05 Oct 3 Easy Steps to Falliday Entertaining
There is nothing like the ‘Fall’idays. It’s that magical time of year when the surroundings turn sepia toned, riding boots come out of storage and we southerners rejoice in cooler weather. The fall just happens to be team BashBLOK’s season of choice and we have a few quick and easy go-to traditions to add a little spice to entertaining this time of year. Your guests will be so impressed with these charming touches they will be counting down the days to your next bash.
First on our list is a fall inspired Stove-Top Potpourri. Whether you realize it or not the smell of your home is the first thing guests notice when they walk through the door. A little simmering spice can certainly give your guests a warm welcome and make a great first impression. To get your home smelling like fresh baked goods follow our easy recipe.
Stove-Top Potpourri
Ingredients:
1 orange
1 apple
6 cinnamon sticks
2-3 tablespoons of whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2-3 cups of water (enough to cover the ingredients)
1 medium sized sauce pan
Instructions:
Cut the orange and apple in to quarter inch slices and place them in your pan. Add cinnamon, cloves and vanilla to the same pan then pour in enough water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a simmer. As the potpourri reduces, continue to add water and your home will spell of spice for hours. This recipe also works well in a slow cooker.
Next, we love a good dinner party nothing says harvest feast like a pumpkin accented place setting. Real pumpkins are easy to find this time of year and very inexpensive. If you stick with lighter tones of peach, white and green as opposed to traditional orange, pumpkins transition beautifully in to the winter holidays. We’ve accented our place setting with a Halloween themed napkin and artificial leaves which are available at most craft stores or online at Amazon.com. China is certainly a must for those who love to entertain. This absolutely timeless pattern is by Pickard, the oldest fine china maker in the United States and available at specialty gift shops. The flatware and Imperial Cape Cod glassware are antique store finds but loads of this glassware pops up on eBay and Etsy. And lastly, we’ve made our place setting extra fancy shmantsy by adding a charger. One could argue they serve no purpose outside of decoration buuuuut we have found they are quite handy as serving platters too. So there, now you can justify the purchase and can find these beauties at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Lastly, we believe even small things like a party mix should have a big impact. No we are not talking about your bash’s soundtrack but that’s an equally important subject we will cover later. We are talking about food and more specifically our version of People Puppy Chow. As promised with all of these fall entertaining musts this recipe is quick, easy and even the non-baker can handle it.
People Puppy Chow
Ingredients:
8 cups of original Crispix cereal
1 cup of mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup of Butter
1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
1 cup of peanut M&M’s
1 cup of pretzels
1 cup candy corn
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
Instructions:
Place the Crispix cereal in a large bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan melt the butter on medium heat then add the chocolate chips while stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Once melted, pour mixture over the cereal and very gently toss to coat evenly. Place chocolate covered cereal in a large plastic freezer bag or plastic food storage container with confectioner’s sugar and shake until coated. Allow the mixture to cool completely before adding the remaining ingredients. Serve in a large bowl or, our personal favorite, in an apothecary jar. Store in an airtight container.
Crispix coated in chocolate and confectioner’s sugar…say that 5 times!
And there you have it! Three simple ways to make your next Falliday bash a smash!
xoxo, Team BashBLOK