With this time of year there seems to be a plethora of baby and bridal showers, family barbecues and get togethers, and just general excuses to feed people foodJ.

One of my favorite concepts is a build-your-own (fill in the blank) bar. I love having the freedom to put whatever I want and however much I want on my food! Of course, there are the basics- we've probably all partaken at a salad bar or been able to build our own burger, but here are some options you might not have seen or that could be a creative addition to your next entertaining ordeal.

An Ice Cream Bar. Probably the best idea ever. Sure, I've been able to add my own chocolate sauce, but add the mason jar factor (I am totally in love with mason jars), and the huge variety of toppings- this is a bar I might never be able to leave. And the possibilities of toppings is endless…

Trail Mix Bar. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who picks through trail mix to find the chocolate;). Ok maybe not really, but there are certain things in trail mix I tend to avoid (aka peanuts and raisins). Everyone has different tastes when it comes to nuts, dried fruits, and sweets, so I love the idea of giving a variety of options to please every palate.

Pancake/Waffle Bar. Just think of all the different fruit, spices, and syrups you could put together for this tasty bar. One of my personal favorite toppings is mixing a tub of strawberry yogurt with a tub of cool whip- unless of course there is buttermilk syrup;).

Popcorn Bar. I don't know if I've ever met anyone that doesn't like popcorn. And something that delicious can only get better with some select delicious additions ;). My personal favorite is hot tamales, but some other good choices could be M&M's, white chocolate chips, Swedish fish, mini pretzels, Craisins, or marshmallows.

Pizza Bar. This one might take a little more coordinating, but would definitely be a hit. You could have an array of sauces (marinara, alfredo, barbecue, pesto), and have all the toppings anyone could dream of;) (chicken, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, green peppers, pineapple, onions, etc). Yup- I could definitely be ok with that bar. (Or you could go the sweet route and do fruit pizzas).

Yogurt Parfait Bar. This is another thing I think everyone has such different preferences with. You could display a variety of fruit (e.g. strawberries, blueberries, peaches), and then include some granola, candied nuts, cereal, or anything else that might taste yummy in a parfait. You could even have a couple different yogurt bases to give a greater variety.

Cereal Bar. I love this idea. What adult wouldn't love an excuse to indulge in some of their childhood favorites? You'd have to go with the sugar cereals for this one;). You could have different milk bases to help those with allergies (cow, almond, coconut), and even get a little crazy by serving some chocolate or strawberry milk as an option.

What other bars have you guys seen? I just absolutely love this concept and would love some more ideas for my stash ;). Share your ideas below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com

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