Have Fun with Food at High School Musical Party

Although High School Musical is no longer the hot commodity it might have been a couple of years ago, there are many diehard fans that are still planning birthday parties around the theme. One of the most difficult aspects of any theme is incorporating food ideas. There are many ways to incorporate the "HSM" theme into your party food.

First, consider which movie you want to feature. If you prefer the third (major motion picture) version, you might offer cafeteria-style food, and even offer it buffet style on trays like kids might get at school. This style of feeding the masses will also work if you focus on the original "HSM", but if you want to do a pool-party with the "HSM" theme you'd best focus on the second movie, which was set during the summer at a resort. Think about pool party food (standard fare like barbecue can work here).

Cafeteria food

If you choose to go with the school food option, head to a restaurant supply store where you can buy trays that are divided, like school trays might be. Set up a food line and offer traditional school lunch foods like slices of pizza and individual turkey sandwiches wrapped in plastic. You might get some small cardboard serving trays and offer nachos. You might offer a salad bar if you think the kids will partake.

Basketball is a central theme to "HSM", so if you want to bring in that theme, offer food that would be sold at a high school basketball game, like hot dogs, popcorn in paper sacks and oversized pretzels with mustard or cheese sauce.

Pool food

If you choose to do a pool party, or to use the theme from the second "HSM" movie, you might offer resort-style, or pool, food. Think about offering fruit skewers, grilled chicken and a number of different salads. Younger children might prefer the simpler food that would be offered in a cafeteria or at the basketball game rather than this menu, but only you know your group, so make decisions based on what you think is best for your group.

The cake

You have several creative options for "HSM" cakes. You could make a cake (or have one made) that looks like a basketball, or that looks like a Wildcats jersey. You might even make cake microphones by baking the cake in ice cream cones and topping them with black frosting and silver dragrees.