Birthday celebration for the near 40's - help!

Nix143

Hello OSers I need help from you lot big time


Well I'll be 37 at the end of the month and I started inviting friends out to celebrate with me - you know nothing big, couple drinks, I am very skint you know

Which incidentally has turned into my new mantra *coffs*

Anyway this has now mutated into

8 locals friends
1 person from Bedfordshire
1 couple from Edinburgh
1 couple from Kent
1 person from Oldham
My girlfriend who is coming from Hertfordshire
1 couple from Liverpool


All coming to my lil gaff at the top of Lancashire :T

Now this has left me with several 'issues' - not gonna call them problems because I just feel well blessed to have such an amazing bunch of mates who would travel hours to come spend some time with me

1. I have 8 people to accommodate - I've farmed off 3 of them to another friend but that leaves me with 5 extra people in my house!!!! So that means I have a BIG breakfast to do on the Sunday morning - now my kitchen is tiny and I don't know if I can do a fry up for 6 - and potentially 15 as after most nights out we all congregate at one person's house. What's a cheap and easy to prepare breakfast for over a dozen people?

2. The night out - I wanted to feed everyone before we went out as I dont think it's fair to ask them all to pay for a meal when they have spent money travelling - but feeding 15 people is gonna cost me a packet and potentially fluster the boogery out of me. Ideas? Couple of big lasagnes from the freezer and some garlic bread? What do you lot think?

3. Birthday cake - as well as my birthday on the night it is 3 other people's birthdays within a 3 week period either side so we're calling it a joint celebration - and I wanna make an ace cake. So the four of us can be sung to and blow out candles . Recipes for an amazing tasting and looking cake please OSers!

4. The night itself - everyone is making an effort to come - I feel bad dragging them around my little local town. What would make a night out special for these special people in my life?


Any input most gratefully accepted, I need to start planning (and cleaning!) now.

Cheers from a frazzled 36, soon to be 37, year old

Lucie_2

Mass catering, doncha just love it!

For breakfast I would do a kedgeree instead of a fry up. You can make it the day before & reheat it in the oven/microwave once you get up. It's simple to make & probably not something most people have on a regular basis, so will be another talking point of the weekend. The way I make it is basically smoked haddock, rice, hard boiled egg, peas & spring onions.

I like the idea of feeding them before you go out. Simplest thing is a huge pan of chilli, salad, garlic bread etc. Couple of bags of tortilla chips, some sour cream & you're onto a winner. Chilli always tastes better made the day before, so again you can do most of your prep in advance.

Not good on cakes, sorry! I'd spend a tenner & get one from Costco meself!

To make the night special, why not make it black tie or posh frock? You'll cause a stir going round town in your finery.

Have fun! :beer:

Nix143

Cheers Lucie, we've already spoken about doing suits and posh frocks so I think that one is a must!

:j

kittykat100

Bacon Butties.....

Can do them as part of a conveyer belt.... fry/bake/grill the bacon and another friend can put it onto bread, then another can dish out!

Easy peasy.. and a lot of places do 2 for 1s on bacon.

kittyx

Sarahjovi

For the night out, can you find a local pub that has a band on or some karaoke, a good night is usually defined by the good company! I invited some friends from far afield for a night out and we went to a bar with a band on, just lucky they were playing our type of music and we had a great time!

Sarah

Shez

Mrbadexample had a really good thread on the OS board where he made a chocolate cake and posted pictures from start to finish! it was quite funny, but turned out really good!

breakfast: what about a continental style one, rolls, different breads, croissants, ham, salami or whatever you fancy, cheeses, jams, fruit, etc - that way you dont have to worry about cooking anything, just put everything out on the table and they help themselves!!!

Nix143

Cheers guys, I really fancy the idea of a kedgeree for breakfast - really different from normal fare - with maybe some bacon doorstops for the less adventurous


Re the cake - I would so get a cake from Costco but I am an hour away from my nearest one - so home baking it's gonna have to be. I can manage a basic Victoria sponge but wanted something a bit more fancy *off to rootle through old threads*

mrbadexample

Difficult cake.

Easy cake.

Kedgeree.

Sorted.

wendym

Night before...has to be chilli.

Breakfast...has to be kedgeree (and b**ll*x to any one who won't eat it...don't even think about offering alternatives).

PUT COOKED RICE IN FRIDGE OVERNIGHT, or you risk re-enacting my brother's side-splitting birthday watching friends being scarily unwell (including one admission to the hospital where he worked).

Cake... nobody will actually want to eat it, so see if you can find a cheap blow-up version.

Raise a glass to those of us who would just love to be that side of the f word birthday again!

janeawej

i think that as long as the cake is huge and sparkly it will cause gasps of amazment! make a huge victoria sandwich in a baking tray, cover with mwlted choc and stick sparklers in it!!! everyone will love it! my easy recipe is

weigh eggs, same weight in butter, flour and gran sugar

cream butter and sugar, add eggs and flour alternately and beat in, add a bit of vanilla esscence if u have it, put in tin and bake!

then cool and decorate

recovering_spendaholic

These are such brilliant ideas!! The cake with the sparklers sounds fab!!