Let Them Eat Snake

Ants on a log, snake hot dogs, snail biscuits and snakes in quicksand . . . what more could a 6-year-old birthday boy ask for?

When Danine Stensby invited several of her son Lucas’ closest friends for a birthday sleepover, she ignored the Disney-themed decorations and put together a jungle party.

Creatures adorned the tables while the birthday guests ate the scary food. “Look, I’m eating snakes,� said Lucas as he gobbled down a gummy snake resting on quicksand (OK, it was really a pudding-cookie-crumb concoction).

What sort of mother would go to all this trouble? Why not order a cake and pizza and be done with it? “It’s my mother’s fault,� Stensby says. For her sixth birthday, her mother made an elaborate pink elephant cake, and Stensby wouldn’t do less for her son’s.

Lucas wanted a sleepover, so Stensby decided on an outdoor camp-out. She came up with the jungle theme, which she carried out all the way to the food.

“You don’t need special recipes to make great kids’ food,� Stensby says, “it’s all in the way you present it.� A little slicing and some stripes of catsup and mustard turn ordinary hot dogs into snakes. With all this decorating work, her secret is a little ready-made help. She uses packaged products for the snails, pudding and cake.

After dinner came the reptile people. One guest’s parents brought their collection of 25 reptiles for the children to learn about and hold. They had spiders on their heads and lizards on their shoulders, but the kids weren’t scared at all. Their parents were another matter, although one of the moms did have a giant snake draped over her shoulders.

After the show came a very cool snake cake and presents--creepy crawlers all the way. Then it was time for the parents to leave and the “slumber� portion of the night to begin. Lucas’ dad led the kids, with their flashlight party favors in hand, to a backyard tent, where he would play chaperon until morning. For Stensby pere, the scary part of the evening was about to begin.

The Reptile people can be reached at (310) 396-7580.

Menu

Ants on a Log

Snake Hot Dogs

Snail Rolls

Snakes in Quicksand

Sneaky Snake Cake

Swamp Juice

COUNTDOWN

Morning of party: Bake cake (unless using store-bought). Tint coconut. Make frosting. Assemble and decorate cake.

2 hours before: Crush cookies. Make pudding. Combine whipped topping, pudding and cookie crumbs. Assemble quicksand in cups. Refrigerate.

1 hour before: Roll bread stick dough to make snails and bake.

40 minutes before: Remove snails from oven and add pretzel sticks to make antennae.

35 minutes before: Fill celery sticks with peanut butter to make logs. Top with raisins. Put on plates.

30 minutes before: Remove pudding from refrigerator. Place gummy snakes on top and put cups on plates.

20 minutes before: Make lemonade and make “swamp juice� sign for lemonade pitcher.

15 minutes before: Begin boiling water for hot dogs. Make slices on both sides of hot dogs.

10 minutes before: Cook hot dogs in boiling water. Break chow mein noodles in half.

7 minutes before: Remove hot dogs from water, drain and place on plates. Make stripes with mustard and catsup. Dot ends of hot dogs with food coloring to make “eyes� and place chow mein noodle “tongues.�

5 minutes before: Put hot dogs and snails on plates.

INGREDIENTS

SHOPPING LIST

1 bunch celery

1 (10-pack) package hot dogs

1 squeeze bottle of mustard

1 squeeze bottle of catsup

1 (5-ounce) can chow mein noodles

1 (0.3-ounce) bottle black food coloring (or combination red and blue)

1 (11-ounce) package chocolate wafers

1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix

1 (8-ounce) tub frozen whipped topping

20 gummy snakes or worms

1 (7-ounce) package flake coconut

1 (0.3-ounce) bottle green food coloring

1 (1.74-ounce) bag of candy-coated chocolate pieces

2 chocolate bundt cakes or 2 bundt cake mixes

1 red fruit roll-up

2 (10.6-ounce) packages refrigerated bread stick dough

1 (1 1/2-ounce) box raisins

STAPLES

Peanut butter

Milk

Solid vegetable shortening

Butter

Vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

ANTS ON A LOG

4 celery sticks, ends trimmed

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

48 raisins

Fill celery sticks with peanut butter, about 1 1/2 tablespoons per celery stick. Cut each stick into thirds. Top each “log� with 4 raisins.

12 logs. Each log:

59 calories; 50 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.34 gram fiber.

SNAKE HOT DOGS

10 hot dogs

Salt

1 (16-ounce) squeeze bottle mustard

1 (28-ounce) squeeze bottle catsup

5 chow mein noodles

Black food color or red and blue mixed

Cut 4 slices, 1/2 inch apart, on 1 side of each hot dog. Repeat slices on opposite side without cutting through whole hot dog.

Cook sliced hot dogs in boiling salted water until they curl, about 3 minutes. Drain hot dogs on paper towels.

Starting at 1 end, squeeze mustard in horizontal stripe over top of hot dog. Then squeeze stripe of catsup in same manner, just touching mustard stripe. Alternate mustard and catsup until stripes reach end of hot dog.

Break 1 chow mein noodle in half and place 1 half into 1 end of hot dog to make snake tongue. Dip toothpick into black food color and make 2 dots above tongue for eyes.

10 snakes. Each snake:

134 calories; 486 mg sodium; 20 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

SNAIL ROLLS

2 (10.6-ounce) packages refrigerated bread stick dough

20 pretzel sticks

Stensby uses Pillsbury brand bread sticks for the snails.

Remove dough from packages and separate into sticks. Take 1 stick and roll into spiral. Repeat with remaining dough.

Place spirals upright on baking sheets, as if they were snails, letting sides touch and pressing bottom flat so snails will be able to stand once baked. Turn end of each spiral out to make head.

Bake at 375 degrees until brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Pull snails apart and stand on plates. Break pretzel sticks in half and place 2 halves in top of each snail to make antennae.

20 snails. Each snail:

92 calories; 279 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

SNAKES IN QUICKSAND

1 (16-ounce) package chocolate wafers

2 cups milk

1 (3.9-ounce) package instant chocolate-flavored pudding mix

1 (8-ounce) tub frozen whipped topping

16 to 20 gummy snakes or worms

The “snakes� are gummy snakes, which are less commonly found than gummy worms. Stensby found her snakes at the Sweet Factory in Santa Monica Place. Gummy worms, sold in most supermarkets, work well too.

Grind cookies in food processor into crumbs, about 30 seconds, or crush with mortar and pestle.

Beat milk and pudding mix in large mixing bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in whipped topping and half of cookie crumbs.

Place 1 tablespoon remaining cookie crumbs in bottom of each of 8 to 10 (7-ounce) plastic cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with pudding mixture. Divide remaining cookie crumbs into top of each cup.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour until ready to serve. Just before serving, place 2 gummy snakes in each cup.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings:

375 calories; 422 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0 fiber.

SNEAKY SNAKE CAKE

TINTED COCONUT

1 teaspoon water

Green food color

7 ounces flake coconut

FROSTING

1 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

Blue, red and yellow icing colors

ASSEMBLY

2 chocolate bundt cakes

2 yellow candy-coated chocolates

1 red fruit roll-up

To make a smaller cake, use 1 bundt cake and halve the Tinted Coconut and Frosting recipes. As it is, the frosting recipe makes a little more than you’ll need, but it’s useful to have, especially when the exact amount of frosting used depends on the artist frosting the cake. The eyes are simply yellow M&Ms.; The bundt cake can be bought at a supermarket or made from scratch or from a mix.

TINTED COCONUT

Mix water and 6 drops food color in bowl. Add coconut and toss with fork until coconut is evenly tinted.

FROSTING

Cream shortening and butter by beating with electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Add vanilla. With mixer running, add sugar gradually, 1 cup at a time, scraping sides of bowl as needed. When all of sugar is mixed in, icing should appear dry. Add milk, beating on medium speed until fluffy.

Divide icing equally into 3 bowls. Mix in icing colors to get blue, red and yellow icing.

CAKE

Level bottom of bundt cakes so they lie flat. Cut each cake into 3 equal parts.

Sprinkle green tinted coconut onto long serving board to make “grass.� Place cake parts in alternating curves on top of coconut grass to make snake appear as if it is slinking.

Trim sides of cake at 1 end to shape “head.� Taper sides of opposite end to shape “tail.�

Fill 3 pastry bags with blue, red and yellow icing.

Using medium petal tip, pipe blue icing on tail end of cake in overlapping swirls to create “scales� in several rows. Pipe another section in same manner using yellow icing, then another section in red. Alternate colors until other end of cake is reached.

Place 2 yellow candy-coated chocolates on snake head to form eyes. Tear small piece of fruit roll-up and weave onto toothpick. Place under candy eyes to form tongue.

20 servings. Each serving:

625 calories; 366 mg sodium; 71 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 81 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.32 gram fiber.