Happy Harry Potter Party!

If you know Thatkid at all, you know he's obsessed with Harry Potter.  We've been reading the books since kindergarten, he's got an account on Pottermore so he could be officially sorted and he even owns the "Syltherin House" version of some of the books as he has embraced his house.

In June he got a talking sorting hat, and the idea for his birthday party came into fruition.  Nevermind that most of his friends didn't know Harry Potter, and those that did were really only familiar with the movies and not the books.  He wanted a Harry Potter party, and he got one.

When guest arrived, they were greeted with a shopping list and sent to Diagon Alley to retrieve their school supplies.

A stop at Madam Malkin's for their school robes.

Cauldrons

Ollivander's to pick out their wands.

And of course, Flourish and Blotts to grab their school books.

Here they grabbed both a Monster Book of Monsters

As well as a book containing information for all their classes.

Once most of the guests had arrived, they were ushered over to the Hogwarts Great Hall.

Here they lined up and waited to be sorted into their houses.

Pretty soon, Dumbledoor came out with the sorting hat.

He placed the hat on the head of each child, and once it announced their house, he gave them an identifying tie and they hurried off to join their table.

Once all the children were sorted, Professor Sprout came out for the first lesson - Herbology.

The kids learned all about venus fly traps and got to plant their own.

Then Hagrid came out to teach Care of Magical Creatures.

He taught the kids about nifflers and they competed against each other in a niffler game.

Professor Trelawny led the kids in a Divination game

Then Professor Lockhart helped the children discover their Patronuses.

In Transfiguration, the kids learned to turn pills into animals.

And in potions class, they each made a potion (slime) to take home.

After all those classes it was time to burn off some steam - QUIDDITCH matches!  I hid 2 snitches in the yard so we could have 2 games - Gryffyndor versus Slytherin, and Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw.

While the kids played Quidditch, the house-elves magically cleaned the tables and put out a feast for the kids to enjoy that was made up of sandwiches, fruit, veggies, house-colored deviled eggs, and sweet sorting hats.

And then it was time for cake.

Thatkid requested a strawberry cake with black mirror glaze.

On the way out, the kids all got to stop in Hogsmede for a trip to Honeydukes for some candy to take home.

I made peppermint toads out of marshmallow fluff, peppermint extract, and white chocolate.

Sugar quills were molded melted jolly ranchers.

I went with a more traditional interpretation of cauldron cakes - welsh cakes which are technically "pan" cakes, but could easily be made in a cauldron if one used that to cook.

My favorite were the ice mice.  Did you guys eat those chocolate ice cubes growing up?  They were one of Thatdad's favorites.  They seemed to melt in your mouth, while also making your mouth feel colder.  I found a recipe online and adapted it to work with white chocolate, which seemed more "ice-y".  These really did melt like an ice cube and chill your mouth!

It was sooooooo much work and I don't think I'll ever do anything like this again, but the kids had a great time!  Thatkid specifically picked out all the food that we served, from lunch, to cake, to candy.  He's the one who requested sorting hats with both regular and white chocolate. 

I especially like these because they're perfect for this time of year with treats and snacks take on that "spooky" aspect.  Because a sorting hat looks exactly like a witch's hat.  These are also incredibly easy, which is another plus.

 Sweet Sorting Hats

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

cocoa powder (use black cocoa powder for an especially spooky witch hat)

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Separate the dough into 8 triangles.
2. With the pointed part on top, place a Tbsp of either chocolate chips or white chocolate chips along the bottom of the triangle.
3. Roll the bottom up and over the triangle to contain the chocolate chips and create the brim of the hat.
4. Repeat with remaining triangles and chocolate chips.  Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
5.  Use a sifter or strainer to sift cocoa powder over the warm hats.

Unicorns are FOUR-real: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

Thatbaby has been very into unicorns this past year.  I'm not sure where it came from, other than the fact that unicorns are everywhere.  Including some of his favorite television programs like Peg and Corn, or Go Away Unicorn.  In any event, it's been unicorns, unicorns, everywhere unicorns around this house.  He even asked for a unicorn donut for his birthday breakfast.

So it should come as no surprise that he really wanted a unicorn birthday party.  And we aim to please round these parts.  It doesn't help that unicorns are everywhere right now, making this one of the easiest parties to plan.  Much easier than "Dinosaur Ice Cream" at least.

He knew for sure he wanted a unicorn bounce house at his party.  So unicorn bounce house it was.

Thatboy and I also stumbled across this Giant Unicorn sprinkler which we thought would be hours of fun for our kids all summer and set it up in the backyard - asking our guests to bring bathing suits.

They did.  It was really hot that day, so it was nice for the kids to have a break from that hot house that was the jumper and cool down a bit.  

Goodie bag treats were also really easy thanks to unicorns everywhere.

Each kid got a stuffed unicorn, a unicorn bath bomb, unicorn putty, unicorn stickers, unicorn fruit snacks, unicorn erasers, and a unicorn rubber ducky.

Unicorn decorations were everywhere, so it was easy to grab table coverings and centerpiece decorations.  I even found a balloon arch that matched the colors on the invitation, which became the colors of the party.  Thatboy and I are getting to be pros at blowing up balloons to create balloon arches!  They're my new favorite way to bring some fun into a party.  And the kids love tear them apart at the end.

I even picked up some bright pink unicorn planters on clearance and painted them to match the party colors, placing them on the table with skittles and lollipops.

The unicorn dessert table was Thatbaby's pick - watermelon, unicorn popcorn, unicorn rice krispie treats, even unicorn poptarts.  There was also unicorn ice cream which we kept inside until it was time to serve it.

Unicorn horns were made with pretzel sticks, wrapped in caramel, then dipped in melted chocolate.

I made little unicorn marshmallow pops which the kids thought were awesome.  Because who doesn't love marshmallows?

And I had unicorn macarons made by Candy's Sweet Treats.  These were not only beautiful, but absolutely delicious.

The kids weren't in love with unicorn kisses flavored water I purchased, choosing the "green fruit punch" requested by Thatbaby.  The grownups however?  They loved them.

The piece de resistance however were the unicorn cupcakes, a special request by Thatbaby.  He wanted unicorn cupcakes instead of a unicorn cake, and when I showed him pictures of cupcakes with colorful frosting swirls he told me he wanted chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  So these weren't the most colorful part of our party, but they may have been the most delicious.  Chocolate and gold look so festive together anyway.  I whipped out my Dorie Greenspan "Baking from My Home to Yours" book and found the perfect recipe.  Chocolate chocolate cupcakes.  

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes (By Dorie Greenspan)

1 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick+ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

5 oz bittersweet chocolate, divided

1 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.  Melt 2 oz of the bitter sweet chocolate and let cool.
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Beat 1 stick of butter in an electric mixer at medium speed until soft and creamy.
4. Add sugar and beat for 2 minutes.
5. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute.
6. Add the egg yolk and beat for 1 minute.
7. Beat in the vanilla.
8. Reduce the mixer to low speed and add half of the dry ingredients. mixing only until they disappear.
9. Add the buttermilk and mix until incorporated.
10. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
11. Stir in the melted chocolate with a rubber spatula and divide batter among the cupcake liners.  Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a spaghetti noodle inserted into the center comes out clean.
12. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to cool completely.
13. Once the cupcakes are cool, melt the remaining bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler.  Transfer the top of the double boiler to a counter and let the melted chocolate stand for 5 minutes.
14. Whisk in the confectioners sugar.
15. Whisk in the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter.  Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache and give a little twirl as you lift out.  Let the glaze set.