Host a Pushing Daisies Premiere Party

ABC's vividly colorful and charming Pushing Daisies returns Wednesday October 1st for its second season. As a fan of the show, and advocate of low fuss mid-week parties, I recommend gathering up as many Daisy fans as you can find and hosting a viewing party.

Ideally, this party would be catered by you with pies lovingly made from scratch. It is a Wednesday, though, so feel free to pick up your pies at a bakery or from the frozen food section on your way home from work. Frozen pies will fill the house with a wonderful smell as they bake, but be sure to check thawing and baking times before you buy. (Also, don't forget the ice cream. It is right there after all.) Should you have the time and energy to bake your own, try one of the three recipes at pushingdaisiestour.com. Be sure to pick up a cheese platter while you're shopping for pies or ingredients. For drinks, consider serving flower based herbal teas, such as chamomile, with honey or espresso.

If you decide to send out invitations, you may want to ask that your guests wear vibrant colors and bring a favorite pie or cheese. Be sure to state that the pies can be store bought, as the suggestion of baking in the middle of a work week seems to cause panic attacks in some people. For the invitations themselves, print on whole pie graphics or decorate with flowers. The overly ambitious may want to try a pop up invite ala Emerson Cod or a scented Vibenius card. However, I only recommend this if you already enjoy paper crafts. For a quick party such as this, a phone call works just as well.

Now would be a good time to break out the picnic gingham tablecloth. If you don't have one, just place a few flowers on the table. Again, it is a Wednesday, so the only other decorations I recommend are a bouquet, or bouquets, of daisies, real, fabric, or paper, and a few jars of honey.

Should you invite a guest or guests unfamiliar with Pushing Daisies or just want to jog everyone's memory, you can show the five minute "starter kit" by downloading ABC's episode player. The starter kit provides a few more details than the usual Jim Dale introductions, but if you have the time, show last season's finale "Corpsicle" instead. It explains as much in a more charming manner.

Remember; keep your party simple and relaxed. Think of it as a touch of color in what may otherwise be an average work week, and keep your fingers crossed that season two of Pushing Daisies will be as good as the first.