Blender

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Hummus and guacamole served with breadsticks and veggie sticks make great finger foods for toddlers. Older children love these too, but make sure you offer a selection of breadsticks, chips, and pita bread for those few kids who turn up their noses at the sight of raw vegetables, however sweet and juicy they are.

Look for ancho chile powder in the spice section of supermarkets.

This delicious tweak on a classic is from Hip Sips by Lucy Brennan (Chronicle Books, Spring 2007) and was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.

Unlike savory blini, crêpes traditionally served with butter, caviar, and sour cream, these are stuffed with fruit preserves, making them ideal for dessert.

Chef Michael Mina created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. He loves this multicomponent dish because it is the essence of summer.

Classic Mexican comfort food, minus most of the fat.

Protein-packed lean shrimp really satisfies.

You don't have to feel guilty about giving these to the kids— they're made with real fruit syrup and are bursting with sweet berry flavor.

This mildly spiked dessert is so easy to put together, it will quickly become one of your summer-entertaining standbys.

In this innovative use of zucchini, the vegetable adds body to the mussel-filled broth without being overpowering.

Lentils are a very ancient food staple, and have been the basis of diets in the Middle East for millennia. To perk up the flavor of this soup, cooks often add a spritz of lemon juice to each serving at the last minute.