Celebrate Twilight Breaking Dawn!

Girls young and old have been patiently waiting for the wedding of "eternity," (or should I say "Twilight-Saga’s Breaking Dawn - Part I movie premiere?) where Edward Anthony Masen Cullen finally takes the head-strong Bella Swan as his bride. The movie is officially released on November 18 at midnight, at theaters across the country.

The premiere, of course, is a school night. If you'd like to keep your young Twilight fan home or just avoid the long lines, why not host a Breaking Dawn release party or create a nice Twilight-themed dinner for those at home?

To get you started, we’ve put together a menu selection and some decoration ideas inspired by Stephenie Meyer's set of best-selling novels.

While there is a ton of Twilight merchandise and out on the market, That Creative Mom will always tell you to keep it simple. Focus on the people and the food. This is about the get-together and not about breaking the bank. A simple, red, white and black, color scheme, set off with a display of the books and a bowl of apples as the centerpiece can set the mood. If you'd like to make it a bit more sparkly and dramatic, you can use strings of miniature holiday lights to liven things up. And finally, loop in one of the sound tracks or the intro music from one of the DVDs to set the atmosphere.

For the menu we will get a bit more elaborate.

Rosalie's Salad Italiano

Mushroom Ravioli with Spicy Sicilian Red Sauce

Bella's Red Velvet Dream Cake

Twilight (Black and White) Cookies

Red Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

 Rosalie's Salad Italiano

• 1 bag American Blend Salad
• 1 small red onion
• 1 can large black olives
• 1 jar Pepperoncini peppers
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1/2 cup croutons
• Freshly grated Romano cheese

Toss and combine the first five ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Coat the salad with your favorite Italian salad dressing. Top with croutons and grated Romano cheese.

Mushroom Ravioli with Spicy Sicilian Red Sauce

Twilight fans know that Bella ate Mushroom Ravioli on her first date with Edward Cullen at the Bloated Toad in Port Angeles. For this recipe we’ll use pre-made mushroom ravioli, found in the refrigerated section in your grocery store.

The pasta you’ll need the following:

• 2 packages Ravioli
• ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Prepare ravioli according to the manufacturer’s instructions and set aside.

Spicy Sicilian Red Sauce

• 1 can whole, peeled Italian-style tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red chili pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 anchovies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup chicken stock

Puree the onion, chili pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf in a food processor with the chicken stock. Set aside.

Add the anchovies and olive oil to a large frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until the anchovies melt. Mix in the onion-herb mixture paste and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan, break up any large tomato pieces with a spoon. Cook the sauce on a low to medium heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened.

Pour over cooked ravioli and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Bella's Easy Red Velvet Dream Cake

• 1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 can Duncan Hines Chocolate Frosting
• 1 can Duncan Hines Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate shavings, optional

Prepare, bake and cool cake according to package directions for two 8-inch square baking pans.

To assemble torte, split each layer in half. Place one split layer on serving plate. Spread cream cheese frosting between the two layers. Leave sides of cake plain. Frost the top of cake with cream cheese frosting. Place a small amount of chocolate frosting in a piping or zip lock bag. Cut a small hole in the corner. Create thin stripes of chocolate frosting across the cake about 1 inch apart. Pull a tooth pick across the cake to create a marbleized effect in the frosting. Finish cake with piped swirls of chocolate frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Twilight Black and White Cookies

These cookies are more cake than cookie and fit in perfectly with the black and white themed decor.

For the cookie dough you will need:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Parchment paper

Icing:

• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 4 cups confectioners' powdered sugar
• 1 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

Mix together the cake flour, all-purpose flour and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in another large bowl. Add in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Gradually, add the dry ingredients into the wet. Drop tablespoonful of the cookie batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven or until edge of cookies brown. Let cool.

Icing/Decorating:

In a large bowl, gradually stir the boiling water into the confectioners' sugar, until the mixture is spreadable. Using another bowl, divide the frosting in half and mix in the melted bittersweet chocolate.

To frost, place the cookie baked side down and spread half of the cookies with white icing and the other half with the chocolate icing. Let the frosting dry before serving.

Red Sparkling Pomegranate Punch (Non-Alcoholic)

• 1 bottle Trop50 Blueberry-Pomegranate juice
• 1 cups pear juice
• Sparkling Water or Sprite (depending on your taste.)
• Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for garnish
• Ice

In a punch bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, pear juice and sparkling water (or Sprite.) Float mixed berries in the punch bowl. Line the rims of your beverage glasses with a bit of red candy-melt food coloring and dip the rims of the glasses in sugar. Fill your glasses with ice and ladle in the punch, garnishing the rim of the glasses with sliced strawberries. Float the mixed berries in on top of the ice. Serve immediately.

Going to see Breaking Dawn? Check out local show times.