Twilight to Eclipse

Nothing like a book full of teenage drama and vampire escapades to pick for a monthly dinner party theme.  As a high school English teacher, I felt it was my responsibility to read the Twilight book series since it is so popular among my students.  I did actually enjoy the books, so I decided to theme a monthly dinner after the series, From Twilight to Eclipse.  The invitation for this party could be a movie ticket (the girls and I did go see the movie together on a different night).  You could also make the invite a flyer for a Forks Town Hall Meeting (it takes place in Forks, WA) to discuss warnings about wolf attacks.  The best part about this party is the decor which is one reason it was voted Favorite Decorations by my friends.

Decor:  At your entry, create a sign that says Welcome to Forks with arrows pointing one way for Werewolves and the other way for Vampires.  I also set out the Twilight book with a real apple on top to make the cover 3D.  For the original party I threw in July of 2010, I also had the favors set out on the entry table.  One was Bandaids in a small clear party sack with "From the Office of Dr. Carlisle" on the tag.  The second favor was a pack of Eclipse gum with a quote from the Eclipse novel.  At the Top 5 After 5 Favorites party, I didn't need the Twilight themed favors, so I added a wolf scarf (borrowed from my mom) and some red vases with candles.

The table was amazingly beautiful.  I used a black tablecloth with a burgundy runner I bought at Target.  The centerpiece was a cake platter with apples arranged on it as well as 10-12 pillar candles.  I borrowed a few candlestick holders and got the rest at the Dollar Tree. I also set out a side table with more candles and the remaining two books - New Moon with a dying rose (like the cover) and Eclipse with a red ribbon. To play up the blood theme, I bought bottles of sangria at the grocery and covered the original label with these printable vampire bottle labels I found online.  As a place card, I printed each guest's name on white paper and stuck a mini fork through the paper and into a red apple. 

Menu: After doing some research online, I found out that ravioli is Bella's (the main character) favorite food, so this is what I decided to serve. Here is the yummy recipe I found online...

Ravioli with Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

1 pound frozen meat or cheese ravioli

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree

8-ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup red or white wine

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

1/2 cup heavy cream

Grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta.  Add salt and the ravioli and cook according to package directions.  Drain well and return to the cooking pot to keep warm. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan and cook the onion over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until softened.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine and pepper.  Cook gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in the basil and cream and cook 5 minutes more.

I paired this with my mom's yummy recipe for garlic bread, a vegetable medley, and a Caesar salad.  I stuck a toothpick in each guest's food with Team Edward or Team Jacob just for fun.

For dessert, I made werewolf cupcakes! These cupcakes are very simple to make.  You simply take chocolate frosting and frost a cupcake trying to leave jagged edges and forming two ears at the top. I then used two green M&Ms for the eyes and one brown M&M for the nose.  The mouth I piped on with red and then white frosting in a tube.

This was a fun theme to do.  All the candles created a mysterious atmosphere and added to the ambiance of the party.  Of course, if you decide to do this theme now in 2011, you would need to add on the final book, Breaking Dawn. This would mean adding a white chess piece (again like the cover of the book) some where in your decor.  Your parting favor or an addition to your dessert could even be a white chocolate chess piece.  The possibilities are endless!