Football is coming back in all its fall glory, and it’s definitely not just for the boys anymore. At least one good friend of mine has season tickets to watch her alma mater USC dominate in college football, and all of my girlfriends from back home in San Diego have vowed to keep their nails painted blue and gold as we watch every game in support of the Chargers throughout the season.

With more and more girls getting into the game, we can undoubtedly look forward to fun, fan-filled football parties all season long! I can’t wait to have the girls over to watch the game, and since I’m a bit of a health nut, I’ve rounded up some healthier alternatives to my favorite football fare to help you cheer on your team with your friends and family:

• Guacamole dip from Hungry Girl
• Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip from Ellie Krieger
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Crudites from Giada De Laurentiis
• Baked “fried” zucchini from Hungry Girl
• AMAZING brownie muffins from Hungry Girl (yes, I love Hungry Girl, but you really HAVE to try this recipe! It’s so easy, low fat and scrumptious!)
• Kellogg’s Rice Krispies football treats (because they are so cute, and you’ve gotta splurge sometimes!)

Planning my own wedding, I knew what place cards were, but I didn’t even think about using them for more casual gatherings such as birthday parties. Here are some ways that I’ve discovered to incorporate a bit of creative flair into any festive affair.

(Top row: Candy place cards and Paper Boat place card from MarthaStewart.com

Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card from Creative Bride

Watercolor Floral place card from Wedding Paper Divas.)

Maybe it’s the wild popularity of the Food Network, the celebrity of super chefs like Bobby Flay or just a heightened awareness of healthy eating, but kids across the country have suddenly become foodies–and it isn’t just Easy Bake Ovens they are cooking with!

Instead of sculpting flowers during Play-Doh time, my five-year-old friend Madeline has recently insisted upon creating neon pink pizzas for a mini “Quick Fire Challenge,” a term she seems to have picked up from Bravo’s “Top Chef.” And this type of excitement over culinary creations doesn’t stop during playtime–cooking classes have become the hot new trend in children’s birthday parties, where guests are taught to make their own tasty treats and are given aprons and recipe books as a part of the gift bag.

Just this morning, YumSugar posted a charming story about a youngster who shares a name with celebrity chef Rachel Ray. Like her famous counterpart, this ten-year-old food fan has been indulging her love of cooking for years!

If you plan to host or attend a children’s cooking party, consider giving a cute kid’s cookbook as a gift, like this one from Rachel Ray herself. And don’t forget Tiny Print’s adorable line of chef-inspired invitations–they are the perfect way to encourage your little Iron Chef to turn up the heat in the kitchen!

Each summer, parents face the daunting task of entertaining their kids throughout the long school vacation. Between family trips and stints at summer camp, keeping the kids off the couch can be a challenge. If your kids’ joyful playing in the park and swimming at Grandma’s house has already deteriorated into watching TV and incessantly teasing each other, it might be time for a new summer pastime.

Try directing a children’s play for your little ones and their friends. This one project alone can encourage reading, writing, design, dance, music, teamwork, public speaking and arts and crafts. Depending on their age ranges, you can even turn it into a months-long event, with a show at the end of summer to display all their hard work to friends, family and neighbors. Or, it can be a week-long process with a show on Friday night.

You can transform your child’s favorite books or movies into scripts, or simply borrow one from an online source. I particularly love “Peggy the Pint Sized Pirate” from FreeDrama.com. It has an adorable story about being small but brave, making unusual friends and protecting the environment. With cutout felt eye patches, cardboard swords and their favorite striped shirts, the kids with be playing pirates onstage in no time!

After the show, you can invite all the kids and their parents to a themed cast party using this type of fun, theatrical invitation. If you spark your kids’ interest in performing arts, you can check out local children’s theater programs for them to participate in, or take them to live performances as summer field trips. You might even see your babe on Broadway someday!

We featured an interview with Kara of Kara’s Cupcakes in San Francisco at our sister site Wedding Paper Divas’s Diva Dialogues blog. Because Kara does adorable, fun and perfectly sweet cupcakes for a variety of events we thought you’d love to read about it here. So get comfy, grab a sweet snack and enjoy getting to know a little bit about my favorite confection, a cupcake store, and the girl behind it.

Kara’s Cupcakes is so original in that it only sells cupcakes! How did you come up with the idea of having a cupcake store?
Well I always loved sweets. I was deprived of things like candies and cakes growing up because I had a father who was a dentist. I was passionate about sweets and I always, always knew that I wanted to start business. I enrolled at a pastry school with the goal of starting a cupcake business. At that time, cupcakes just started getting popular. It was of course, popular with kids for a long time but then adults started to see it’s a great way to have an indulgent little treat without the guilt.

How did you get started?
I used to be the Northwest Director of sales for Allure magazine where I met with clients such as Gap and worked with their Marketing department. Working in fashion and beauty products was an extension of creating cupcakes. For example, what flavor you pick says to me the owner what kind of style you have. I think designing cupcakes is similar to working with fashion because both start with really cool artistic ideas and are creative outlets.

What inspires you?
I get inspiration from a lot of things in fashion and by what’s in season. For example, our Fleur Del Sel (chocolate cupcake with caramel filling, ganache frosting& fleur del sel) was inspired by chocolate makers that make fleur de sel candies. Our Meyer Lemony (lemon vanilla cupcake with a tart lemon filling and lemon buttercream) was at first seasonal but now year long. Seeing what’s fresh in the market place and observing other confections has brought on a lot of great ideas and flavors as well.

What is your most popular flavor?
Everyone always loves good old fashioned chocolate and vanilla which is why our Chocolate Velvet and Sweet Vanilla are our best-sellers. But it’s also nice to mix things up every once in awhile and add something different. Some days you might feel like trying Passion Fruit and Java.

yummy sweet vanilla!

I know you use a lot of local and sometimes organic ingredients in your cupcakes-why is that so important to you?
I think it brings together the community. And the bottom line is that it’s just a great way to keep things close, lowers fuel and energy, keeps relationship going with the community and helps support local businesses.

Any trends you’re noticing for parties in terms of colors or themes?
A lot of people like initial cupcakes, teddy bear for baby showers. People generally pick color themes and sometimes requests special fondant flowers on their cupcakes. It’s all about the flavor and tastes for any celebration.

What makes Kara’s cupcakes unique?
Kara’s cupcakes sense of community and our ingredients are important components to making are cupcakes delicious and unique. We bake our cakes every hour making it the freshest cake you can get. Sometimes it’s just minutes from the oven.

What would you like to say to our Tiny Talk readers about Kara’s Cupcakes?
We’re open 7 days week. Our cupcakes are the best! They’re baked fresh with premium local ingredients. Come and try it! It’s delicious!