So this is my first blog post and I thought I’d start off with a dinner party that I held for my future in-laws. I always enjoy hosting a party whether it’s a small dinner party like the one I’m about to write about or a birthday party for myself or boyfriend. I feel as though being a party planner is more my cup of tea than what I actually do for a living. I’m a registered nurse and have been working in a local hospital for the last 6 years. Over the last several years I have been hosting parties which I feel is my real passion, but getting into the party planning business can be tough and risky. For now, I just keep my family and friends entertained.
So let me start off with this dinner party. A few weeks ago I had the brilliant idea to have my boyfriend’s family over for a fall inspired dinner party. We always have my parents and brother over for dinner every few weeks or so and haven’t had his family for dinner in awhile. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year and I’ve been decorating my porch and the inside of my house since September.
I always get my mums from the local ShopRite and the corn stalk is from a local nursery. This year I placed another corn stalk on my deck. This was the first year that I actually decorated my deck. Many of my indoor and outdoor decorations I buy are from Christmas Tree Shop. I love CTS! It’s one of my favorite places to buy home and holiday decor items.
I usually decorate inside for autumn as a whole. I don’t really decorate for Halloween unless I have a party. This year I’m on the fence as to whether we’ll have a party. Last year’s party was a bust. The decorations, food and overall attention to detail was on point but there weren’t a lot of people due to scheduling conflicts so it kind of put a damper on the whole charade. But here’s my decorations for inside our home:
I always have the table set when I decorate for the holidays. I love this tablescape as well. I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and have a TON of saved pins related to tablescapes.
The wooden box centerpiece my boyfriend made from a pin I saw on Pinterest. He had some leftover wood from one of our home projects, built the box, stained it and voila! The perfect centerpiece that can be reused throughout the year. I can just replace the floral picks according to the current season or holiday. He did a great job!
Prior to his family coming over, I had everything set up for appetizers on our kitchen island and had premade some of the hor d’oeuvres. I didn’t want to be rushing on the day of the party.
This 2-tiered server is actually a buffet plate holder that I wrapped floral garland around to make it more festive and displayed appetizers on it.
These are Raspberry Brie tartlets. My boyfriend’s mom always makes these delicious bites of heaven but I added a lil bit of chopped walnuts on top and it gave it the perfect nutty bite.
These were Merlot meatballs that I made in the crockpot for 2 hours before everyone arrived. They were a big hit and so easy to make!
For dinner, I made his mother’s classic beef short rib stew with mashed potatoes that is ALWAYS a big hit! The stew cooks in the oven for 6+ hours on low which allows the meat to fall right of the bone and melt in your mouth. It’s delicious!
After stuffing ourselves for several hours with all the deliciousness, I decided to make two types of martinis – pumpkin spice and chocolate peanut butter. We don’t have enough space in our kitchen for a bar or bar cart, so I had everything set up on the kitchen counter.
We used our new Mikasa Cheers collection martini glasses that we had received as a housewarming gift from his aunt. They are gorgeous and so chic!
The first martini we made was the pumpkin spice one. Super easy to make. First I swirled the rim in cinnamon sugar. In a blender we mixed pumpkin spice liqueor, vodka and Rumchata. After pouring the cocktail mixture in each glass, I topped it with a lil bit of pumpkin pie spice.
They were so scrumptious! The perfect fall martini!
The second signature cocktail I made was the chocolate peanut butter one. Now, anyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE anything and everything that has to do with peanut butter and chocolate. The two together are like heaven. Perfect combination of sweet and salty. These martinis were also easy to make as well. My boyfriend’s sister helped out with these. While I was mixing this ever so delicious cocktail in the blender, she was hard at work rimming each glass with creamy peanut butter. We also tried swirling chocolate syrup on the inside of the martini glass but that did not work out as planned. But the martinis still tasted good! To make this cocktail, blend creme de cocoa, vodka, a lil bit of milk and of course, creamy peanut butter. Yummy!
To top this perfect evening off, I had made homemade apple crisp, which we had with vanilla ice cream. It was delicious and the perfect fall dessert.
I can’t wait to host another party! Planning, executing and simply seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces makes me feel awesome! I love to pay attention to detail and put the perfect little touch on anything 😊
XOXO,
Katie