BOOzy Brunch 2016
For the third year in a row, I threw a BOOzy brunch to celebrate the High Holy Day, aka Halloween. It's the only party I throw all year, for a few reasons: it's a lot of work to throw a party, I go waaaayyyy overboard on everything, and Halloween is really the only holiday worth celebrating (if I had to pick just one).
I hosted a few Halloween parties when I lived back in Ohio, and some spooky treats are staples by now—spiderweb deviled eggs, mummy hot dogs, salsa-and-cream-cheese dip that looks like puke but tastes like heaven and loads of creepy desserts. This year my showstopper was a meat skeleton, an idea that I fell in love with the minute I saw it on Pinterest. My wonderful dude found the perfect skeleton for $9.99 at Walgreens (true love!) and my partner-in-snacks, Francesca, expertly arranged the meats ("Do you have any art direction?" "Just make it gross, I trust you.")
Some new additions to the repertoire this year included a (vile) veggie tray, "eye of newt" cake pops, Jell-OoOOo shots (in tiny cauldrons!) and jack (cheese and bean) o'lantern quesadillas. The only time of year when I really scour Pinterest is Halloween, but my favorite source for spooky snack ideas is still the Queen of All Things, Martha Stewart. I used to obsessively collect her magazines—the Halloween issues especially—and while Pinterest is very hit-or-miss (see the Jell-O worm debacle of '14), a Martha idea is always solid.
I probably own enough macabre everyday decor that I needn't buy a single Halloween decoration, but that didn't stop me from buying approximately every single thing in the Halloween department of Target this year. When I moved to New York I sold almost all of my decorations, which was heartbreaking, but rebuilding my collection has been fun.
My dude and I dressed up as Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz, which was pretty easy to pull off with my own wardrobe and allowed me to play with my long flowing locks all night long—it's funny how much difference a wig makes, especially when people are so used to seeing me with short hair. I've probably said this about every one of my Halloween parties, but I dare say this one was the best yet—there's only 365 days left 'til next Halloween!