The Doughboy’s Favorite Kids-In-Charge Dinner: Appetizers for Dinner

When you’re a kid, you love any chance to feel like more of a grown-up—“I’m not six and a half, I’m six and three quarters!”—and at Christmas, getting to plan a special activity for the whole family might just be the best grown-up feeling of them all.

This year, the Doughboy’s favorite way to put kids in charge for the night is a choose-your-own-adventure Snack Dinner made up entirely of the most fun part of any meal: the appetizers. If you’ve ever ordered multiple appetizers instead of a single entrée at a restaurant, you know how delicious this can be. And part of what makes it so good is the feeling that you’re breaking the rules just a tiny bit, and turning the “fun food” part of the meal into the main course.

So take a night off from meal planning and let your kids experience the joy and pride of planning a special holiday meal with the Doughboy’s favorite dinner plan—a whole night of low-prep, high happiness appetizers.

The key with choosing your appetizer menu is to select appetizers that are both fun and filling, so we’ve rounded up some of our best to get you started. (Bonus: They all prep in under 35 minutes). To keep it simple and easy, ask the little ones in your family to each circle two or three of their favorites on our printable menu:

Then, spend a few hours together laughing and baking in the kitchen as everyone prepares dinner together. Even more important than the food itself is turning the prep process into a family activity, because when you cook together, you don’t just make a meal—you also make memories. And we’re willing to bet it will be one of your kids’ favorite Christmas memories this season, because they helped plan it.