I find most of my Summer weekends are spent with family. We either have family in town, events we all love to attend or participate in, holidays, or birthdays.

This upcoming weekend we are celebrating my nephew, William’s, 2nd birthday. In honor of my favorite tiny human I have created a menu that is both kid and adult friendly for a Summer gathering.

First, however, a trip down memory lane. When my siblings and I were younger we had an aunt on my dad’s side who would babysit us. Most of the time it was all three of us but once a year it was a one on one adventure. Mine was referred to as Katie Day. We got to choose the activities, eat whatever we wanted, and a lot of the time have a sleep over. It was pure magic and something I have always looked forward to sharing with my nieces and nephews.

Enter William. This kid is a fruit eating, elephant loving, bubble obsessed, ball of energy. He has my whole family wrapped around his finger and he definitely knows how to play the game.

Small bites are the answer for a party like this. Something you can easily eat standing up or sitting down so you don’t miss a moment. I imagine this spread is all out when the guests arrive and a few items can be done the night before to decrease day of party stress.

William is a fruit loving little guy so I wanted to highlight that with these visually appealing, kid friendly fruit cups. In contrast to the cups, but something the whole party will also enjoy is this cowboy caviar. Get those whole wheat chip cups and this addictive dip can be easily scooped on the go.

When it is time for something a little more substantial go with these mini versions of cookout/picnic favorites. All the deliciousness of mac and cheese in a compact muffin size and the go to Summer staples of BLT sliders and mini corn dogs. The sliders have an insanely good basil mayo dollop that can be made even healthier with avocado mayo and the mini corn dogs are baked to golden brown perfection.

For that moment during the party when you want to sit down and relax, this crowd pleasing salad is a great choice! The crunchy asian ramen noodle salad of your dreams to rejuvenate you mid bash.

Finish your day with these Nutella Churro Doughnut Holes. This dessert will have everyone raving and certainly no one will miss a cake. They even look great with two candles on top for the birthday boy.

I hope you all enjoy your Summer weekends as much as I do. This one will be even more special as it is the last with just one tiny human to adore. Let me know if you try any or all of these recipes and how they turn out!