We moved into a new townhouse back in June, and have spent the summer unpacking, organizing, and buying new furniture for our home! We came from a 700 sqft condo in DC, so as you can imagine it's nice to have a bit more space now! Although we aren't completely finished decorating our house, we felt it was "done enough" to be able to host a housewarming party! Summer was busy for us and the holidays are busy for everyone, so a fall-themed October party it was!
Since I love to cook and I have this fancy new kitchen, I decided this was the perfect time to go all out for my friends - in the form of fancy homemade appetizers and desserts! This was quite the task, but I planned out my menu a month ahead, with a few thoughts in mind. Here is how I decided on the menu!
I wanted all simple finger foods in place of dips, condiments, and anything that could drip, to minimize any spills and stains on our new furniture and rugs.
I wanted all of the dishes served cold or room-temperature, so I could prep most during the week leading up to the party, and that way I didn't have to worry about using the oven and timing hot dishes morning of.
I wanted a good variety of appetizers and desserts, in addition to beer and wine, that worked well in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. I also included some kettle corn and gluten/dairy free cookies for my food-restricted friends!
I wanted a good mix of dishes I had made before and knew would be a hit (cucumber sandwiches, tortellini skewers, molasses cookies, s'more bites, mulled cider...) and new-to-me recipes that looked fun but not too risky (prosciutto wrapped pears, stuffed peppers, toasted cashews, pumpkin pies, the Bundt cake...).
And finally, I wanted to embrace the season, so I scoured the internet for fall-themed foods to make!
I'm really happy with the way it all turned out! I even got to use a bunch of our wedding gifts in the set-up, which included a lot of the serve-ware and platters! I finished off the buffet area with the cutest little pumpkin food tags and themed paper goods and had a few other fall-themed décor items (and of course, Halloween candy) sprinkled throughout our home!
Prosciutto Wrapped Pears
Recipe Inspiration: Cook at Home Mom Easy Prosciutto Wrapped Pears
These simple appetizers were such a fun addition to the spread. I loved how upscale these felt with the prosciutto, as well as the little bed of arugula I sat them atop. I swapped out the pomegranate seeds for dried cranberries, because we all know pomegranate juice gets EVERYWHERE. I also juiced half a lemon on the pears to make sure they didn't brown!
Cucumber Sandwiches
Recipe Inspiration: Bitz & Giggles Cucumber Bites
These are one of my tried and true appetizer ideas. The are great for every season and every event. They also just stack up so nicely for serving. I made these the night before, but think I would try to assemble them the morning of next time so that the bread doesn't get too soggy. Still delicious nonetheless! I love using garden vegetable cream cheese on these too.
Hummus Stuffed Peppers
Recipe Inspiration: Peas and Crayons Healthy Hummus Stuffed Peppers
I wanted to make sure I had a fully vegetable appetizer for my gluten free and vegetarian friends, and these looked easy enough. They were easy, but just a bit messy. I'd recommend making these the morning of, so the hummus doesn't get too crusted over. Still brought some fun color to the spread!
Pesto Tortellini Skewers
Recipe Inspiration: Foody Schmoody Easy Pesto Tortellini Skewers
What's a good potluck without some toothpick skewered foods? These skewers are another tried and true recipe (even though I don't like cheese, most other people do)! I love getting a dual color pack of tortellini to make tis more fun. But forewarning, these will get pretty oily even if you try to just use the toothpick! A great recipe to prep ahead!
Rosemary Cashews
Recipe Inspiration: Toaster Oven Love Rosemary Cashews
Who would have thought that CASHEWS of all the food would have been the biggest hit?! Not me! Someone even asked if I got these from Trader Joe's. (Oh my heart...) Well now that I know how beloved the toasted rosemary cashews are, I'll definitely make these again - they'd be a great little stocking stuffer for Christmas!
Petite Pumpkin Pies
Recipe Inspiration: Life Made Simple Mini Pumpkin Pies
How cute are these little pumpkin pies! I was planning on adding dollops of whipped cream to the top, but the whipped cream dissolved and melted off the tops after sitting in room temp for a bit. Even without the whipped cream, the scalloped edges made these super cute. I recommend getting double the amount of pie crust because I had a bit of extra filling, and the leftover crust outside the cookie cutter did not re-roll well into a flattened pie crust - still edible, just not as cute!
Molasses Sugar Cookies
Recipe Inspiration: Beyond the Butter Super Soft Molasses Cookies
These cookies are one of my new favorite holiday cookies. I tested these last month for a neighborhood get-together and a bachelor watch-party, so I knew they'd be a hit. The molasses and spices are delicious, the cookies are super soft for days, and they are always perfectly round and crinkled. The perfect cookie.
Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
Recipe Inspiration: Broma Bakery Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
I am not a cake person, but I am a donut person and an apple cider person, so this cake passes with flying colors! Bundt cakes are always a bit intimidating to make (is my Bundt going to slide out of the weirdly shaped pan?!) but a good spray of Pam worked out just fine. The cake is the perfect amount of crumbly, and the cinnamon sugar coating definitely makes you feel like you're eating a freshly baked apple cider donut!
S'more Bites
Recipe Inspiration: Well Plated Pretzel S'mores Bites
I've made these once before, but for only a handful of people. Little did I know that these s'more bites would be one of the biggest hits of the party. I picked these specifically so I could have something with chocolate, since all my other deserts were fall-spice flavored, and s'mores felt like a good camping-in-the-fall themed dessert. They're super easy - just quarter some jumbo marshmallows and bake for five minutes. I adhered the top pretzel to the baked marshmallow with a dab of Nutella, but you could definitely use peanut butter if you wanted, too! The little graham cracker crumbs are my favorite part!
Mulled Cider
Recipe Inspiration: Kitchn Slow Cooker Mulled Cider
Mulled cider is always a good idea. It's just so simple, and easy to maintain at the party. I tossed a few cinnamon sticks, star anise, and orange slices into the cider, and then added my signature clove-studded orange as a show stopper. Of course, I didn't get a photo of the cider, but maybe I'll make it again for Christmastime. I also like that you can just add more cold cider to the pot once it gets a little low, and it doesn't take too much time to heat up!
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