Dolce Debbie as Sophia Loren

Who doesn’t love a good party? For me, that’s what I live for, and whereas I love to have themed, festive get-togethers, I decided this year it would be fun to add a little of old Hollywood glamour into the Halloween theme. So, needing to keep it a little macabre, I decided to do a theme on the Hitchcock classic “The Birds”. Easy enough, just find some black crows or any type of black bird, a bird cage, get some white pumpkins and spray paint a couple black...get where I’m headed…black and white. This is truly a case of less is more and nothing screams glamour more than black and white!

Now for the food, as I said before, I wanted to focus on making this festive but in a sophisticated way. So, I went to some of my fall back finger foods. First on the list, my stuffed mushrooms, these are always a crowd pleaser and easy preparation. So, I felt like I needed at least 1 or 2 “WOW” factors on the table, what could I do that was seasonal and not only presents well but is full of flavor but not full of labor to produce? Nothing says autumn like soup, and it is squash/gourd season, so I decided to go with my butternut squash bisque, but who wants to have a bowl of soup at a party, right? But it’s always fun to have a quick little shooter of some sort, so there ya go….a shot of butternut squash bisque topped with some crème fraiche, really cute if I say so myself.

To continue with the squash theme, I decided to roast an acorn squash, take the meat out and then fill it with a dip, I chose a spinach dip. Now to make my bird cage functional and add a bit of continuity to the theme of “The Birds” I placed cheese in the bird cage accompanied with some crackers or your favorite bread cut into slices. And there you have it, easy, quick and elegant party fit for the most discerning of Hollywood Royalty. To see a bit of how this all pulls together, take a look at this photo below from my segment on Daytime TV, taping their Halloween segment was GREAT fun. You can also find a lot of these ideas in Better Home and Gardens Special Halloween issue. Trick or Treat y’all!