Even after the Jake and the Never Land Pirates Birthday Party recap post, there is still so much to share! Since making “fun foods” is one of my favorite ways to get creative, I thought all of our pirate food (aka “buccaneer grub”) needed it’s own post! 
Overall, it was actually really fairly simple. But, the little touches make it extra fun! Here’s the menu:
- Gold nuggets (just plain ‘ole chicken nuggets)
- Fresh veggie platter (the only thing that missed having it’s own fun name tag)
- Scurvy sandwiches (subs cut into 2″ pieces with a little pirate flag)
- Octopus dip (<— that’s a clickable link to get directions!)
- Cannon balls (black olives)
- Silly squid (hot dogs)
- Fish & chips (goldfish crackers & plain potato chips)
- Watermelon pirate ship fresh fruit salad
- Seaweed Salad (pasta salad)
The fresh fruit & watermelon pirate ship was a big hit! It was inspired from numerous different versions I’ve seen floating around the internet (I’ve got some pinned on my Jake party Pinterest board). The process was fairly simple. We just cut a large section out of the watermelon (down to almost the halfway point horizontally), shaped the front a bit, and took out all fruit. We mixed the fruit salad together in a separate bowl, added it back into our hollowed out watermelon, and added our Bucky sails to make it a ship! 🙂 
The fruit was a big hit! I didn’t even have one bite and we had NO leftovers! 🙂 But, what really surprised me was what the hands-down kid favorite was…
The Silly Squid!! 
I thought the kids might be a little weirded out by them and not eat them. But, I was SO wrong! The kids went crazy for these! It’s all that a few of the kiddos wanted! Too funny! They are SUPER easy to make. Just cut the hotdogs in half. Then, cut the halves into 4 vertical strips halfway up (giving you a “head” & “tentacles”). Place all the cut hotdogs into a pot of boiling water until the tentacles start curling (just a few minutes). 
We also served up Pirate Punch (a variation of our favorite green punch recipe) and had some drinks on ice outside in an awesome cut whiskey barrel! Super fun!
And, of course, last but not least, every pirate party needs a great pirate cake! The boys requested Bucky, so I had to deliver! I love the way everything turned out. Full details on making the cake will be coming soon. There are enough directions that it needs its own post! *Update – For the full cake tutorial click here —> Bucky Pirate ship cake directions
What pirate party foods do YOU think are a must?!
13 Responses
Awesome job! I love how the simplest food can be themed and fun!
Thanks, Karen! Yes! Simple food can totally be fun! 🙂
I just love all your birthday party ideas! They are cute and clever, and DO-ABLE!
Thanks, Jessica!! 🙂 I’m all about “Do-able”! 😉
What a cute theme! I think once you find the theme and the food, the next most important think is the games and decor. The way to make a birthday party perfect for children is to cater to their specific likes and dreams with the games and decor! So a fairy theme or princess theme is great for the little girl that loves those things, and so on. Once you find the right theme, the next step is decor and games! I have found some great, fun games and have loved the response from the kids!
The cake looks awesome! How long until the tutorial is available? I have to make one this Friday and I have no idea where to begin!
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I’m hoping soon!! 🙂 But, I’m not sure if it will be in time for you or not. If it helps at all, I can tell you that it was 3 cakes (1 9x 13, 2 rounds, and a bread loaf pan). The frosting was seriously just store-bought chocolate. Nothing fancy at all. Edible details are the waffley wafer cookies & rolled wafer cookies.
I, too, would love the steps to making the Bucky cake! It is the best I have seen online, and I have looked at a lot! My son’s birthday party is Saturday, May 25th. Do you think you will post the instructions by then?
Hi Faith! Thank you! That is such a huge compliment! We just returned from a huge trip, but I’ll do my best to get it up asap!
I love the watermelon pirate ship what a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this post. Such great ideas. I used quite a few of them for my son’s birthday. I gave you credit here. http://notyournormalsteam.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/arg-matey-its-a-pirate-party-part-3-grub-and-grog-food-and-drink-to-ye-landlubbers/
I love the silly squid idea you posted! I love it! I will be making those for my son’s 3rd party. He is requesting pirates as well. Thank you for sharing everything!
Wow!Brilliant ideas:-) Will def. be using some of these this weekend for my little guys fourth birthday.