Savvy Entertaining

As the weather turns colder, the leaves more golden, and the air crisp, my thoughts (and tastebuds) seem to wander toward all things pumpkin.

I had a piece of pumpkin cheesecake from one of my favorite restaurants the other day. If I hadn’t been at home enjoying it, Hubby would have had to scrape me up off the floor of the restaurant. Yeah, it was that good.

So that got me thinking about how fun it is this time of year to host a pumpkin themed party.

Start with the invitations. You could use mini pumpkins and florist picks. Type out a simple invitation on some card stock or hand-print a fun invite. Place the florist pick into the top of the pumpkin and insert the card in the holder then hand deliver to your guests.

Another fun idea would be to color a black band around your pumpkin and then write in metallic or glitter a very simple invitation message. This is guaranteed to get you some attention.

You may also use some fun pumpkin paper, cut your invitations out in the shape of a pumpkin or just use pumpkin colored paper.

Once you have sent out the invitations, think about decorations. The options for decorating with pumpkins are only limited by your imagination. You can carve them, bedazzle them, color them, and stencil them.

Etched Pumpkin from Southern Living at Home

Etching is a great way to display a fabulous design without having to dig out all the messy insides of the pumpkin. I’m pretty certain this would take way more creative talent than I can muster. If you do find yourself having to clean out a pumpkin, use a sturdy ice cream scoop. It gets in there and digs out all the icky goo like nobody’s business.

Line your driveway with illuminated pumpkins. Carve out the letters “w-e-l-c-o-m-e” as a fun greeting for guests. Have piles of pumpkins by your door, set little pumpkins on tables and in corners.

You could even march them down a table for a fun and easy accent.

Think about using white pumpkins mixed with the traditional orange or go all white for a dramatic effect.

Hollow out pumpkins for candle holders or serving containers. This large pumpkin works great as an ice bucket.

Don’t forget to light a few pumpkin candles so your home even smells like pumpkin. Two of my favorites are Spiced Pumpkin from Yankee Candle and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath & Body Works. You can even get pumpkin soap, if you want to really take your pumpkin theme to a whole new level.

For your menu, think about fun things you can add to tie in the pumpkin theme. You could offer pumpkin soup or even a chunky stew served in hollowed out mini-pumpkins. You can offer pumpkin bread, mashed pumpkin or grilled pumpkin. Serve up a pumpkin dessert like Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Roll (a holiday-must have at our house) or even a Pumpkin Trifle.  And for goodness sakes, don’t forget the pumpkin seeds. You can make your own or buy them plain or with interesting flavors like chipotle, lemon or barbecue.

Have fun with your pumpkin party and explore all the fun possibilities.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin

Salt

Olive Oil