Sick of Halloween Already? Try a Pumpkin!

Not everyone out there has been bitten by the Halloween costume and candy bug. If you want to host an event this fall, but don't want to make it a Halloween party, one terrific fall party planning suggestion is to host a Pumpkinfest! Take the pumpkin back from the hands of the Halloweeners and use it as a theme for your party. 

Now for your pumpkin party menu. For drinks, you can serve a delicious pumpkin beer (there are quite a few delicious ones on the market right now, especially given the season), Pumpkintinis and pumpkin juice (for the younger pumpkin party guests). As for food, start with roasted pumpkin seeds as something to munch on during cocktail hour. From there, move on to serve pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup as an appetizer. Follow the bread and the soup with an entrée of pumpkin ravioli with a flavored cream sauce (hazelnut or nutmeg might work nicely here for a real taste of fall) and finish the night off with the old fall standby: pumpkin pie.

You may be thinking...isn't that an awful lot of pumpkin to serve in one meal? It may appear that way, but if you take a closer look, you'll see that there's an excellent balance of savory and sweet dishes. The versatility of the pumpkin flavor is one of the things that makes it an ideal base for a party food theme--instead of overwhelming your guests with the same flavor throughout the meal, you'll impress them with your ability to make so much from one basic element.

As for party activities, organize an un-Halloween pumpkin carving contest. Ask your guests to get creative and carve what fall means to them--you'll be pleasantly surprised at the variety of the results. Carve a few examples before your party (be sure to save the seeds for roasting!) and display them as decoration in your party space to give your guests an idea of what you're looking for, then award a pumpkin-themed prize to the best carver.

Have a fabulous Pumpkinfest, pumpkin party or whatever you decide to call it!