Dia de los Muertos is today (or tomorrow, depending upon who’s doing the counting). If you don’t want the Halloween atmosphere to end just yet, throw an impromptu Day of the Dead dinner!

The Day of the Dead is a festive holiday, so you want a festive atmosphere. Pile gourds and chiles on the table, and sprinkle marigolds (which are reputed to attract the souls of the dead) around. Use tall votive candles to add some height to the display. String colorful paper garlands around the room; if you live near a Mexican market, look for papel picadillo (paper cutouts) for a little authenticity.

Set out bowls of different kinds of salsa and tortilla chips, preferably homemade. (Cut corn tortillas into wedges, fry in hot oil for a few seconds, sprinkle with salt. Easy!)

As a party favor, give your guests a Mexican Hot Chocolate kit: A disk of Mexican chocolate (which includes cinnamon and almonds), a cone of Mexican brown sugar, and a generous mug. Attach a recipe instructing your guests to break off a small chunk of the sugar (a tablespoon or so, or to taste), add it to 2 cups of milk, and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the chocolate and stir until it begins to melt, then remove from the heat and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is frothy. Pour into mugs and serve immediately. (Spike with a little Kahlua if the spirit moves you.)

For dinner, serve traditional Mexican dishes. These soups make nice starters. Serve them individually, or do a two-tone thing: Simultaneously ladle generous 1/2 cup of each soup into shallow bowls, allowing them to meet in the center. Top with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, and/or sour cream. Each soup serves 4 individually, so they’ll serve 8 if ladled together.

Black Bean Soup
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups dried black beans (or 2 15-oz cans black beans)

4 1/2 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
3 bacon slices, chopped (for a vegetarian version, use 2 Tbsp olive oil)
5 large fresh thyme sprigs
3 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned chicken broth, divided (for vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

If using dried beans, place beans in large bowl. Add enough cold water to cover beans by 3 inches and soak overnight. If using canned beans, skip to the next step.

Drain beans. In a heavy, large pot cook the bacon over medium heat until it begins to render fat, then add the carrot and onion. Reduce heat to low and sweat the vegetables until they begin to soften.

Add the beans, thyme, garlic, bay, and cumin. Add 2 cups of stock and 2 1/2 cups water (for dried beans) or 1 1/2 cups water (for canned) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender: 1 hour 10 minutes for dried beans or 30 minutes for canned.

Working in batches, puree black bean soup in blender with 2 cups chicken stock. Return soup to pot. Stir in chopped cilantro. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer, thinning with additional chicken stock if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Southwestern Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4

3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth (for vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth)
1 cup whipping cream

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer, whisking occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.