“All Things Fall” Party

Want to throw a fall party with your favorite girlfriends?  Call my mom!  She recently hosted a get-together with some of her good friends and the theme was “All Things Fall.”  From the decor to the drinks and food, it was so festive!  I loved being able to add some final touches with her, and also enjoyed attending the party myself.

When the season of fall arrives, everyone starts to think about pumpkins, fall gatherings, Thanksgiving and more.  I’m not going to lie, I’ve already started planning some different dishes for our family Thanksgiving!  But what I do love is that fall is a long season.  Not only can the decorations stay up a little longer, but the overall fresh air and harvest is just beautiful.  Hosting get-togethers can be simple and sweet, but it’s more fun to keep adding food to the list and drinks to serve.  I helped my mom grocery shop and critique the cocktails right before party time. It was a blast.  Here are some of the awesome recipes and cocktails that were served!

Fall Sangria

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 medium apples chopped (I prefer Honeycrisp)
• 1 large pear, chopped.
• 1 large orange, sliced.
• 1 bottle semi sweet white wine
• 3 cups fresh apple cider
• ½ cup apple brandy
• Optional: ginger ale or club soda for an extra fizz

1. Place the cinnamon sticks and fruit into a large pitcher.  We used a pumpkin shaped beverage dispenser!  Add wine, apple cider, and brandy.  Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours.  Six to eight hours is ideal!
2. Dispense the sangria into glasses of your choice, and scoop the fresh fruit on top to garnish.  Add a splash of club soda or ginger ale if desired.

Pear Martini

• 2 ounces pear flavored vodka
• 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice
• 2 ounces white cranberry juice cocktail
• 4 ice cubes
• Slice of fresh pear for garnish

1. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake up well.
3. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a slice of fresh pear.

Fall Beer – Oktoberfest, Pumpkin Ale, Farmhouse Ale

Caramel Apple Dip

• 8 ounces cream cheese (in the block)
• 1 cup caramel sauce
• 1/2 cup toffee bits
• sliced Granny Smith apples for serving

1. Place cream cheese on a serving dish, or a decorative fall plate.  Use the back of a spoon to make a dip in the top of the cream cheese.   Pour as much of the caramel sauce as you want evenly over cream cheese.  Just the top layer was almost covered on ours.  Sprinkle with a generous helping of toffee bits.
2. Serve with Granny Smith apples.

Reuben Dip

• 1/2 lb diced corned beef
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
• cocktail rye bread

1. In a medium bowl, combine the corned beef, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, sour cream, ketchup and brown mustard.
2. Spoon into a 1 quart baking dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Serve warm with rye bread.

Meat & Cheese Platter

-Use a cookie cutter to slice the cheese in the shape of leaves or pumpkins to add to the fall theme.

Veggie Platter with Dip

-Serve the vegetable dip in a carved out pumpkin to make it more festive.

Fall Snack Mix

-The “Reese’s Popped Snack Mix” works perfect for this!

Fall Baked Brie

-This was the last thing my mom mixed and baked because it needs to be served immediately.

• 8 oz brie
• 16 oz pear chunks drained with 1/4 cup juice reserved
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of ground ginger
• Crackers or sliced baguettes for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl mix pear chunks, reserved pear juice, walnuts, cranberries, cinnamon, and ginger
3. Place brie round in a pie plate.  Pour pear mixture over brie.
4. Bake for 20 minutes until warm and bubbly.
5. Serve immediately, with crackers and sliced baguettes.

These were just a few of the recipes and cocktails that were served during the party.  I also added the place cards for the food dishes at the last minute to make it even more festive.  The house had already been decorated since the beginning of September but there were a few extra items added to help guests embrace the fall ambiance even more.  I truly learn from the best, my mom, when it comes to having a fun get-together.  It was a blast helping her, and I look forward to the next one!

I hope this post inspired you to have your own fall party, or at least get you more into the fall spirit!  If you have any questions or have time to make one of the recipes above, I’d love to hear about it!  Thank you again for catching up with the Next Play, and Happy Fall!

Lots of love & God Bless,

Alyssa