Fall Dinner Party

There is no other perfect place to serve Mason Jar Apple Pies than a Fall Dinner Party with great friends. We turned Matt & Whitney's back porch into an outdoor dining room. 

Here is what we used:

white christmas lights

wine glasses with tea lights lining the rail

lamps

beautifully clothed tables

mixed matched plates

pumpkin candle holders

cutests circle rug of my life

outdoor fire

mixed match chairs

anthropologie placemats

cloth napkins 

hanging mirror 

Here is what it looked like:

Please note the fall wreath on Whit's door. Does it look familiar?

Here is who was there:

 We were a bit crazy to have an OUTSIDE dinner party in October in Washington, but everyone just bundled up & enjoyed the fire & the dry sky. I think it was about 45 degrees.

 Menu:

Cider Roasted Pork & Cranberry Quinoa Wild Rice (Whitney saw it on The Today Show)

Garden Salad (Colby)

Mashed Potatoes (Robbins)

Bread & Butter (Jeanette)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Laura)

Mason Jar Apple Pies (Whitney & Lindsey)

Pumpkin Seeds (Whitney)

Mulled Apple Cider

Beer

French Press Coffee

Water

Thank you Matt, Whitney, & Quinn for opening up your home!!!

It was a magical Fall night full of laughter, good food, creativity, & lasting memories.

Winter Dinner Party anyone?

Dinner with the Raigosa's

My cousin Lenny and his wife Samantha (originally from Washington) recently moved back up here. They are still about 4 hours away, but that is about 20 hours less than before. I offered to make dinner (mainly because I want to blog about whatever I can). This was a great opportunity to make something blog worthy: sweet potato souffle from the Williams Sonoma Autumn cookbook.

 http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/sweet-potato-souffle.html

 First you poke your sweet potatoes with a fork & bake until mooshy. Then butter a souffle dish and dust with Parmesan cheese. 

Mix all ingredients together. It's more fun with help. 

It fell a bit before I took a picture, but it was delicious & successful for my first try. 

 Taking the first piece.

 Lenny likes it.

 My first bite.

I LOVE it! 

A lovely evening with the cousins, and a lovely centerpiece.