Halloween finally falls on a Saturday night, but this year instead of going out to bars or hosting a big bash, I’ll be staying home for a quiet evening by the fireplace with my boyfriend and our dogs (and plenty of wine!) Our home in a quiet suburban neighborhood near Woodinville never gets trick-or-treaters, so we don’t have to figure out how to hand out candy while social distancing.
I wanted to do something festive today, however, so I set up a Bubbles bar in my backyard, taking advantage of today’s gorgeous sunny not-too-cold weather. I invited just a couple of friends over, people I can trust to have been wearing masks and social distancing. I’m currently undergoing a kitchen renovation, however, so I asked my guests to eat a substantial breakfast before they came over.
I set out a few nibbles (with hand sanitizer nearby, since we were sharing utensils) to go with the sparkling wines – meat and cheese, a few Caprese skewers with fresh basil from my herb garden, and some Halloween-themed sugar cookies from Seattle’s Little Rae’s Bakery.
I chilled and set out (in ice buckets, after we took the photos) sparkling wine (Brut, Blanc de Blanc and sparkling Rosé) from Woodinville wineries including Maryhill Winery, Patterson Cellars, Callan Cellars, and Elentone. With just four of us to drink wine, I’m going to have quite a bit of leftover sparkling wine tonight! I usually recork open wine bottles to send home with guests after parties, but I don’t think sparkling wine will fare well from that treatment.
Perhaps I can convert my beer-drinking boyfriend over to the marvels of bubbles tonight during our Halloween movie marathon!
Enjoy your Halloween festivities and full moon gazing!
-Carrie
