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Home » Halloween Inspiration » A Lovely Halloween Dinner Party

A Lovely Halloween Dinner Party

Published: Oct 31, 2022 · Modified: Oct 7, 2023 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

You’ll find lots of elegant Halloween dinner party ideas in this post! I wanted to give my husband a candle-lit, gothically elegant, somewhat spooky, absolutely delicious dinner party for his birthday this year, and I did not disappoint!

I served red wine braised short ribs, cocktails with lychee eyeballs, perfectly roasted autumn veggies, pumpkin-spiced carrot cupcakes, and more!

A dark dinner table with black candles, marigolds, short ribs and champagne.

With just a few romantic marigolds, pretty white pumpkins, and hauntingly sweet cocktails, it was easy to dress up these traditional autumn recipes in Halloween fun!

As always, I like a fancy dinner that I can whip up in 20 minutes (or less) once guests arrive. I do almost all of my cooking and prepping the day before, then just reheat everything before serving. Here’s how I put the whole dinner together!

A bouquet of marigolds in a napkin on a plate.

First, I started with maple butternut squash and mushroom crostini with goat cheese and blackberry balsamic drizzle. I made the mushrooms and butternut squash topping the day before, then simply toasted some baguette, and added goat cheese. I serve them cold so they’re easy to put together right before the party.

The only thing I made “from scratch” during the day were a few fried, salted sage leaves to place on top. These appetizers vanished like ghosts!

A silver tray with 10 crostini on a table.
Maple Butternut Squash Crostini with Mushrooms
These maple butternut squash crostini include perfectly sautéd mushrooms and shallots, fresh herbs and whipped goat cheese! They also include a divine blackberry balsamic glaze that’s so easy to make and so fun to drizzle!
See the Recipe
1 maple butternut squash crostini on a wooden board.

For the cocktail, I made these “Ominous Gaze” cocktails and added little Luxardo cherries to the centers of lychees. The juice gave them a “bloody” effect. So cute and spooky! The cocktail has only 2 ingredients: sake and lychee juice. They’re so easy and so refreshing! Such a perfect signature cocktail for any party (well – maybe without the eyeball).

A cocktail with a garnish that looks like an eyeball.

For the salad, I made a massaged kale and roasted beet salad with sliced shallots, radicchio, cucumber, and blackberries. I roasted the beets the day before and just assembled everything an hour before guests arrived.

Kale can be a bit tough, so I like to give each leaf a luxurious massage with olive oil first. I also made a simple apple cider vinegarette dressing like the one in my Thanksgiving beet salad.

A bowl of beet salad with blackberries on a table.
Halloween Roasted Beet Salad
This colorful Halloween salad has only 6 main ingredients and looks so enchanting! 
See the Recipe
A halloween beet salad in a bowl.

For the main course, I made blackberry Cabernet braised short ribs! This was a bit of an undertaking. I made enough for 7 people (which is 14!). They were so tender, they literally fell off their bones as I took them out of the pot. To reheat, you just add ¼ cup of beef broth and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

A bowl of braised short ribs on a table.
Blackberry Cabernet Braised Short Ribs
This blackberry Cabernet braised short rib recipe is simply exquisite! The sauce is smooth and rich with a touch of blackberry sweetness.
See the Recipe
Braised short ribs in a bowl with polenta, garnished with thyme.

For my sides, I made simple roasted carrots with nothing but salt, pepper, and butter. They took only 20 minutes to roast at 400F. I just placed them on the top rack of my oven and placed my 2 other sides below.

A plate of roasted carrots on a table.

I made roasted garlic mashed potatoes with herbed goat cheese as another side, and they couldn’t be more perfect for short ribs! You need something to catch all that delicious sauce, and these creamy mashed potatoes are my favorite!

A bowl of mashed potatoes on a table.
Baked Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese
These roasted garlic mashed potatoes are baked to perfection! Heavenly soft and fluffy on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside – this extra special potato side-dish will deliciously complete a cozy dinner party spread, or be one of the tastiest stars of your Thanksgiving or Christmas menus! 
See the Recipe
A bowl of baked mashed potatoes on a table with a lace tablecloth.

I made another incredible side: pumpkin farro with zucchini! My recipe is for rice, but I wanted a heartier grain for this party, so I used farro instead. The farro and mashed potatoes were reheated at the same temperature and time as the carrots took to roast, so everything was in, out, and on the table in 20 minutes!

A metal bowl of pumpkin farro on a table beside white pumpkins.
Pumpkin Rice with Fall Vegetables
This creamy pumpkin rice recipe includes roasted cauliflower, sautéed zucchini and red onion. Made with wild rice, canned pumpkin puree and a little parmesan to make it creamy, this exquisite Fall side dish will impress every guest at Thanksgiving or the Halloween dinner party! 
See the Recipe
A centered bowl of pumpkin rice with fall vegetables on a table with dry flowers.
A plate of meat, vegetables, mashed potatoes and farro.

Finally, for dessert, I made my husband’s favorite: pumpkin spice carrot cupcakes. They’re so easy to make! I made the cupcakes the day before and just put the frosting in a sealed pastry piping bag. Right before the party, I iced them, placed them on a server, and gave an extra one to him before guests arrived.

7 cupcakes with on a tray, the center having a lit birthday candle.
Pumpkin Spice Carrot Cupcakes
These pumpkin spiced carrot cupcakes are full of plump, rum-soaked raisins and are topped with a dreamy salted caramel cream cheese frosting! 
See the Recipe
A closeup of a cupcake on a plate.

When we were done with dinner, we went out to the back for a Halloween fire, drank hot whisky ciders, and laughed all night. I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!

A firepit with fire and wood in front of a pot of mums and a person's boot.

For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok, and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!

A book cover with a title that says “Elegant Appetizers,” beside a title that says “Don’t forget your free ebook! Subscribe.”
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Comments

  1. Ellen

    October 01, 2024 at 11:22 am

    There are some lovely recipes here. I always make a point to avoid redundancy with ingredients. There are too many fruit accents and two types of squash on this menu to differentiate sweet, salty, spicy, and savory dishes. Ex., Carrots on the plate and carrots in dessert. Pumpkin in the farro and pumpkin in dessert (Not to mention that zucchini is also a squash). Goat cheese on the crostini and goat cheese on the salad and goat cheese in the whipped potatoes. I think you used berries in four places? While each dish is beautiful, the combination of this menu is too much of the same things. You are a fantastic hostess and talented chef. Sometimes, less is more with special and Seasonal ingredients. I would challenge you to create more variety from course to course and recognize that all these berries, along with beets and pumpkin, is a sweet meal all the way around.

    Reply
    • Jessica

      October 06, 2024 at 3:36 pm

      How about you start a blog and post a menu like you are suggesting? I can imagine this took a lot of time and effort, and I, for one, think it’s perfect.

      Reply
      • Genevieve Morrison

        October 07, 2024 at 2:10 pm

        Aww, thank you Jessica <3

        Reply
    • Karla Bostic

      October 31, 2024 at 4:26 pm

      I personally enjoy carrying ingredients over from one dish to the next. It adds a cohesive touch to the meal.

      Reply

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