Poof. Suddenly it is November. The highlight of October was unquestionably the third annual Dog Costume Parade, where dogs dress up in costumes and wind their way through the streets of Boston, accompanied by a marching band and police escort. Streets are temporarily blocked and drivers gape in disbelief. A more absurd and delightful event does not exist, and I am pleased to be able to say that I have attended this glorious event since its debut. Last year I had an inspiration: why not throw a pre party before the parade and serve appropriate morning cocktails? Truly, what better way to celebrate dogs dressed as Hugh Hefner and a VW Bug than a mimosa or two?

When it comes to mimosas, I prefer to use less expensive (but still decent) bubbly like prosecco or cava instead of champagne. I figure you are diluting the wine with orange, pomegranate, cranberry juice, etc. anyway, so it is not as important to have a high end, complex wine. This year I went with Cristalino , a cava that has a bit more crispness than last year's pick, Freixenet, but both are equally fine for this purpose and their prices cannot be beat. Last year I went through 4+ bottles in a little over an hour. This year we drank a mere 2 bottles. Such restraint! Commendable. You really do need your wits about you in order to focus on all of the entrants and not miss anything. A good snack to serve with mimosas? I picked toasted pumpkin seeds, blueberry mini muffins (courtesy of baker Bryan), and chocolate truffles. Yes. Any time of day is appropriate for truffles (preferred truffle recipes coming very soon).

Anyway, mark your calendars for the last Sunday in October 2008. There's this hilarious parade...