Ok, the all singing all dancing UBER MUMS HALLOWEEN PARTY thread to end all threads

[FrannyandZooey]

Right, really must get organised for 2 parties next week. Party 1: 8 adults, 4 three year olds, 2 babies (inc us). Late afternoon time, a few party games and some buffet type food. Need to freeze / prepare most in advance as dp is evilly buggering off to Whitstable the night before

Party 2: 4 teenagers, me and ds (3). Pumpkin carving, trick or treating, food. I thought pizzas and ice cream? Have no need to impress them or their parents so shop bought stuff, whap it out, send them home, whaddya think?

Party 1 I thought face painting, forfeits game, spaghetti and jelly in a sand pit. Food: was going to be all poncey and do pumpkin ice cream served in mini pumpkin shells but am losing the will to roast and scoop 12 mini pumpkins. May just roast them and let people eat them from the shells? (they are really tasty little ones).

What other food? I want to do most of it in the week and freeze it. Finger food type things would be best - I thought of wraps but we haven't enough room to sit down at the table, and 4 children wandering around holding messy food makes me nervous.

time of aprty one?
lets do that first

with teenagers why not buy fab fruit jusices and do evil cocktails?

oh sorry late afternoon. ok id do food in boxes for kids and a sitting down aon a ghsotly maty picnic hting for them
then the adults can have a soupy/casseroley thign and rice that they can shovel wiht a fork

Fruit juices is fab idea

I would prefer to do same food for children and adults at party 1. So, lunch boxes for everyone, then

cool idea for fr ont door imo

really?
ime kids prat aorund and dont eat much food so i thoguht the luncboxes may be easier

Picnic mat is good also. Hmm, could I reuse the under sand pit green spaghetti / jelly mat? Perhaps not..

look and the kdis sitting at a picnic means you cna concentrate on getting them fed fisrt adn stop them rampagind through hosue then realx fo a ncie meal wiht oyur buddies

fro adults id do ONE dish liek a chilli wiht lots of lovely side bits
or a casserole ( hard fr me to recommend as arent oyu vegan?}

m,ust do lunch bakc later

You are probably right cod, but we do at least like to maintain the pretence that the children are eating the same food as the adults

We do eat cheese, but I always think of casseroles and chillis etc as poverty student food, so never tend to make them for guests.

Oh I have glow sticks, I forgot! May turn out lights and let them do spooky dancing, or save them for Trick or Treaters

Am going out myself will try to think of ideas this afternoon

We have been to the other parents' houses loads lately, and they always do good food, so I want something nice but don't want to spend all weekend cooking...

especially as dp buggering off the night before (was hoping for someone to pick up on this by now tbh and say "oh poor you how dreadful")

Are mini pizzas any good? I could freeze them, couldn't I? Hmm. Salads?

as s oemone whose dh is in chicago all half term you get no sympahty!

com eon franny you cna do it!

iw as htinking a roast chicken and chnky chips etc woudl be goo d

here

cxant belive this tastes nice

veggie lasagne boring but easy to do ahead an fab with h ome made garlic bread

well?

Ok lasagne boring but a possibility.

I was thinking some more and wondering about mini home made pizzas (dough easy to do in the breadmaker, v popular with the children)

mini rich leek tarts (Good housekeeping recipe with cream and gruyere)

mini roasted pumpkins

mini baked potatoes poss? stuffed with something?

erm what else

salad? bread rolls? dips and veggies?

sounding like hassle allt hat and i m not sure if it all goes

very nice
in fact a search under "Baked" on deliaonline get so= laofds of hting
s dop you not eat fish either?
god what DO you eat?

Yes I was not sure if it all went either. It is not too much faff as I could freeze most of it though.

I do sometimes do mini roasted pots with herbs and salt, those ones look nice

Erm we eat everything except things that used to have a head

That's quite a lot of things, really