Making magic
Two very popular party themes are the Harry Potter Party and the Tea Party. Both will turn your home into a wonderland for a day and memories for many tomorrows. Follow these suggestions for decorations, games and food for a very magical party.

The Harry Potter party
Because Harry Potter is trademarked and copyrighted, caterers cannot market parties with the same name. Instead they have to resort to the same theme under a different name, such as "A Wizard Party." Parents, on the other hand, can have Harry Potter Parties and the ideas from the books are endless. Invitations can be sent on parchment paper with a picture of a white owl saying, "You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Put the date, time, address, phone number and include the birthday wizard's name. If you wish, you can request that each partygoer arrive wearing a black wizard robe.

Simple decorations include a string of lights and a magical Mirror of Erised. Candles could be lit and set in high places and little owls can be placed on each chair at the table. Make Victorian-era style portraits in frames from second hand stores with the eyes cut out and let the kids or an older helper take turns being "the picture." Hang signs on your doors that say King's Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and Hogwarts Express.

Game ideas are plentiful, too. Divide the kids into teams by placing a tall stool with a large black hat for the Sorting Hat. Have the young wizards each sit on the stool with the hat on their heads to decide each one's team. The black hat of course should have a face. Paint two stitches for eyes and a crooked line for a mouth. Call the teams Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Huffolepuff and Slytherin.

Send each team on a Quidditch Treasure Hunt. Make a golden snitch or draw a picture of one and hide it in the very last place. (A golden snitch is a gold ball about the size of a walnut with silver wings on each side. The team that captures the golden snitch first wins.) Each child can draw a spell out of a glass jar and read it out loud. If kids are older, try painting a huge chess game on large pieces of cardboard and play a human game of chess. The prize would of course be a sorcerer's stone.

A few ideas for party favors are clear cellophane bags with wands (made out of branches), chocolate frogs (recipe follows), small bags of assorted jellybeans with a small printed tag that says Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. On the other side of the tag write assorted flavors such as sardines, brussel sprouts, earwax, liver, pink peppercorn, peppermint, chocolate and the like. If you wish, add the paperback books to the bag or include a verse from the book made into a bookmark.

To mark places at the table, make small brooms out of dowels and raffia. Place a tag attached to each broom and let it identify the broom as either a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven. Harry's glasses are to be found at stores everywhere, or you can find them on the Internet to print and cut out.

Some great food ideas for this party are pumpkin pasties, butter beer, chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes and Yorkshire pudding. Add some regular food, too, on platters -- such as roasted chicken and mashed potatoes -- and the kids will think they're really dining at Hogwarts.

Below are some great recipes that even Muggles would love!

Chocolate Frogs
You need:
Two bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Candy molds in the shape of frogs (Can be purchased at a cake decorating store)

Instructions:
Slowly melt chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Lightly spray the molds with non-stick spray. Spoon the melted chocolate into the molds and refrigerate until hard. Remove the frogs and wrap them in cellophane. Repeat until the chocolate is all used.

Pumpkin Pasties
You need:
One recipe of pie crust
One can of cooked pumpkin
One egg
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
One cup of sugar
One beaten egg mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk for eggwash
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:
Prepare the pie crust and chill. Prepare pumpkin filling by combining the pumpkin, egg, spice and sugar. Roll out dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Cut into rounds with a large biscuit cutter. Place a tablespoon of filling on one side of the round. Brush the edges of the round with the beaten egg and fold over. Using a fork, press the edges together with the tines. It will make a design around the edges. Repeat with the remaining rounds. Brush each pastie with the egg-wash mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 350º oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Butter Beer
You need:
Bottles or cans of cream soda
Butter flavoring

Instructions:
For each serving combine the soda with a half-teaspoon of flavoring. If desired pour back into bottles after removing the labels. (Make new labels that say "Butter Beer")

Cauldron Cakes
You need:
One yellow cake mix
One 24 oz. Jar of strawberry or raspberry jam
Chocolate frosting
Thin, black licorice

Instructions:
Prepare the cake mix according to directions and bake in muffin tins. Remove from tin after cooling. Scoop out a small indentation on top of cupcake and fill with jam. Frost only the outside of the cupcake and insert a length of licorice into opposite edges to look like a cauldron.

Links, information and more for you

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)

About the author: Kerri Buckley is a certified chef who has worked for Westin Hotels and has taught for professional chef training programs. She owns Prima Vera Catering and lives in the Pacific Northwest. She can be reached at kdbuckley@msn.com.