Entertaining Like A Starlet: Food, Glorious Food

Now that we’ve covered party planning and fun cocktails…. it’s time for tasty treats! A party is not a party without food. The type of food depends on the type of party, and Starlets have a few types of parties they throw. Here are some options for what to serve at each…

Cocktails Parties

Canapés and tapes options are endless, and here are some Starlet favorites for cocktail party finger foods…

Salami and/or cheese with toothpicks (so easy and you can mix and match cheeses, salami, veggies, and herbs)

Stuffed Cherry tomatoes (Marilyn Monroe loved hers with cream cheese and caviar, but if fish eggs aren’t your thing try bacon or truffles)

Egg rolls (get frozen ones and thaw in the oven)

Deviled eggs (any kind, from a basic recipe passed down from generations… to elegant truffles)

Mushroom caps (the stuffing options are endless)

Shrimp cocktail (with cocktail sauce from a jar to save time)

Fondue– cheese or chocolate

Swedish meatballs

Pigs in a blanket (some assembly required)

Ambrosia

Stuffed Strawberries

Dinner Parties

Marilyn Monroe was known for her dinner parties, and they were very 1950s. She usually served some kind of meat and potatoes…but sometimes she’d go Mexican (Dita Von Teese told InStyle magazine that she also loves Mexican food and likes to host taco nights for friends…. just assemble a buffet of taco ingredients and make some margaritas).

For most Starlets, a dinner party menu is about simple foods presented elegantly.

Hors D’oeuvres or Salad

A Starlet may serve an item from the above cocktail menu list or start with a simple green salad

Main Dish

A main course may consist of steak or lamb chops (if the weather is warm, she may have her leading man break out the grill). She may also serve something simple like scrabbled eggs on toast. Dita Von Teese loves to make her signature chicken pot pie for guests (this is a one pot wonder, so side dishes are not necessary)

Side Dishes

There will be some kind of vegetable like creamed spinach, and usually a potato (probably baked)… but Marilyn famously tried homemade noodle for a dinner party (with not so successful results)

Desserts

A dinner wouldn’t be complete without something sweet, but a Starlet doesn’t want everyone to feel so stuffed that they fall asleep after dinner, so she may go with something light like ice cream… bonus is it’s homemade

These are famous photos of Marilyn Monroe and her husband at the time Arthur Miller at a dinner party with her at the time costar (and rumored lover) Yves Montand and his wife Simone Signoret. Simone was the hostess, but I saved an old Gourmet Magazine where they broke down the menu for the evening…

Spaghetti and Meatballs in red sauce

Green salad
Bread
Cream Puffs and éclairs (ordered from room service)
A bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild
Milk

Girls Night

For an impromptu girls night at home a Starlet may make things easy on herself and order Chinese food and make tea.

Potluck

A potluck can be fun because Starlets don’t have to do all the work. So if you have friends that are handy in the kitchen, then invite friends to each bring their favorite dish. Dita Von Teese posted a Vine of a potluck party she hosted and while I don’t have the recipes, I managed to make a list of the menu…

Hosting a potluck dinner with my best gays tonight. Obviously the food is delicious. https://t.co/2KzGIK8L22
— Dita Von Teese (@DitaVonTeese) March 29, 2013