We learned how to make a dirt cake when our son turned 6 a couple weekends ago! He wanted a construction themed party, and I had learned about dirt cake not long before he made that decision. I thought it would be perfect for his party, which was an intimate family party. He wanted to invite a couple of his closest friends from school, but neither of them were able to make it. He had a great time anyway!
We also served apple nachos (we used carob and no caramel), which I had first discovered on Pinterest. I know some of you reading this are not surprised. 
We also served this delicious meatballs with onion gravy recipe, along with a side of peas and chocolate or carob milk to drink (for the kids):
- 2 pounds hamburger
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 medium onions, sliced julienne
- Approximately 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water (thickening agent for gravy)
- 32 ounces beef broth
- rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes, prepared to be served with meatballs
- Combine hamburger, minced garlic, sage, salt and Worchestershire sauce together. Using hands, form hamburger into meatballs approximately 1 1/4-inches in diameter.
- Heat 10-inch deep covered skillet over medium heat until hot. Add olive oil.
- Place meatballs in pan in single layer. Brown approximately 3-4 minutes and turn each meatball over once, using a tong. Brown other side.
- Once meatballs are seared and browned on each side, remove from heat, place on a plate and set aside.
- Add onions to skillet. Using wooden spoon, stir onions quickly, coating them with oil and removing any drippings from bottom of pan. Allow to saute until soft.
- Add beef broth. Place meatballs back into skillet. Bring to a simmer.
- Thicken gravy with cornstarch mixture. Turn heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
- Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.
Also pictured above, right middle photo, is the cake we got for his party with his class at school. His school is nut-free, so we had to shop around a little bit to find something that would be in compliance and stay with the construction theme. Thankfully, the Walmart bakery is nut-free, very affordable and did a super cute construction cake for us.
In the top right photo are the mini tool boxes with party favors. Paw-Paw made them from an idea I also saw on Pinterest for construction parties:
I did not do the cute ribbons and tags. If our son’s friends had been able to make it, we planned to spread a tarp over the patio and let them play in moon sand with construction vehicles for a while after eating. Since it was family only, we brought out our long plastic storage container with moon sand for indoor play. So we gave a little bag of moon sand, a small construction vehicle, and a “construction-theme-colored” pencil in the toolbox to his cousin.
We made some signs to go out on our road and decorated indoors with party decor from Birthday Direct. They had excellent customer service.
Also in the top left photo, we had the kids guess how many Reese’s pieces were in the dump truck. The Birthday Boy was closest with his guess of 100. Feel free to leave your guess in the comments!  We reply back if anyone guesses correctly.
It was a fun party, and it’s hard to believe our little boy is 6 already! Seems like just yesterday sometimes……..
More great ideas: Tip Me Tuesday
About the Author
Adopted at age 2, grew up in the Charlotte, NC area. Obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Loves being a Mom of two and taste-testing Chef John's culinary creations and sharing them with readers.
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