Pirate Party
Theme: PIRATES!!!! think Pirates of the Caribbean, Cut-throat Island, etc. swashbuckling corsairs with swords and muskets and eye patches sailing the sea in huge ships with canvas sails and cannons!

Date: Undecided as of yet. Possibly May or August or something like that. A time when most everybody is feeling good and has some time and money to spare.

Location: Undecided. A beach would be cool (except that we are landlocked). A large park would be best, but someone's living room or backyard would be okay

Budget: for a really cool party we need at least $100. but $200 would be optimal. Decorations and stuff costs money.
Contributors: If everybody could pitch in $20-30 we could have the sweetest party ever. I am not paying for this by myself.

Invitations: Message in a bottle. Treasure maps with burnt edges and blood spots and black sand and sea shells stuffed into a little glass (or plastic) bottle. The message will be something like:

Avast ye landlubbers!
The East Layton Party Company is recruiting sailors
to crew the good ship Welch Fields.
Boarding call will be Saturday the 8th of August
at the 12th st Pier in Port Ogden.
Arrive on time and in proper pirate attire
or you'll be sent to Davy Jones Locker!

Decorations: Totally transform the living room and kitchen! If it still looks like your house you haven't done enough!! cover the walls from floor to ceiling to take your guests to another place.
Ocean and ship scene setters. Torn sails, parrots, and ropes. Treasure chests filled with booty. Brightly colored tablecloths and gilded flatware. Jolly Roger flags. The dining table will be piled high with boxes of different sizes and shapes then covered with several colors of tablecloths. Then add a treasure chest or two and strew about lots of treasure and seashells and the like. Tuck in a few roses and wildflowers and maybe even some orchids if the budget allows. (silks purchased at Wal-Mart or the dollar store can save you here). Leave enough room for the serving platters for dinner and the cake afterwards. Put a large candelabra at the top of the pile and light the candles just before the guests arrive. The kitchen chandelier is hideous and screams 1984! cover it with fish net and hang some Mardi-Gras beads and seashell necklaces from it. Pirate Decor

Favors:
Wardrobe: Upon arrival to the party each person is given a pirate hat, eye patch, sword, gun, sash (also could be used as a bandanna), a telescope, a treasure bag, and a compass. These are for ambiance, and some of it is necessary for games to be played. Also, each pirate will chose a fearful name from a chart. These will be written on name tags with Jolly Rogers on them.
Activities:
Shipshape Sailors: This is a game of trivia. Look up online to find sailing and pirate lingo. http://www.io.com/~sj/PirateTalk.html Also, there is a book from Disney- Pirates of the Caribbean- The Pirates Code. This book is jam packed with nautical information. If you have a sailor in your group make him the Boatswain in charge of the game. Give him the list with the definitions and have him quiz the crew to find out how much they know. For every right answer each player gets they get a piece of treasure. Give your boatswain a special prize for being a good sport.

Fishing: Fill a large plate or bowl or small kiddy pool with little cut-outs of fish with paper- clips glued to them. Give each crew member a fishing pole- a bamboo skewer with a string and a magnet attached. Each fish has a number on it to tell you how much treasure it's worth. Players must gather as many fish as they can before they are gone. They can also steal another player's catch by attaching their magnet to their fish before they get it into their bucket. Pirates!! use colored note-cards to cut out fish.

Land Ho: Your ship is out of fresh water and you must find land and resupply.
Make big a picture collage in black and white filled with little ships and waves and sharks. Hidden throughout the picture there will be Islands, reefs, and harbors that are really hard to see. So, one must use a telescope and look very closely. When land is spotted the player must yell Land Ho!! Each time land is spotted the player gets some treasure.

Fight for Captaincy: Sword fighting with raw spaghetti noodles! the captain is found through process of elimination. The fighter with the most wins get some treasure and and special prize for being captain. Two people go up against each other with a noodle. The first to break his noodle looses. If both the fighters break their noodles the player with the most noodle remaining is the winner. This is messy- there will be little bits of broken noodles EVERYWHERE. Best to be played outdoors. Not particularly good for small children who might have a fit if they get poked. Best for children over ten years old. Fabulous for teenagers and young adults. This can become a fierce competition!

Walk the Plank: Everyone who fought the captain must now walk the plank!!!
A 12 foot long 2x4 is laid out on the floor and the victims are blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs. They then are forced to walk the plank. If they fall off they lose. If they make it to the other end they receive some treasure. To make this safer the whole crew should stand along the plank on both sides to catch the person when they fall. It's more fun if the captain is poking the victim in the back with a toy gun or sword to make them move faster. If you're doing this with little kids don't blindfold them or tie their hands. They could freak out on you. But for teens and young adults- go for it!! encourage them to hiss and boo and try to distract the person walking the plank.

Cursed Treasure: Make a treasure map with cryptic clues and give it to the captain (decided by the sword fighting contest). He/she will lead the crew on a treasure hunt through eel infested waters and deadly swamps. They must find the chest and remove a piece of treasure each. On one piece there will be a mark indicating that it's cursed. The person who hose the cursed treasure is now IT in dead man's bluff. They must pass the curse on quickly or be killed by it. http://www.treasure-adventure.com

Dead Man's Bluff: Designate who is "IT" Blindfold "IT" and spin him/her around several times, then stop. The others move around "IT" making funny noises as "IT" tries to tag them. The first person tagged becomes "IT", puts the blindfold on, and the fun starts again! Give this game a time limit or it could go on for hours. At the end of the time the person who is IT now receives the Black Spot.

The Black Spot: The person whose fate has given them the Black Spot is now in big trouble! Davy Jones has sent the Kraken to devour the man who behest the Black Spot! To save yourself you must evade the terrible beastie. This is a version of Snakes or Caterpillar. The rest of the crew is now the Kraken. They form a circle by holding hands and must chase the person with the Black Spot. This person has a bag of water balloons (or Nerf balls) which he can throw at the Kraken. If someone in the Kraken is hit by a water balloon they are out and must leave the Kraken. The people on either side of this person now join hands. Also, if the circle breaks without someone being out the two people who let go are now out. The people who are out are now on the side of the Black Spot. They are given water balloons and must attack the Kraken. When the Kraken is defeated the person with the Black Spot is now free. But, if they are caught by the Kraken a new person is chosen to have the Black Spot. This is done easily. When they are caught the people in the Kraken must sit down. The last person standing now has the Black Spot.

Sinking Ships: You must now fight Davy Jones for your Soul!!
Split into two even teams. Each team has a ship painted on paper bags. They are given a limited # of cannon balls (ping-pong or Nerf or similar) and slingshots or cannons if we can get them. They then have a set time limit to fire as many cannon balls into the other teams ship as they can. Balls that bounce off are not counted. Only a direct hit that goes through the paper scores a point. The team with the most points is given some treasure.



Music: The soundtracks for all three Pirates of the Caribbean have excellent music. Also use Cut- throat Island and The Princess Bride music. Cut out the boring or obnoxious scores and make a montage of beautiful orchestrated music.

Food:
Tuna Schooners: Toast each muffin and place a piece of lettuce on it after it cools. Top with tuna salad and a tortilla chip propped up like a sail.

The Kraken: cut sausage dogs lengthwise ¾ of the way up 4 times to make 8 legs. Boil the hot dogs so they swell and the legs curl out. Serve on beef flavored ramen colored green like seaweed. This is a great treat for little kids especially if you draw faces on it with mustard or ketchup.

Stuffed Seashells: Cook giant seashell pasta al-dente. Stuff with chicken salad. Chill

Big M's Barbadian Chicken Skewers
INGREDIENTS for marinade

· 4 cloves garlic
· 1 onion, cut into 6 wedges
· 1 bell pepper, seeded
· 1 bunch green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
· 1 tablespoon dried thyme
· 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
· 1 inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled
· salt and pepper to taste
· 3/8 cup dark molasses
· 4 limes, zested and juiced
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
DIRECTIONS

1. Place garlic, onion, green bell peppers, green onions, thyme, allspice, and ginger into the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a large, non metallic bowl, and stir in molasses, and lime zest and juice. Place chicken in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate for 24 hours.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Remove meat from marinade, and thread onto skewers. Boil marinade in a small saucepan for at least 3 minutes.
4. Brush grate with oil, and arrange skewers on hot grate. Slowly cook the chicken until slightly charred and cooked through, brushing with the marinade every time you turn the meat.
For an interesting and easy way to prepare this dish place the chicken skewers with the marinade and all in a large baking dish and bake @ 375* for one hour. This way you don't have to stand over a grill while your guests have fun. Top with mango salsa.
Tropical Salsa with Grilled Mango:

INGREDIENTS

· 1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
· 2 teaspoons olive oil
· 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
· 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
· 1 Bell pepper, finely chopped
· 1 lime, juiced
· 2 teaspoons white sugar
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. In a mixing bowl, toss mango slices with oil to coat.
2. Lightly oil grate, place mango slices on grill. Cook for 4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned with grill marks.
3. Remove mango from grill, cut into small cubes, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in onion, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, salt, sugar, and ginger. Serve at room temperature, chill until ready to serve, or serve hot by heating through in a nonstick skillet.
Shrimp Cocktail: Caribbean shrimp

INGREDIENTS

· 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
· 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
· 2 limes, juiced
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 tablespoon soy sauce
· 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
· 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 2 pounds large cooked shrimp, peeled, tails on
· 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl combine oil, ginger, lime juice, garlic, soy sauce, sugar and red pepper; mix well. Stir in shrimp and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours before serving. Stir occasionally while chilling.

Ginger Beer: make a graveyard with ½ ginger ale and ½ root beer

Hot Buttered Rum:

INGREDIENTS

· 2 cups brown sugar
· 1/2 cup butter
· 1 pinch salt
· 2 quarts hot apple cider
· 3 cinnamon sticks
· 6 whole cloves
· 2 tsp rum extract (to taste)
· 1 cup sweetened whipped cream
· ground nutmeg to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the brown sugar, butter, salt and hot cider in 5 quart slow cooker. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves. Cover and cook on Low for 5 hours.
2. Stir in rum extract.
3. Ladle from the slow cooker into mugs, and top with whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg.


The Black Pearl: make a cake shaped like a pirate ship!! check out this website for a recipe http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50180
I plan on making mine with black sails and blackened frosting. This is my piece-de-resistance.









Island treasures: Chocolate chip cookies with coconut and pecans in them. Yummy!!

Sand Cups: Take a vote as to which flavor pudding to use- French vanilla, Butterscotch, Banana, coconut cream, pina colada, or whatever. Scoop into little plastic cups and top with graham cracker (or vanilla wafers) crumbs, blue coconut and a few gummy fish and an shark. Add a pirate flag for coolness.






Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
Ingredients:

· 16 large strawberries, hulled
· 1/2 cup white sugar
· 1/2 cup orange juice
· 6 cups chilled lemon-lime soda
· 32 cubes ice
DIRECTIONS: In the container of a blender, combine the strawberries, sugar, orange juice and lemon-lime soda. Add the ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a fancy glass to serve.