Dinner party Sat night and need help,please?

meant to say "20 adults and 10 kids" - we had two vegetarians and 2 gluten free kids. The cakes and cookies were not gluten free, but the ice cream was perfect for them. I also made one add'l chicken dish - chicken Marbella . It was recommended by a blogger, but I didn't like the combination of flavors.

I had a large dinner party with 10 adults and 10 kids recently. This is what I did: lamb, roasted chicken with veggies, 3 side dishes: kale, green beans, fennel and 2 savory tarts. EVERYONE was thrilled. Desserts: made cakes, cookies and cheated with the store bought ice cream. GL.

Casserole! A spruced up Mac & cheese with salad and ice cream sundaes?

Not sure if you live in a cold weather climate or not (and if you don't this idea won't be that good but...) when we were kids and winter started wearing on us my mon would do a winter picnic -- hotdogs , hamburgers, potato salad, deviled eggs -- all the classic summer grill-out foods. You could do something similar, but with more sophisticated options for the grown ups and including grilled veggies and your own "summer classic" sides. You could set the kids up on picnic blankets on the floor. This is maybe a little lower key than what you had in mind. It's just a fun end of winter thing (maybe not for the person working the grill though...!).

Make your own soft tacos...put out bowls of shredded pork, chicken, and/or beef; quickly-sauteed Dover sole or other whitefish; cheese, fresh salsas, limes, avocado slices, radish slices, Mexican crema for toppings; a big bowl of black beans, and another of rice; and a cabbage slaw. Then finish with your favorite brownie recipe spiked with cinnamon.

Is the weather going to be good? How about pizzas on the grill? Set up a "make your own station"... Help the kids make theirs, cook the adults while the kids are eating, set the kids up with a movie or activity while the adults eat.

Pasta is always a good idea. And you can make quinoa and roasted veg salad. Generally makes everyone happy.

What about Eggplant Parm? http://www.food52.com/recipes/431_eggplant_parmesan
Or Maybe Jenny's Manicotti? http://www.food52.com/recipes/2768_jennies_homemade_manicotti
or Ricotta and Chive Gnocci http://www.food52.com/recipes/2939_ricotta_and_chive_gnocchi

Wow! You are one brave woman. One possibility is http://food52.com/recipes/9151_tuna_noodle_casserole_redux if your vegetarian eats fish. And you can assemble ahead and put potato chips on top instead of panko and garlic. Fool those kids!

Don't know if it is possible to make everyone happy. I say if the chef is happy, the party is great. Just enjoy yourself.

And you can always win with a great dessert, like http://food52.com/recipes/11540_belle_foleys_chocolate_cake Read the comments below the recipe and the kids gave it a ringing endorsement.

Good luck!