Infuse the flavors of fall into a year-round favorite.  Adding pumpkin puree to store-bought hummus adds a slightly sweet, warm flavor to this crowd-pleasing dip, and a healthy dose of beta-carotene.  Serve this as part of a Halloween, Thanksgiving or fall cocktail party menu.  I even like to whip up a batch for an afternoon snack.

Pumpkin Hummus

1 C. garlic hummus (store-bought or homemade)

1/2 C. pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 ground cloves

1/4 C. toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), optional

crackers, tortilla chips or pita wedges

Combine hummus, pumpkin and spices in a small bowl.  Stir until well combined.  Transfer to a small serving dish; sprinkle with toasted pepitas.  Serve with whole-grain crackers, tortilla chips or pita wedges.

Creating a centerpiece for a fall dinner is as easy as picking up a bag of mini pumpkins at the grocery store or farmer’s market. These adorable miniature pumpkins – the most common are Jack-Be-Little or Baby Boo – are inexpensive and hearty enough to last for weeks. Place the pumpkins on a simple cake stand or platter and pile them high. Tuck fresh leaves or cut branches of fall berries in empty spaces for a finished look. For a more modern version, use a white rectangular platter and place an odd number of pumpkins in a straight line, alternating with tea lights.

Give parents-to-be a memorable gift to take home from a baby shower by having each guest decorate a onesie.  Supplies for this project are inexpensive and easy to find:  White onesies in various sizes, a few pieces of cardboard (to put inside the onesie so the paint doesn’t bleed through), a package of stencils (animals, flowers, etc.), fabric paints in a few colors, a small plastic tray for the paint and a package of paint brushes.  Cover a table in newspaper and an inexpensive table cloth.  Buy a package of small clothespins and use a piece of ribbon, yarn or string to make a clothesline across the room (the paint will need time to dry).  If you have the space, have guests go into another room to do the decorating and bring the mom-to-be into the room after everyone has made one to present her with the gift.  Every new parent will appreciate having a plethora of cute onesies for their new bundle.

Host a seasonal harvest theme party with ideas from my monthly column on The Family Groove.

http://www.thefamilygroove.com/oct09_TheDinnerParty.htm

I can think of few things more comforting than crispy potatoes layered with caramelized onions.  These delicious bite-size appetizers are a must on an tapas menu and a crowd-pleasing, inexpensive addition to any cocktail party menu.  Make the tortilla up to a day in advance.  Once cooled, cut into small wedges or squares and refrigerate.  Serve at room temperature or warm by heating tortilla bites on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until warm.

Add any of the following complimentary ingredients if you’d like to add more flavor and color to the tortilla:  Chopped pimientos or roasted red peppers, diced chorizo, sauted kale, spinach or zucchini.  Parsley is an excellent garnish for the tortilla.

Here are the links to my favorite tortilla recipes.  The first recipe (from Food Network) is an authentic recipe; the second recipe (from epicurious) is a less labor-intensive variation that’s baked in the oven.

Traditional Spanish Tortilla:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spanish-tortilla-recipe/index.html

Baked Spanish Tortilla Bites
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chorizo-and-Potato-Spanish-Tortilla-Bites-236695

*I added chopped pimientos to the tortilla pictured above.

Tapas is one of my favorite theme menus to serve when hosting a cocktail party.  Compliment delicious small bites with a big batch of sangria.  Several items on a tapas menu – such as olives, nuts, cheese, bread and cured meat – don’t require any cooking.   Here’s a menu to get your tapas party started.

Tapas Menu

Marcona Almonds
Gazpacho “Shots” (served in tall shot glasses)
Spanish Cured Olives or any mixed olives
Spanish Tortilla Bites
(link to recipe below)
Patatas Bravas (fried spicy potatoes)
Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce)
Spanish Green Bean Salad with Pimientos
Garbanzo Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Spanish Cheese Platter: include Manchego (sheep’s milk cheese), Calabraza (Spanish blue cheese), Iberico (cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheese), Tetilla (soft cow’s milk cheese), Membrillo (quince paste – link to post about Membrillo below) and paper thin slices of Serrano Ham wrapped around store-bought breadsticks
Country-style Bread or Sourdough, sliced thin

Mini Delce de Leche Brownies (link to recipe below)
Caramel Flan

Sangria (link to recipe below)
Spanish red wine, such as Rioja, Garnacha or Tempranillo
Cava (Spanish sparkling white wine, similar to Champagne)
Spanish Cervesa (Beer), such as Mahou, Voll Damm and Mahou Negra

Spanish Tortilla Recipe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spanish-tortilla-recipe/index.html

Membrillo
http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/membrillo-quince-paste/

Dulce de Leche Brownie Recipe
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/06/dulce_de_leche.html

Sangria Recipe
http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/hip-twist-on-traditional-sangria/

Fig jam has somehow managed to fly under the radar on grocery store shelves.  It’s available in most stores among the many common varieties, though likely placed above or below the more popular fruit flavors like strawberry and grape.  This is a spread that is not to be missed.  It’s a delicious fruit jam that has a sweet and complex flavor (think moderately sweet raisin with peach with vanilla). 

Fig jam pairs nicely with both sweet and savory foods, and is especially tasty with any type of creamy or salty cheese.  Use it on a roasted turkey and brie cheese sandwhich, pour it over cream cheese and serve with whole wheat crackers, or use it as a topping for a cheesecake.

Crostini provides a perfect vehicle for transporting fig jam and tangy goat cheese into one delectable bite.  Serve the crostini as an appetizer for a casual dinner or a cocktail party, as the fig jam makes it both rustic and sophisticated all at once.

1 loaf baguette (white or whole wheat), sliced into ½ inch rounds

6oz goat cheese, softened

6oz jar of fig jam (or homemade)

extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice baguette into rounds; place rounds in single layer on baking sheet.  Drizzle or brush with olive oil.  Baked on rack in middle of oven until golden brown and slightly crisp (about 8 minutes).  Remove from oven and rub garlic clove on oiled side each round.  Cool to room temperature.  This step can be done up to a week in advance; store in n air-tight container.

2.       Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on each piece of crostini using a small butter knife.  Put a dallop of fig jam on top of goat cheese.  Garnish platter with fresh figs sliced in half.  Serve at room temperature.

Baby shower games are often boring, annoying or downright gross (guessing what candy bar was mushed up in a diaper – no thanks!).  The celebrity baby name matching game is an exception and perfect for a pop-culture-loving crowd.  Picked the most up-to-date list of celebrity babies to make the game more challenging.  List celebrity parents in one column and the names of their babies in another column, scrambling the order of each so the names of the parents and babies are not on the same line.  Make a key for yourself to make ”grading” easier.  Be sure to provide pens or pencils for the players.  Give a fun shower prize for the winner, such a gift card to a movie theater or Fendengo, a DVD or CD featuring one of the celebrity parents or an itunes gift card.    

 Did you know there’s a blog dedicated exclusively to tracking celebrity baby naming news?  It’s a great resource for making this fun baby shower game.  Check it out:  www.celebritybabynamesblog.com.

I’ve found that most shell place card holders look cheap or kitchy, until I saw these Neptune Shell Place Card Holders from Two’s Company.  They’re perfect for a beach theme party, whether it be a rehearsal dinner, dinner party or beachy bridal luncheon.  Even if you don’t use formal place cards, these can be used for marking food on a buffet table (i.e. writing the name of the dish on a place card so guests know what each dish is without having to ask).  They can also be used to display pictures on a guest table at the party, or at home after the party is over. 

Neptune Seashell Place Card Holders (set of 6), $18.50 – http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=2111/1657.0.57238.56866.0.0.0

Forget the “It’s a Boy/ Girl” banners and make your own modern personalized banner for your next baby shower.  It’s a fairly simple project that can be done in advance, and makes a nice keepsake for the parents-to-be.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Scrapbooking paper in various patterns
Precut card stock (available in the invitations section in a craft store)
Stencils (purchased or made from a site like http://www.alphabet-soup.net/ttools/stencil.html)
Scissors
Glue, double sided tape or scrapbooking dots
Hole punch
String, ribbon or rafia

Before you start cutting, plan which letters will be cut from which pieces of scrapbooking paper, alternating patterns so each letter has a different pattern next to it.  Trace stencil letters onto the back of scrapbooking paper and cut them out using sharp scissors.  If you are writing more than one word you may want to use the scraps of paper to make a circle or star to put between the two words (as shown above). 

Paste each letter onto a piece of precut card stock, leaving enough room at the top to punch a hole without punching through the letters.  Punch two holes at the top of each piece of card stock.  A trick for making evenly spaced holes: Measure the first one you do, then put the next piece of card stock under the first and mark the holes with a pencil so you know where to punch the holes, repeating with each pieces of card stock. 

Thread a ribbon through the back of the first hole and the front of the second hole.  Hang the banner using pushpins/ thin nails, or by tying each end to a sturdy object on a bookshelf.