My backyard quite honesty screams, “Celebrate Fall!”

it’s one of the reasons I loved this house when I bought it. The weather is getting crisp here in Pennsylvania, but it’s still nice enough to enjoy the outside with an indoor/outdoor gathering.  I took some elements of Halloween and combined it with a fun, Fall theme. Check out the ideas!

Set the Mood

I love getting corn stalks and chrysanthemums every Autumn, as well as getting out my Autumn wreath. This makes for a festive and welcoming entrance for your guests.

Pull out any cute Halloween decorations to place strategically through your party space.

And definitely some fun napkins, plates and cups. These glasses with blood running down them and skulls? Totally fits the theme. I got these for the girls when they were little and they are so much fun.

I love a few real pumpkins around- this one is cute that my daughter painted, and a vase with Fall leaves is so pretty for a centerpiece.

Don’t forget the yummy Autumn aromas. There are so many candles and fragrant wax burners in beautiful Fall scents like apple, pumpkin and cinnamon.

Maybe some spooky Halloween music in the background? There are lots of playlists out there to choose from, so you can find the perfect one for your gathering.

The Menu

My menu for this party is super simple, so everything can be set out ahead of time and I can enjoy the party, too. This is my favorite way to design a cocktail party- casual and self-serve. (See my post on cocktail stations in a small home.)

A couple of charcuterie boards, a soup bar with fixings, Fall-themed chip and dip trays, and a nice variety of seasonal cocktails, coffees and hand-held desserts.

Charcuterie

Leaf Cookie Cutters (see my post in ways to use them) are your friends when creating any Fall-themed parties. I LOVE using them to cut leaf shapes out of pie crust and top my apple pies, and a really fun idea is cutting out pieces of cheese for a Fall-themed cheese plate. Is this not adorable?

I also made this festive Halloween themed charcuterie!

This is so easy and adds a nice touch to the party. Just pull out a nice circular board and get a variety of orange snacks. Like any charcuteries (see my post on making them), try to mix up healthy versus not as well as different textures and tastes. Some items I used:

• Cheez-Its
• Candy corn
• Baby carrots
• Mini white Oreos
• Cheese Curls
• Mandarin oranges or orange segments
• Assortment of cheese slices
• Wheat crackers
• Blackberries and blueberries (for the eyes and mouth)

Soup Bar

A crockpot of Autumn soup is perfect for a party, so it can stay hot the whole evening. Next to your crockpot make sure to have a ladle, several colorful bowls and soup spoons. Include some fixings, depending on what kind of soup you are serving.

I personally love a good turkey chili, and with that I include things like shredded cheddar, a bowl of sour cream, green onions, and corn bread as yummy toppings and sides.

For more ideas, check out my post on the best Fall soups!

Fall Cocktails

I just love seasonal cocktails, and in the Fall you want to capture the beautiful flavors so prevalent now. Just have all ingredients on hand for people to fix their own drinks, and of course, have some Fall beers (like Sam Adams Octoberfest), wines, and non-alcoholic options available. Here are five of my favorite cocktails:

• Apple cider and caramel vodka (it seriously tastes like a caramel apple)
• Cranberry and vodka
• Apple cider, orange juice and fireball whiskey
• Espresso martini
• Cider sangria- see recipe below

Apple Cider Sangria Recipe

I like to make something in a larger batch so people can help themselves. This recipe makes five servings, so feel free to double or triple it depending on how many guests you are expecting.

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon edge
• 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar
• 1 bottle sparkling cider
• 1/3 cup Fireball whiskey
• 1 bottle of chilled white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite)
• 2 apples thinly sliced
• One container of cinnamon sticks

Directions:

• Rim each glass with the lemon wedge.

• Pour cinnamon sugar onto a plate and dip the glasses to coat them.

• Mix the cider, whiskey and wine into a big pitcher.

• Add a few pieces of sliced apple to each glass, and a cinnamon stick if desired.

Dips

I love chips and dips in general, and in the Fall you can be really creative with your flavor combinations! Here are a few classics.

Caramel dip. This is a definite for a Fall party, and what could be easier than slicing a bunch of apples and placing them around a bowl of caramel? Yes, you can melt a bunch of caramel candies to make your own dip. But our local orchard makes it, so mine is store-bought and SO good.

These next dips are best served with cinnamon pita crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, apples, or pears.

Pumpkin puree with cream cheese. This recipe is literally a can of puree, a container of room temperature cream cheese, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and spices. It tastes like pumpkin pie!

Brie with chutney. Warm a round of brie in the oven until melty, and top with a seasonal jam or chutney like this winter apple spice. Yum.

Desserts

Putting out trays of breads and cookies makes things SO easy! Lean into some Fall flavors and the possibilities are endless. You may want a couple seasonal ice creams to have on hand as well, since ice cream goes so well with baked goods.

Ice Cream. If you have a dairy near you, pay them a visit since places that make their own ice cream almost always offer cool seasonal flavors. I love the Apple Pie from our local Hillside Farms. These baked goods would go beautifully with this ice cream!

Pumpkin or Banana Bread. My daughter’s specialty is banana bread. She doctors it up with walnuts and chocolate chips, so it’s like eating a piece of cake. 🍰

Mini-Apple Pies. So simple, and making individual servings with leaf-shaped crusts is adorable.

Cookies. I grew up eating Ginger Snaps, and have such good memories of dunking them in milk. Make an ice cream sandwich with them! My grandmother also used to make chewy Molasses Cookies that were my dad’s absolute favorite. Molasses is another great Fall flavor, in my opinion. It can be somewhat polarizing, ie you really like it or you really don’t. But if you do, make a batch of these for your Fall party for sure! Check out a great recipe here.

Coffee. Make your espresso maker accessible to guests, and let them enjoy a lovely coffee with their dessert of choice. We offer choices of seasonal coffee syrups like pumpkin spice and cinnamon as well.

If you love the Fall and want to celebrate the season with friends and family, try some of these party ideas! Feel free to share some of your own, too!

Happy Fall and Halloween!!