We spent a good chunk of the day getting ready for the party--cleaning the house, resetting furniture, hiding breakables, prepping food, etc.  And there was the usual set of Host Worries: Would anyone show up?  Would people have a good time?  Would the furnace explode?

At 7:15 the first set of guests arrived, a bit early because they'd gotten the times mixed up.  That was fine--we put them to work with last-minute prepping.  :)  We munched on Irish Nachos:

IRISH NACHOS
kettle corn style potato chips
grated cheddar cheese (or bleu cheese, if you want to go fancy)
bacon bits (crumbled real bacon is best, if it can be arranged)
sour cream
scallions, chopped

Arrange chips on microwavable platter.  Top with cheese and bacon bits.  Microwave until cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream and scallions.  Serve.

A bit later, I put The Clogger in the oven.

THE CLOGGER
2 c mayonnaise
2 cans Mexican-style corn (with peppers in it)
1 small can chilis
2 c shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 c parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients.  Back at 350 d. until heated through and bubbly.  Remove and serve hot with corn chips for dipping.

Downstairs in the kid area, I put bowls of Oreos, Doritos, dip, crackers, and Chocolate Fondue for Cheaters

CHOCOLATE FONDUE FOR CHEATERS
1 box graham cracker sticks
1 can chocolate frosting

Dip the first into the second.  Eat!

Other guests began to arrive.  One member of the UWG showed up with a complete fondue set with chocolate!  They swiftly chopped up an entire set of treats for dipping and filled two pots.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE
16 oz. (1 pckg) semi-sweet chocolate
1 can condensed milk (or 1 1/2 c cream)
1 t vanilla
Granny Smith (green) apples
pound cake
peanut butter cookies
marshmallows
Oreo cookies
fresh pears
stick pretzels

Melt first three ingredients together slowly in microwave or on stove.  Pour into fondue pot and light to keep warm.  Chop up rest of ingredients and arrange on platter.  Dip each with fondue fork into melted chocolate and eat.

Delicious!

The party got into full swing fairly quickly.  The basement was full of children rushing around, playing computer games, playing hide-and-seek, and doing other things.  The only mishap of the evening was a stubbed toe.

The grownup party ranged from large group conversation to small group conversation to board games to karaoke.  And of course we watched the ball drop and drank champagne at midnight.  The party broke up at about 1:30--we's gettin' old, and the kids were gettin' cranky.  (Interestingly, none of the children conked out except Aran, who went to bed at midnight.)

We did minimal cleanup and fell into bed ourselves, then finished up this morning.  It was a fine, fine New Year's party!

Happy New Year!

Kala and I are hosting a kid-friendly New Year's Party this year.  We're converting the basement into the kid zone, with games and other activities and a place for sleeping bags while the main floor will be for the adults.

We're doing this because last year Kala and I unexpectedly ended up with a kid-free New Year's Eve and realized we had nowhere to go!  No plans because we thought we'd have kids all evening.  I figured there must be a fair number of people in a similar situation--it's hard to find a babysitter on NYEve, and it's hard to bring kids to a NYEve party.  So we decided this year we'd make sure there was a party everyone could go to, kids or not!

Anyway, we sent out invitations last week.  If you're a friend within driving distance of the Ann Arbor/Ypsi area and you haven't gotten an invitation, let me know!  You're not being snubbed; I accidentally overlooked you.  :)