not to crowd. Fry until golden brown, flipping at least once so sides are evenly cooked. Transfer cooked cornballs to paper towels to drain for a minute or two, then serve immediately.

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And now the story of a crazy TV theme party that had everything, and the Hot Cops that had no choice but to keep it all together… It’s an Arrested Development party.

My friends and I LOVE TV theme parties, and they insisted I put one together in honor of the new season of Arrested Development.  We couldn’t get the scheduling to work to have the party when the new episodes are released, so we decided to do a marathon of old episodes to get warmed up instead. New season is released on Netflix May 26th!

Banana Stand Photo Booth

There’s always money in the banana stand. And fun to be had, as well! I found tri-fold cardboard (the kind for science fair projects) that was already yellow and about the right size, which made the whole process quick and easy to assemble with no construction skills required!

Find the instructions in a separate post here!

Costumes and Hot Cops, Games and Prizes

My friends show up in costumes whether or not they have been instructed to do so. We had several amazing Tobiases, a Lindsay, a Rita, and more. Here’s my simple stealth Kitty costume.

And then another of my favorite ideas from the entire party- I recruited a few less-inhibited friends to come break up the party as Hot Cops. They put on quite a show!

I had an Envelope Throwing Contest all ready to go, but totally forgot once the party got going. Prep and execution is simple- everyone gets three tries throwing the envelope from a starting line marked on the floor with tape. Mark the farthest distance by each thrower with another piece of tape with their name. No one’s envelope will get very far, but the intended prized for the winner was a basket of muffins from the Muffin Man, a Burger King gift card, or a Netflix gift card to watch the new season. Prize also goes to best costume!

Bluth Banana Stand Aprons

These aprons were a highlight of the evening. I did my best to recreate the banana logo, printed it out on iron-on transfer paper (make sure you get the kind for use on dark fabrics- it has a white layer underneath), trimmed carefully for about a 1/8″ margin around the design, and ironed on to some blue canvas aprons.

I made a bunch of them for posing in, but they were a huge hit and people wore them around the party all night long.

Free printable logo PDF for download (2 per page): Bluth Banana Stand Apron

Blue Canvas Aprons

Iron-On Transfer Paper (for dark fabrics)

Stair Car

If you have stairs with a railing, you are obligated to create a stair car. There will be hop-ons! We simply cut some foamcore board to fit, and painted with red and blue stripes (angled the wrong way, oops). Narrow painter’s tape makes this quick and easy as long as you can get your tape straight and evenly spaced. I recreated the Bluth logo the best I could, then had it printed as a 16×20 poster at Costco Photo Center and mounted it on foam core with spray adhesive (you can order it from Costco already mounted for a little extra).

I failed to get any good pictures of the stair car, I was too distracted by the Hot Cops:

Free printable logo for download (click for hi-res version): 

Cornballs

Maybe one of my favorite things of the night, both to eat and to amuse myself. I made a simple Cornballer label to attach to my little fryer for serving the cornballs (I ended up cooking them in a larger fryer and transferring them for serving).  You still have to watch for burns!

But these cornballs were off-the-charts good. It turns out soy loco por los cornballs.

Free printable Cornballer label (click for larger image):

Party Favors

I can never figure out how to squeeze in enough ridiculousness to any party so a goodie bag is a good way to go. The bag itself is of course a simple “Dead Dove- do not eat” scribbled onto a paper bag.

Alliance of Magicians Illusion Deck

I originally planned to order playing cards with custom backs, but missed the cutoff to get them printed in time. So I settled for creating a sleeve to go around a regular deck of  playing cards.

Free printable Alliance of Magicians Sleeve for Playing Cards PDF (2 per page): Alliance of Magicians Playing Card Sleeve

Print on heavy duty photo paper. Fold carefully along fold lines, making a sharp fold. Trim along trim marks using an x-acto knife and straight edge (the trick to trim marks is to not cut all the way through the edge of the paper so you don’t cut off the trim marks until all the pieces have been cut out. Don’t cut along the edge of the printing as it will not be the correct size). Wrap around the box of cards. Place a piece of double stick tape on the solid purple flap, and press the opposite flap firmly against it to seal.

Sized to fit around these 3.5″ x 2.5″ playing cards in their original box

Candy Beans

Of course you can just have bowls of Michael’s favorite snack around at your party, but I included them in the goodie bag. The logo is based off a freeze frame of the $15 jar of candy beans he eats in the hotel.

Download free printable Candy Beans label PDF (2 per page- when folded in half the design is on each side): Candy Beans Label

Print labels on heavy cardstock or photo paper. Trim labels according to crop marks (the trick to trim marks is to not cut all the way through the edge of the paper so you don’t cut off the trim marks until all the pieces have been cut out. Don’t cut along the edge of the printing as it will not be the correct size) and fold in half. Fill a bag (labels are sized to fit these 4in wide clear bags) with at least a cup of good jelly beans. Fold down top of bag several times, and tuck inside folded label. Staple to secure.

“And that’s why you always leave a note” sticky notes

I’m so proud of these. I custom ordered these through a printing place. Due to last minute ordering I only had the option of printing on white, but if you plan ahead better than I did you’ll have more color options at other printers. The printing is intentionally faint so you can write directly over it.

Free printable design for 3″ sticky notes PDF: “And that’s why you always leave a note” Sticky Notes

HomeFill Brand Soundtrack

Arrested Development has some great music choices, so for one of the party favor items I created a soundtrack to burn to CDs. Of course you can customize the soundtrack to include your favorite songs from the show. I made a HomeFill brand label for it just because I wanted something HomeFill somewhere. Hee.

My chosen soundtrack:

1. The Final Countdown – Europe
2. Everybody Got Their Something – Nikki Costa
3. Cry Love – John Hiatt
4. Downtown – Petula Clark
5. Big Yellow Joint – Steven Sprung
6. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams
7. Gonna Get Together – Leroy
8. Mr. Roboto – Styx
9. Rose’s Turn – Ethel Merman
10. Motherboy – David Schwartz
11. Bad Girls – Donna Summer
12. Takin’ Care of Business – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
13. Christmas Time Is Here – Vince Guaraldi Trio
14. Solid (as a Rock) – Ashford & Simpson
15. Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal
16. The Final Countdown (Instrumental)

Free printable HomeFill Soundtrack label PDF (4 per page): HomeFill Soundtrack Label

Menu

The big problems with planning a theme menu for any TV show are making a balanced, cohesive menu of things that will be good together, and then items that are actually GOOD to eat (thanks for nothing, Michael Scott and your bologna and ketchup sandwiches). You don’t keep your friends by serving them actual Hot Ham Water, no matter if there’s a smack of ham to it.

When I do a TV party menu, I also like to print up some labels with the name of the dish, but also a quote or screencap of the reference. To create your own, the font used here (which I believe is the official Arrested Development font) is Antique Olive.

To start, I set out tubs of freshly popped Pop Pop popcorn for snacking (some with melted butter and sea salt, and some with melted butter, parmesan cheese, and chili powder in honor of Gene Parmesan), and unlimited juice.

Later, I fired up the Cornballer and served fresh cornballs (SO GOOD) with a dressed up Hot Ham Water and Carl Weathers’ stew (which was a favorite), and a blue salad in honor of Tobias served with Sudden Valley dressing (just my favorite poppy seed dressing).

Later, I brought out trays of the signature Bluth frozen bananas (the ones rolled in toffee were the runaway favorite), and homemade ice cream sandwiches made from fresh made chocolate cookies and fresh churned gelato with various mix-ins.

My only regret is that I ran out of time for a platter of items to serve with club sauce.

As a bonus, the menu is all easy-to-make items that can all be easily made ahead, with the exception of the cornballs which should be eaten soon after they are fried. But the making cornballs is a great bonding activity for your party, and the rest of the prep is very low maintenance - heat up the soup and stew, keep the frozen bananas and ice cream sandwiches in the freezer until ready to serve.

Arrested Development Party Menu

Hot Ham Water with tortellini, chickpeas, and kale

Carl Weathers’ Stew with chicken, sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and curry

Bluth Cornballs made with buttermilk and fresh corn

I Just Blue Myself Salad with blueberries, blue cheese, and almonds

Sudden Valley Dressing

Frozen Bananas with toffee, toasted coconut and macadamia nuts, or sprinkles

Ice Cream Sandwiches with homemade chocolate cookies and gelato – vanilla, salted caramel, or cherry chip

Unlimited Juice

Pop Pop – Buttered or Gene Parmesan

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