It's the week before Halloween, and that means it’s finally time to come to terms with the fact that the holiday just doesn’t look the same as it did at 22. Panic buying CVS cat ears (that are 99% flammable and 100% two sizes too small) and chucking a tray of lopsided pumpkin break and break cookies in the oven before going to a party, doesn’t have the same appeal that it once did. It’s time to do the scariest thing of all and…grow up?

🪄Read until the end for a massive magical giveaway! 🪄

But here's the thing about Halloween dinner parties…hosting them doesn’t have to be the hassle your aunt wants to make you think it is (so she gets extra kudos on Thanksgiving). There are so many different directions that you can take the holiday in from Martha Stewart Fall Fever Dream to Spirit Halloween Going Out of Business Sale. Gothic Romance Cover to Kitschy Kindergarten Craft Project. So whether you're hosting a proper seated dinner with place cards shaped like tombstones or a chaotic potluck for the whole neighborhood, this guide will help you throw a spooky season party that's equal parts Practical Magic dinner scene aesthetic and Clue whodunnit fun.

Step One: Planning

I'd love to tell you that I'm the kind of person who hand-calligraphies Gothic script invitations on oud-scented black cardstock and seals them with red wax, but instead, I routinely forget the date of objectively the easiest holiday to remember, so do as I say, not as I text:

Halloween dinner at mine. Costumes required. Bring orange wine. Boo!

The Timeline

Two Weeks Before:

• Send the invitations (even if that means a Partiful or a text, give people time to plan)

• Start a running shopping list on your phone (add to it as you think of things at 2am)

• Decide on your costume (and order anything you need before shipping becomes a problem - since you’re doing this early, you have time to ebay, etsy, and thrift to avoid Amazon impulse spending on something you’ll never wear again!)

• Asess your serving dish/plate/glass/napkin situation. Do you have enough?

• Buy any non-perishable items: candles, cocktail napkins, shelf-stable pantry items, decor, etc.

• If you're doing a themed tablescape, start collecting props (farmers market for small pumpkins, thrift stores for vintage candlesticks, etc.)

One Week Before:

• Finalize your guest list and menu based on RSVPs and dietary restrictions

• Do a big grocery shop of dry goods, canned items, alcohol, frozen things, and other non-produce or dairy bits

• Deep clean your apartment

• Order any specialty ingredients or decor items

• Prep and freeze anything freezable (pie dough, certain sauces, etc.)

• Test any recipes you've never made before (do NOT be a hero and wing a new dish on party day)

Two Days Before:

• Deep clean your bathroom (this is where people will judge you most harshly - my grandma said so)

• Test your playlist

• Make your final shopping list and…shop (remember ice!)

• Prep any braises or stews (they taste better after sitting overnight anyway - my other grandma said so)

One Day Before:

• Set the table

• Prep any batched cocktail

• Chop veg and do all mise en place that you can

• Make your desserts (pies, tarts, cookie dough, anything that benefits from chilling)

Day Of:

• Finish cooking (ideally just reheating and assembly)

• Light all candles one hour before guests arrive

• Put on your costume

• Pour yourself a drink (you've earned it)

🎃 Tips & Tricks 🎃

1. Timing is everythinggg. Have people arrive at 6:30pm for cocktails (I'll get to those in a minute), dinner at 7:30pm, and plan for the night to go late...witching hour exists for a reason after all.

2. The Perfect Guest List is all a game of strategy. Mix your friend groups. Your college roommate who refuses to dress up, your coworker who unironically loves paper mache, that one Disney Adult friend you keep putting off seeing, and your sophisticated acquaintance who pretends to be above it all, but will secretly pull out the most extravagant costume ever. The energy of slightly mismatched guests creates the best stories (and the best potential for matchmaking…if that’s the vibe).

3. Don’t seem stressed. Essentially be the opposite of that one aunt who makes hosting seem like the bane of her entire existence (despite begging to do it every year). Your guests will match your energy and if you’re easy breezy, carefree and having fun, then they will too. Make it look easy. Never let ‘em see you sweat. Everyone knows that it hard, but the art is in making it seem effortless.

Step Two: The Menu

The Formula: a batched, a bought, and a brag

• Something you can make 2-3 days ahead

• Something store-bought that you arrange prettily

• One showstopper that makes everyone think you’re really cool and that you have your whole life together

Appetizers:

Cockroach Date Bites

Halloween is the perfect excuse to have sweets first. These cockroach chocolate date bites are the perfect photo-worthy treat to kick the night off with.

Check out Ellie’s full recipe here on the Pepper App!

The Gothic Charcuterie Spread

This is your bought-and-arranged moment. Build it on your biggest wooden board (the more medieval-looking, the better):

• Aged cheeses that are actually orange: aged cheddar, mimolette, Red Leicester

• Black foods: black garlic, blackberries, dried black mission figs

• Purple/dark things: purple grapes, prosciutto, dark chocolate

• Orange things: dried apricots, orange marmalade, honeycomb

• Crackers arranged in witchy circles

• Check out the full list here on the Pepper App 🌶️

Deviled Eggs

Hard boil 12 eggs, make your standard deviled egg filling (recipe here), but:

• Add squid ink to half for "midnight eggs"

• Top with a tiny spider made from a sliced black olive

• Dust with paprika that you've mixed with a touch of black food coloring for a "cemetery dirt" effect

Mains:

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

This is your make two days ahead dish. It gets better as it sits, which means you can actually enjoy your own party.

This Tangy Short Rib recipe has over 15k saves on the Pepper App!

Roasted Pumpkin and Sage Pasta

This is your actual day-of recipe, but it comes together in 30 minutes.

Recipe here!

"Graveyard" Shepherd's Pie

When you’re in a pinch, comfort food that leans into the theme without trying too hard is a surefire way to please a crowd. Check out this easy recipe!

Dessert:

Black Forest Trifle (In Individual Jars) 

1. Layer: chocolate cake crumbs + cherry compote + whipped cream.

2. Top with a maraschino cherry and a dusting of cocoa powder.

3. Serve in small mason jars with tiny spoons.

4. Looks elegant, tastes like nostalgia, requires zero skill.

Details here!

Pumpkin Pie with Candied Ginger Whipped Cream 

Make your pies the day before. Day-of, whip cream with a tablespoon of finely minced candied ginger and a touch of maple syrup.

Recipe here!

Drinks:

Make everything ahead. No one wants to play bartender all night.

"The Witch's Brew" (Purple Gin Fizz)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gin

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 cup simple syrup

• 1/2 cup crème de violette (this makes it purple)

• 1 cup soda water

• Fresh blackberries for garnish

Instructions: Mix gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and crème de violette in a large pitcher. Refrigerate. When serving, add ice to glasses, pour mixture, top with soda water, garnish with blackberries.

"Autumn Old Fashioned"

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bourbon

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 10 dashes Angostura bitters

• Orange peels for garnish

Instructions: Mix bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters in a bottle. Keep at room temperature. Serve over large ice cubes with an expressed orange peel.

Non-Alcoholic Options:

• Sparkling apple cider in champagne flutes

• "Witches' Tea": Black tea with cinnamon, cloves, and a splash of pomegranate juice

• Sparkling pomegranate juice with fresh rosemary

🎃 GIVEAWAY: Win The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook!

Speaking of magical feasts (and because we love you), we're giving away 100 FREE copies of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, because what's spookier than trying to recreate otherworldly levels of culinary excellence in your tiny NYC apartment?

How to Enter:

1. Fill out this Google form for your entry

2. Follow @adamsmedia on Instagram for 5 bonus entries

3. Share on your story and tag us!

Winners will be announced November 3rd, just in time to plan your post-Halloween or pre-Thanksgiving feast!

Step Three: The Decor

The color palette is pretty straightforward. Think deep burgundy, burnt orange, black, amber, gold, and purple. Elevated witchy or spooky lair. The lighting is the most important, though. Make sure all overhead lights are OFF. Candles. Everywhere.

Re: string lights…I am kind of in two minds about this. They’re definitely better than The Big Light (derogatory), but I think we might have outgrown them. That said, they’re festive, so as long as they’re warm toned, they’re fine in my book.

In terms of tablescape, go for a dark tablecloth or bare wood if your table is already dark and moody. Velvets and linens are great textures to play with to keep things spooky. For the centerpiece, collect small pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash from the farmers market, and intersperse with taper candles in brass or iron holders. Add scattered autumn leaves, rosehips, or dried flowers, and then have one statement piece: a vintage candelabra, an ornate picture frame with a "haunted portrait," or a bowl of black pears. If you want to go in an even more haunted direction, use costume jewelry you have lying around to drape out of assorted glassware (or a chalice if you have one lying around).

For place settings, mix-and-match! Remember: collected, not curated. Collect cloth napkins in deep colors and then tie them with twine and a sprig of dried lavender or rosemary. Handwritten place cards are always a nice touch, and bonus points for adding a small favor at each seat (a chocolate truffle wrapped in black tissue, a tiny pumpkin, or a printed ghost story).

More DIY Decor Ideas:

• Stack old books and top with candles or small pumpkins.

• Fill a large glass bowl with water and float tea lights.

• Fresh or dried flowers. Deep red roses, burgundy dahlias, black calla lilies, or even just dark greenery like eucalyptus.

• Style your bar cart with amber-colored spirits in glass decanters, and vintage cocktail napkins.

Step Four: The Music

“The Monster Mash" on repeat.

I rest my case.

No further questions, your honor.

Or…

• Lana Del Rey (specifically: "Season of the Witch" cover)

• Billie Holiday (haunting but elegant)

• Nina Simone

• French jazz (think: Serge Gainsbourg)

• Classical pieces: Chopin's Nocturnes, Debussy's "Clair de Lune"

• Cigarettes After Sex (atmospheric and romantic)

• Mazzy Star

• The xx (moody but not overwhelming)

• Fleetwood Mac (Rhiannon, specifically)

• The Cranberries

• Florence + The Machine

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

• Thriller…obvs