HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
Throw an authentic 70s themed birthday bash that will have guests reminiscing about their days as hippies. It's an ideal theme for 40 - 50 year olds, since they were in their teens and 20s during the era of peace and love.
Show guests a groovy time by serving up some delicious fondue and Swedish meatballs, decking your home out in disco balls and daisy chains, and getting them to shake their hips to Led Zepplin, the Rolling Stones and Queen.
- 1 Cup dry white wine
- .5 Lbs shredded Swiss Cheese
- .5 Lbs shredded Gruyere cheese
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Lbs loaf of French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
- Simmer wine in fondue pot. Add Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, 1/4 pound at a time. Stir after each addition of cheese until melted.
- Stir in flour. When all the cheese has melted, stir in salt and nutmeg. Serve with cut-up French bread.
- 1 2/3 Cup evaporated milk
- 2/3 Cup chopped onion
- 1/4 Cup fine dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1/2 Tsp allspice
- 1/2 Tsp pepper
- 1 Lbs ground round
- 2 Tsp butter
- 2 cubes of beef bouillon
- 1 Cup boiling water
- 1/2 Cup cold water
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 Cup evaporated milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Combine 2/3 cup evaporated milk, onion, crumbs, salt, allspice and pepper. Add meat; mix well, chill. Shape meat mixture into 1-in. balls.
- In large skillet, brown meatballs in butter. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water; pour over meatballs and bring to boil over medium heat. Cover; simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blend together cold water and flour. Remove meatballs from skillet, skim fat from pan juices and reserve juices.
- Stir 1 cup evaporated milk and flour/water mixture into pan juices in skillet; cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring until sauce thickens.
- Return meatballs to skillet. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with cooked noodles that have been tossed with poppy seeds and butter.
- 1 1/4 Cup all purpose flour
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 3/4 Cup milk
- 1/3 Cup shortening
- 1 Whole egg
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 Cup white sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 Tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Cup milk
- 2 Whole egg yolks
- 2 Tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Oz squares of unsweetened chocolate
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 Cup confectioner's sugar
- 3/4 Tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoon hot water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 inch round cake pan.
- Beat the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, 3/4 cup milk, shortening, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla at low speed, scraping bowl constantly for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally for 3 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
- To Make The Cream Filling: In a 2 quart saucepan, mix 1/3 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Stir in the milk gradually and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least 1/2 of the mixture slowly into the egg yolks. Return egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 teaspoons vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.
- To Make Chocolate Glaze: Heat the chocolate and butter or margarine over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the water, one teaspoon at a time, until glaze is of desired consistency.
- To Assemble the Cake: Split the cooled cake in half to make 2 thin layers. Fill the layers with the filling. Then spread the chocolate glaze over the top. Refrigerate any leftover cake.
- YMCA - Village People
- I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
- Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
- I Think I Love You - Partridge Family
- You're the One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
- Sweet Child of Mine - Deep Purple
- American Pie - Don McLean
- Respect - Aretha Franklin
- Imagine - John Lennon
- Dust In The Wind - Kansas
- Dream On - Aerosmith
- Hotel California - The Eagles
- Turn the Page - Bob Seger
- Piano Man - Bill Joel
- Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
- Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
- Heart of Glass - Blondie
- Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
- Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack
- Hollywood Nights - Bob Seger
- Tiny Dancer - Elton John
- Everybody Plays the Fool - Main Ingredients
- Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
- Crocodile Rock - Elton John
- Tonight's the Night - Rod Stewart
- Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
- Grease - Frankie Valli
- Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
- Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
- Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
- Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
- Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
- Night Fever - Bee Gees
- Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
- December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - The Four Seasons
- Love Machine - The Miracles
- Highway to Hell - AC/DC
- Running with the Devil - Van Halen
- My Sharona - The Knack
- Le Freak - Chic
- Dancing Queen - Abba
- ABC - Jackson Five
- American Woman - The Guess Who
- Maggie May - Rod Stewart
Popular 70s food was an odd mix of eclectic dishes. Two of the undoubtedly most popular party dishes included fondue and Swedish meatballs.
Check out our recipe section to make your own for the party.
There were a number of popular party desserts in the 1970s, including lemon meringue pie, cherries jubilee, baked Alaska, and Boston cream pie. We found a delicious Boston Cream Pie recipe that's worth trying; find it in our recipe section.
Disco Decorations
The Ball
The number one most important decoration for a disco themed 70s birthday is the disco ball. You can buy one at a party store or online, but they usually end up costing quite a bit more than they are worth. We recommend making your own giant disco ball with our easy Do It Yourself Disco Ball Instructions.
The Lighting
Great lighting is also important in a disco themed 70s birthday. Pick up a few strobe lights and point them at your disco ball for that sparkly look.
Other Details
Visit a local vintage store (or head online to eBay) where you can pick up a thrifty pair of rollerskates or disco shoes. Place a small vase inside to hold water, and use the shoes as table centerpieces with colorful floral arrangements coming out of the top.
Hippie Decorations
The Peace Sign
The peace sign was everywhere in the 70s. Pick up foam core boards or poster board at a local craft store and use paint markers to draw supersized peace signs. You can hang these signs as is in your home, prop them up on tables, or cut out the negative space and hang it on the front door as a welcome wreath for the party.
Tie-Dye
If you have old cotton sheets or tablecloths you don't care about, turn them into tie dye masterpieces and use them as party décor. Place tie-dyed sheets over couches and tuck them in as temporary party slipcovers, or hang them against a wall as a colorful backdrop for the food table. Check out the Rit dye website for easy to follow instructions and tie-dye patterns you can use.
Daisy Chains
Purchase a bulk amount of fake daisies and create daisy chains to hang as garland over the party area. You can also make smaller daisy chains for headpieces for the female guests to wear during the birthday bash.
Supplies:
- Silver spray paint
- 1 large tube of silver glitter
- 1 can of spray adhesive
- 1 large light kid's ball
- silver duct tape
- 3 foot piece of thick string (cooking string)
- 3 sheets of newspaper
- Tape one end of the string to the kid's ball and make sure it's secured. This is how you'll hang the disco ball from the ceiling.
- Lay out the pieces of newspaper to protect your work space. Use the silver spray paint to cover the entire ball and string. Allow to dry completely.
- Use the can of spray adhesive to coat the silver ball. Shake the can of glitter over the ball until the entire thing is covered with silver glitter. The glittering is best done small sections at a time; before moving on to the next section shake off the excess glitter onto the newspaper. Then, use the newspaper to funnel the glitter back into its tube. This will reduce waste and make your glitter go much farther.
- Allow the glitter on the ball to dry completely, then hang in a central location in the room where you are holding the party.
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