Semi-Halloween

Today, in honor of Halloween, the Food Network aired a very special episode of Semi-Homemade, which featured the many faces of Sandra Lee.

First up is Marilyn Sandy, and she’s brought her giant clock with her (look closely--it's there behind her left elbow).

Next, there’s Scarlett Sandy. This is my favorite Sandy, because I know it was meant just for me. Remember when I suggested that Sandy use parasols to make her window treatment? Well, this is the same as that. Just backwards. And with a dress instead of parasols. But the garment-curtain connection is clearly there, and I know this outfit was meant to make amends. Thank you, Sandy. Welcome back.

Here’s a Sandy that I’m not quite able to identify. It looks like Cleopatra, so I was thinking maybe Elizabeth Taylor. But Sandy never says Elizabeth Taylor, so then I thought maybe it’s Vivien Leigh again, who played Scarlett O’Hara and Cleopatra. But, you know, the more I look at this, the more I’m convinced that it must be Cher.

And finally it’s tablescape time, and who better to present it than Audrey Hepburn.

It’s all there: the chargers, the silk flowers . . . the excess. Well done, Sandy.

Barefoot Contessa had a Halloween special of her own today and, I could be reading too much into this, but I think that Ina is trying to reach out to Sandra Lee. The title of Ina’s show is “Halloween for Grownups,” and I think there are a couple lessons here for Sandy.

Lesson #1: This is an espresso martini. A good one that uses real espresso. And that is not pronounced with an “x”. And is not served in a mug.

Lesson #2: Even Halloween decorations should be, in the words of Ina, “very elegant.”

You (Sandy) can, for instance, use real flowers as opposed to silk, and you (Sandy) can also try eating in a dining room, instead of a dungeon basement.

And, the most important tip of all, the simpler you keep things, the fewer times you have to change your outfit. Remember: Keep it simple, keep it smart, and always keep it semi-homemade.