Host a pirate party!
MENU SUGGESTIONS
Always ask for nutritional requirements of your guests with the RSVPs to determine if they have any allergies or objections to particular ingredients.
Recipes courtesy of the Halloween Party Host Handbook.
APPETIZERS:
CARIBBEAN PIRATE FRITTERS
2 eggs
2 tsp of baking powder 1 ½ cups of flour ¾ tsp of salt 1 ½ cups of cream style corn 1 Tbs of melted butter
Instructions:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add the beaten eggs (until fluffy), melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Drop by spoonfuls into preheated deep fryer or medium sauté pan with cooking oil at 375 F. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until evenly browned. Serve with or without a pirate-worthy dip of your choice.
CRAB’S ‘N THE KRAKEN
1 large onion, diced very finely 1 cup garlic-flavored breadcrumbs ½ stick of butter
2 cups fresh crab meat
Salt, paprika and pepper to taste 2 teaspoons of finely chopped chives ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 8 crab shells, cleaned, boiled and dried
Instructions: In a large skillet, add the butter and sauté the onion, spices, chives, crabmeat, Worcestershire sauce until the crab is cooked (if already cooked crab is used, just heat it up thoroughly). Over the low heat in a pan, combine the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spoon the mixture inside of the empty crab shells. Pour a few drops of butter on top of the mixture and place the crabs under a heated broiler until they’re golden brown color and serve!
HIDDEN TREASURES DIP
Ingredients:
½ cup of fresh crab meat ½ cup of light mayonnaise ½ cup of light sour cream 3 oz. of cream cheese ½ clove of garlic, crushed 1 Tbs. of lemon juice ¼ tsp. of garlic herb spiced salt substitute 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions: In a medium size bowl, combine ingredients and slowly stir in the crab meat. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving to blend the flavors. Serve with vegetable flavored party crackers and / or potato chips.
CARIBBEAN SPICY GRILLED TUNA
Ingredients:
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ Tbs freshly grated ginger root 1 ½ tsp ground cumin ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 2 Tbs pure virgin olive oil 1 Tbs lime juice Salt and pepper to taste 4 1 inch thick (~2.5 cm) fresh tuna fillets or steaks
Instructions:
Preheat the grill and line the grill pan with aluminum foil. Place the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish large enough for the fish to soak and mix thoroughly. Add the fish and turn to soak on all sides then grill for 3-5 minutes on each side until done.
ENTREE:
ARRRRRR! CARIBBEAN CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas Paprika, salt and pepper by taste ½ tsp thyme leaves ½ tsp ground allspice ½ tsp crushed red pepper 2 cups of chopped grilled chicken - grilled with a light jerk chicken spice rub
2 green onions, minced
2 cups peeled and chopped fresh peaches &/or mango 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions:
Combine the chicken, spices, fruit and cheese in a mixing bowl. Brush 1 side of each tortilla with vegetable oil and sprinkle with the paprika and salt and pepper. On the non-oiled side, top half of each tortilla with the chicken mixture and fold in half. Cook in a large skillet or griddle over medium low heat for at least 3 minutes per side or until the cheese melts and the tortilla is lightly browned and slice into 3 inch wedges. Serve with salsa, fresh guacamole and sour cream on the side.
DESSERTS:
ENCHANTED CARIBBEAN CHOCOLATE PIE
Ingredients:
3 large eggs ½ cup of walnut halves 1 unbaked 9″ pie shell ¼ cup unbleached Flour 1 tsp of rum flavoring 1 cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped 2 tsp. of Instant Coffee Powder ¾ cup of brown sugar, firmly packed ¼ cup of butter or regular margarine 12 ounces of chocolate chips, melted and cooled
Instructions:
Cream the butter then brown sugar together in a bowl till its light and fluffy, using an electric mixer at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cooled chocolate and coffee powder along with the rum flavoring, blending well. Stir in the flour with chopped walnuts and then turn in unbaked pie shell. Arrange the walnut halves into a circle around the edge of the pie. Bake in a preheated 375 F. hot oven for 25 minutes or until set around the edge. Cool on a wire rack. Makes at least 6 servings.
COCKTAILS FOR ADULTS:
LOST AT SEA
1.5 oz. vodka
¾ oz. blue Curacao
¾ oz. amaretto
5 oz. pina colada mix
Combine in a shaker with crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice, lime and cherry.
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PLUNDERER’S MOVIE CHALLENGE
Objective: to be the team that can answer the appropriate movie with the corresponding ‘summaries and date of release.’
Rules: Pair the guests into groups of 3-4. Give the teams 15 minutes (or more) to fill in the correct movie in the blank next to the date of release and summary using the ‘Plunderer’s Movie Challenge Answer Sheet’ (below). When the time is up and / or the guests are finished, collect the answer sheets and score them using the answer key. For younger teens, you can give them a movie word bank and have them match the answers.
Props needed: Printed copies of ‘The Plunderer’s Movie Challenge.’ A pen for each group and the answer key.
Time needed: ~20 minutes.
PLUNDERER’S MOVIE CHALLENGE ANSWER KEY
Edward Maynard goes undercover on the ship of a ‘reformed’ pirate Sir Henry Morgan as the ship’s surgeon in hopes of proving he is still involved with piracy. Blackbeard, the Pirate, 1952.
In search of a treasure map, a female pirate named Morgan Adams races against her rivals to locate a hidden treasure on a hidden island. Cutthroat Island, 1995.
A group of young teens are desperate to find a way to save their homes from a local developer who wants to turn them into a golf course. They find a treasure map and their journey begins. Goonies, 1985.
Peter Pan grew up to be a cutthroat lawyer and his nemesis and notorious pirate kidnaps his children and forces him to return to Neverland. Hook, 1992.
Captain Jack Aubrey engages in a battle against a renegade French frigate from Napoleon’s Army around South America. Master and Commander, 2003.
Elizabeth Swan, the daughter of a Governor, is kidnapped by a group of pirates led by Captain Barbossa and taken aboard their ship. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003.
Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan prepare to exchange their wedding vows until Jack Sparrow, owing a substantial amount of money to Davy Jones, throws a kink in their plans. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, 2006.
A grandfather reads a fairy tale to his ill grandson about a stable boy who turns into a pirate and rescues Buttercup - his true love - from an evil prince. The Princess Bride, 1987.
Elizabeth Swan, Will Turner and Captain Barbossa save Jack Sparrow from the Kraken and then face their foes. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, 2007
THE SEA SHANTY SINGALONG
Objective: to come up with the best pirate-worthy sea shanty.
Rules: divide your group into teams of 4-5 players. Ask them to come up with a pirate-worthy sea shanty - which is a work song that pirates would sing while laboring on the ship. Ask that each player come up with 1-2 lines of the team’s shanty. They will have 10 minutes to write their shanty and get it ready to perform. The shanty will be performed one at a time by each group and the host of the party will judge based on the following: creativity of lyrics, melody and harmony. Bonus points can be awarded for anything that goes ‘above and beyond’ with the performance. The team with the best shanty – wins!
Props needed: brains, creativity and a singing voice…hopefully good ones but it isn’t required!
Time needed: ~ 15-20 minutes.
SWABBIN’ THE DECK RELAY CHALLENGE
Objective: to swab your deck the fastest!
Rules: divide your group into two even # teams and they are to line up in two ‘lanes’ at one end of the room. If you cannot get an even number, one player on the second team will go twice – so they will be first and last. Hand a mop to the first person in line on either team. Each team will have a bucket of Ping-Pong balls and they are to place one ball in front of their mop before crossing the ‘start’ line. When the host says ‘go’, the swabbers will move their ping pong ball to the other end of the lane, across the finish line. They must use the mop to advance the Ping-Pong ball – they may not use their hands, feet, tongue, etc. If they use anything but the mop to advance the ball, they must return to the start line and start over. Once the Ping-Pong ball crosses the finish line, they can pick it up and put it in the bucket for their team. The player rushes back and hands the mop to the next player and the process continues until all players have gotten their Ping-Pong ball into their team’s bucket. If, for any reason, your Ping-Pong ball goes AWOL during the challenge and cannot be recovered – the host may provide a player with a new ball, but they must start over at the start line.
Props needed: Two mops and a ping pong ball for each player. It is suggested to have two different Ping-Pong ball colors for each team in case balls get mixed up during the race. You need a collection bucket for each team that is large enough for the # of balls on the team. Painter’s tape or other floor-safe materials to mark the start and finish lines / lanes.
Time needed: ~ 15-20 minutes.