Is It Too Early For An Autumn Party??

Imagine this: I am sitting with my apartment windows wide open, I am wrapped up in a blanket and my gray slippers, sipping hot apple cider. My apartment is freezing but I am certainly not complaining.

Fall is HERE (almost)!

Photo from flickr.com; uploaded by Ryk Neethling

So, I was thinking the other day that I really need to plan a fall party soon. ‘What does a fall party entail?’ you may ask. Well, basically all things good, delicious and fun. It is the best kind of party. Let me fill you in.

Décor: Go crazy with this. I’ll tell you my plan, but seriously, you have endless amounts of options for autumn decorations. My palette is probably going to be more “fall” themed, but if it getting closer to Halloween, feel free to decorate with creepy spiders and spider webs, as well as a plethora of blacks and oranges.

For my party, I plan on using the placemats we have currently (blue and green striped). I’m sprucing them up with some Indian corn tied in bunches, and little mini-pumpkins. I also plan on going out and picking out leaves (wiping them down first) to sprinkle on the table and coffee table. I plan on displaying mason jars and tea lights, hanging lanterns, and a string of white Christmas lights to provide some mood lighting. Basically, I want to keep things simple, natural, low-key, and cheap. The college way.

Food:

In my opinion, this is the most important part of the party (and my favorite to prepare and partake in!). Since I am serving around ten people, I plan on doing a few dishes, but with big fall flavors.

The menu includes: my mom’s chili recipe (check out some chili recipes from the Food Network here), a pan of corn bread, apple butter, and either pumpkin truffles or a pumpkin roll for dessert. The drinks can include: hot apple cider, hard cider or maybe mulled wine. These are all great ideas for food because you can make a lot, they all taste great, and you can serve them potluck style! Have your friends bring their favorite dishes if you want more variety and enjoy!

Activities:

This part might seem cheesy, but I think it is essential to a good fall party. You ready for it? Pumpkin carving contest!! Yes, lay a bunch of newspaper or cardboard down on a big table or a wooden floor. Have knives at the ready and carve away. You can get smaller pumpkins to offset the amount of pulp you’ll have at the end. Have everyone carve a face or design into their pumpkin, make sure you have tea lights to put in them for a soft glow, and have fun while you’re doing it! Also, save the seeds and make some yummy pumpkin seeds later to remind you of the fantastic fall party you just threw. Happy Autumn!