DIY Peace/70’s Birthday Party! {Kool-Aid Popcorn & Rainbow Cupcakes Recipes}

Peace, Love and Happiness on Earth, that is my niece’s motto.

Mom and daughter cake fight! Then there’s Max, my 2-year-old. (top left)

Recently my niece turned 11 and had a peace birthday party. At the party we had kool-aid popcorn, colorful candy, fruit kabobs, pizza, sherbet punch and the most amazing rainbow cupcakes. I wanted to share this with you because it was inexpensive, fun and yummy! I always wore bell bottoms and dressed more like I was from the 70’s than 90’s in high school so I think it’s great my niece is following in my path!

Kool-Aid Popcorn (Visit Tasty Kitchen where this recipe is adapted)

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Light Corn Syrup
• ⅔ cups Butter Or Margarine
• 6 quarts Plain Popped Popcorn
• 2 packages Kool-Aid (Any Flavor You Want)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 225 F.

1. Boil the first three ingredients together for three minutes.

2. Spread popcorn on a large shallow ungreased pan.

3. Combine the Kool-Aid with the baking soda in another bowl.

4. Remove sugar syrup from the stove and carefully stir in the Kool-Aid mixture. (Note: This will make the sugar mixture puff up. Be careful to not get burned.)

5. Pour sugar mixture over the popped popcorn until combined.

6. Place the mixture in the oven and stir every 10 minutes. Repeat three times.

7. Take popcorn out of the oven and when it starts to cool, break it apart into pieces.

* Instead of Kool-Aid, you could substitute flavored oils and food coloring.

Rainbow Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes) Visit Omnomicon to learn how to make a rainbow cake which is where I got the idea!

• 2 boxes white cake mix
• 24 oz of clear diet soda (2 cans, ginger ale and sprite work well)
• gel food coloring

1. Mix the cake mix with the soda according to regular instructions on box. It will be lumpy afterward. You can use any white cake recipe you want.

2. Divide evenly into 6 bowls. Color appropriately.

3. Add muffin liners to a muffin tin – I got 12 muffins out of this recipe. (I spray the muffin liners)

4. Drizzle the cake mix into the cupcake liners in whatever order you prefer, they won’t mix with each other.

5. Bake according to instructions on the package.

6. When they are completely cooled you can frost them.

Frosting (that I used)

• 1 stick butter
• 1- 8 oz. block cream cheese
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• Milk (enough to make it the consistency you want, I used 1/4 of a cup)

Peace out!