We threw my daughter a 6th birthday party last Saturday, complete with cupcakes, cotton candy, and homemade ice cream. The weather cooperated, which meant the 16 guests (had a few last-minute invites) had the run of the backyard. The kids wiped us out of dollar-store prizes playing carnival games; they also ate heartily. I had high hopes that the baby carrots and red grapes would be popular, but they were merely nibbled on. When the cupcakes, ice cream, and cotton candy finally made their appearance, they were quickly gobbled.

I promised photos of the ice cream (which was indeed amazing), so here are two.

ice cream gets a kick

homemade vanilla ice cream on a dipped and sprinkled sugar cone--divine

We also made cotton candy for the kids, which was a huge hit. I love my cotton candy maker and was thrilled to have it on hand for this party. It makes reasonable-size cones, using only 1 tablespoon sugar (yes, cotton candy really is pure sugar) for each. But it’s still the light, fluffy cotton candy floss you find at carnivals, fairs, etc. I’ll leave a teaser photo here, then share my cotton candy maker story next post. (It involves bacon, so please come back for it!)

cotton candy magic