April Fools Day is coming up and we try to do things a little differently that day at our house. In the past, we have made dinner time a little “crazier” than normal by letting the kids pick what they would like to order for dinner from The Crazy Cafe menu.

But this menu is not like other menus. Your kids will be choosing Disney characters rather than an actual food item. They will not know what Disney character goes with an actual food choice.

Before giving the kids their menu items, decide what you would like to serve for the meal. You will need the following items:

Fork
Spoon
Napkin
Main Meal
Side Dish
Roll/Side Dish
Drink
Dessert

Choose whatever items will work best for your family, but you need a total of 8 items.

Then assign each item to go with the Disney characters. For example:

Mickey Mouse = Fork
Minnie Mouse = Dessert
Huey = Main Meal
Duey = Roll
Luey = Drink
Donald Duck = Side Dish
Pluto = Napkin
Goofy = Spoon

Then when it is time for dinner, get your meal all ready, but do not set the table. Sit your kids down and hand them the menu’s and explain to them that you (and Dad) are going to be their waitress (waiter) for the evening. Give each child their own menu, which you can download here. Have each child fill out their orders directly on the menu or you can take them as a real waitress would.

Each child will need to order 2 items as the Appetizer, 4 items for their Main Course and then 2 Dessert items (being sure that they order all 8 different items only one time each. Does that make sense?

Each child’s dinner will vary depending on what they order. So if one child orders Pluto and a Minnie Mouse for their appetizer, you will bring them a napkin and dessert, and so on for the other two courses.

The fun thing about this meal is that everything will be mixed up. They may not have a utensil to eat with or a drink until the next course, but that is all part of the fun. The kids will be able to eat with their fingers or have dessert before their dinner. What kid wouldn’t love that? Everyone will also have a great time seeing what the others are eating (or not eating yet) as well.

So add a little craziness to dinner time this April Fool’s Day, your kids and you will enjoy every minute of it.

**Click here to download The Crazy Cafe menu.

This year for April Fool’s Day, I am planning to make this “dessert” for dinner. Doesn’t it look delicious! I really think the kids will like the fun suprise. I found all the pictures and the recipe at Family Fun.

Recipe from FamilyFun.com

Ingredients:
“CHOCOLATE” MEAT LOAF FILLING
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon dark, unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten

“STRAWBERRY” POTATO TOPPING
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
Salt
1/2 cup canned sliced beets (not pickled)
1/4 cup (or more) warm milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 350º. In a small saucepan, combine the barbecue sauce, milk, molasses, cocoa, and chili powder. Set the pan over medium heat and whisk the mixture until it is lukewarm and the cocoa is completely dissolved. Set it aside to cool.

Sauté the onions in the tablespoon of canola oil until they are transparent, about 7 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, celery salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Then add the beef, egg, sauce mixture, and onion. Thoroughly mix the ingredients using your hands or a wooden spoon.

Remove the pie shell from the freezer. (We placed ours in a Pyrex dish to help ensure that the pie would bake evenly.) Transfer the meat to the shell, spreading it evenly with a spoon. Bake it until the meat is cooked through, about 60 minutes.

While the pie is baking, prepare the mashed potato topping. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to completely submerge them. Salt the water lightly, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook the potatoes at a low boil until they are tender, about 12 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, puree the beets and 1/4 cup warm milk in a blender until only small bits of beet are left in the mixture. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and pureed beets and, using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until it’s smooth and fluffy. Add more milk if needed and salt to taste.

Spread the whipped potatoes over the top of the cooked meat pie with a spatula, as you would whipped cream, mounding it slightly in the center. Slice and serve the pie while the potatoes are still hot. Makes 8 servings.

These are meatloaf “cupcakes”. Don’t they look so yummy?

I really think we are going to have these for dessert this year! These are “fish stick cookies” with taffy green peas and a strawberry sauce for dipping your fish sticks in.

Or wouldn’t these french fries be a fun dessert?

Family Fun has a lot of great other food prank ideas to trick your loved ones in a fun way. Go here to see the ones I have pictured here and for many more not pictured. All images are from FamilyFun.com.