A funny thing happened. Unbeknownst to me, two days ago Mark went to one of the neighbors and asked for a favor, if she would send out a block-wide email for him as his phone was then missing. As a member of the block, I got a copy and read it late last night when I’d finished baking. It said:
“Mark has asked me send out an invite as he doesn’t have an email.
He is having a BYO Pumpkin carving and beer party, so bring your pumpkin, chair (if you need one), drinks and food that you might want. Saturday at 2:30pm“
It’s worth reading again, isn’t it? I was already planning a surprise birthday party drop-by and knew Mark had invited some neighbors to a Pumpkin Carve-out, but didn’t who would attend. When I saw that invitation I didn’t know if it meant neighbors would show up and throw themselves a party in the yard or what.
In addition to that bit of confusion, three of the mums last week decided to have a Block Halloween Brunch on Sunday morning, dress up yourself, your kids, your dog and bring a Mason jar as well as something for the potluck. They decided to send out an email clarifying that THE party to come to is tomorrow morning, so I sent out a further email suggesting that multiple parties is great and pointing out that I was also putting on a surprise belated birthday party for the 84 year-old on the block.
I even told the hood that I’d made several surprises for the party: a batch of Rummed-Up Golden Raisin Oatmeal Chews, a 3-layer Toasted Coconut Party Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting*, a roasted veggie and vermicelli salad with an improvised peanut dressing and a mention that there would be hot Crispy Onion Popovers** during the party.
It was a very small party on a perfectly gorgeous and warm fall afternoon. Mark enjoyed carving the daylights out of a huge pumpkin and the food I made was sufficient to feed all five of us and share the leftovers. I’m won’t be able to go to the brunch tomorrow as I’m going to be busy watching Formula 1 Japan. I also won’t have to cook a thing or put on a silly costume or admire Rover the Dog’s cute sunflower costume. It’ll be great to relax.
*The first time that I made this cake is in the following post. I got a good laugh last night explaining to a friend on Facebook that what makes today’s cake a “party” cake is the sprinkles. Otherwise it’s just a Toasted Coconut Cake. https://mschefinseattle.com/2017/04/18/peeps-a-boo-toasted-coconut-cake/
**https://mschefinseattle.com/2017/10/26/preparing-for-pumpkin-carving-party-with-onion-popovers/ Popover recipe is in the post. They take only 20 minutes to bake if you use a regular sized, nonstick, sprayed with oil, 12-count muffin tin.
Ms Chef in Seattle 