Back to School Bash

Before we left for Seattle, Marty suggested we throw a back to school party to utilize our enormous deck which we just have not used nearly enough.  We finally got some furniture out there and so we took a family poll on who really wanted a back to school party and unanimously voted to go ahead with it. 

We originally had a list of 75 people but I vetoed that idea and declared that was MUCH too large (foodwise) for me.  We narrowed it down to about 50 of our favorite people and around 40 were able to come.

We borrowed some party supplies from friends and got most of our supplies via bike/bike basket and backpacks.  Yes, it was a pain in the rear but I'm constantly amazed at how much I can haul, just me and my bike.    We borrowed our friend Fionnaula's car for the drinks though, because that would have been nearly impossible.  Throwing a party in Berlin is MUCH cheaper than in the states even if it is more work to actually get the supplies.  For

44 (.51 liter) bottles of beer and 8 bottles of wine it was only 57 Euro!  The alcohol is crazy cheap here!!  On the other hand, three teeny tiny bags of ice were 12 Euro, so maybe it all evens out in the end.  Good thing we had the foresight to save the ice from their ice excavating a few days before.

One of my requirements for food was for something that I could make ahead of time and something that would freeze if not eaten.  I came upon a veggie chili that I make frequently and found a great, new to me, meat chili recipe. Marty says the meat chili was one of the best things I've ever made.  I used this recipe but improvised quite a bit (couldn't find Anaheim chilis or fire roasted tomatoes or chipotle pepper sauce. Plus a little more of this and a little less of that but pretty much followed the recipe.)
Both chilis were made during the week so that the day of the party all I had to make was an ENORMOUS vat of gaucamole.  What is a party without Gauc?!   I also made a huge thing of

Caprese salad and a tomato, cucumber, red onion salad.

Maybe Josie's work on Overcooked is transferring to the actual kitchen as she was quite a help with making the guacamole and setting up the cookie platter.
Marty and Benjamin

set up Cornhole in the back yard. The cornhole game was hand made by our wonderful former downstairs neighbors who sadly moved back to New Mexico but left us their game.
Our friends showed up and we ate and talked and laughed and

drank and caught up after the summer and the kids played games. It was the perfect weather to be out on the deck.  What a lovely night with friends.  It is so strange to think that only a year ago none of these new friends existed in our lives.  So SO thankful for all of our new friends here in Berlin!!