Building Sam's shopping list for Samhein party

[azurelunatic]

Hmm. Sparkling cider... what else is needed for a truly kickass party?

(Ideas from potential attendees [this means you, othercat] are more than welcome.)

Hmm. Maybe some of my kickass stew, which'll require certain ingredients...

Comments

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

Well, not to be too kitsch or demonstrate my lack of knowledge (or whatever)...

But it's basically a Harvest party, no? You can't really go wrong with something pumpkin-y and lots and lots of candles... votives & tea lights. I have this tea light tower that I got at Pier 1 for $15. When all lit up, it is a wall of flame. Pretty cool.

But I digress... (often, and quite well)

[azurelunatic]

Pumpkin pie.

And, I should probably spring for a bread machine, and create yummy breads (after pestering FatherSir for his recipes...)

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

Oooooh..... make your stew and make bread bowls to serve it in! :-)

[azurelunatic]

Or just the stew, and onion-dill rolls like they used to sell at Whole Earth...

[azurelunatic]

Also, besides last harvest, it's a chance to remember the dead, and put to rest the things in your life that you are through with.

The time from Samhein to Yule is the dead of winter, where everything's setting down to sleep under the snow. Yule, of course, is the death and rebirth of the light...

For a Quaker, my FatherSir is a pretty good Pagan dad.

[othercat.livejournal.com]

Devilled eggs! If it's pot luck, I make kick ass eggs...(and, if I do make them, watch it be the one time I screw them up...)

And nut bread. Or pumpkin bread. And munchies. Many, many munchies...:>

[azurelunatic]

Oooh! Yes! By all means, pot luck. College student budgets being what they are, y'know.

But I'm definitely supplying sparkling cider. It's a must.

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

I second the pumpkin bread idea... and I have the BEST pumpkin bread recipe that I tested last Christmas. It is moist and rich and dense... not like some 'dat dry "there's pumpkin in here?" bread.

*nods*

Let me know if you want the recipe.

[azurelunatic]

Oooh, please?

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

emailed (as I do not know how to format tables in html).

I scaled back the oil by a FULL cup (added more pumpkin puree), cut out about 2/3 cup sugar, and upped the spices quite a bit. So this is the fully Shannon-tested recipe.

This is the BEST pumpkin bread, IMHO.

[azurelunatic]

So... this would be about it?

---

Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 1 Hour, 10 minutes

Ready in: approx. 1 Hour 25 Minutes.

Original recipe makes 2 loaves (24 servings).

Recipe has been scaled to make 48 servings (4 regular loaves or 10 mini-loaves)


Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Amy Posont, modified by shywickedpixie


52 ounces pumpkin puree
1/4 cups vegetable oil
8 eggs
4 1/3 cups white sugar
1 Tablespoon ground allspice
1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, oil, eggs, sugar, and spices. Sift together dry ingredients. Combine the two mixtures, blending thoroughly.

2. Pour into 4 greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans (or 10 mini-loaf pans) and bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hour, 10 minutes.

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

Well... yah. I guess I could have cut & paste it. But that would have been too easy! *sticks out tongue*

[azurelunatic]

Yep! Too easy, and 1333.3% smaller! :-D

Yep, we're computer geeks here...

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

pumpkin juice, ala hogwarts :)

hot buttered rum (1/2 gallon french vanilla or butter brickle ice cream and 1 cup brown sugar, blendered, refrozen...couple small scoops in a mug of hot water and rum)...mmmmmm...damn, do we still have any rum.....

[azurelunatic]

Hmm.

I'll have to flag this one for votania's attention...

don't laugh - cheesy fun stuff below...

[zymoreguy.livejournal.com]

Hats! any kind - real or fake party, old stetson, greek priest, new years, navy watch cap, Thai bridal crown, wilder the better, announce a prize... "first prize is great head for the best hat" the prize being a Mozart bust (spensers?) or poster of Einstein. Just make everyone wearing a hat to get in.


Carve pumpkins - get a dozen lil pumpkins and have everyonme carve one.

Re: don't laugh - cheesy fun stuff below...

[azurelunatic]

Heh. At our parties, entertainment's never a problem... when you have a few close buddies and a lot of anime and a PS2 and a decently large TV, and enough good food, everybody has a good time.

It's figuring out what will work as good food that's the issue, sometimes.