A Fall Dinner Party

This past Wednesday Jamie and I hosted a small dinner party for the girls on my team at work and their significant others. Again I tried to keep with the fall theme with the table settings and menu. Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoy the food. The table was set with navy place mats and our navy plates. I used dark orange napkins which had small leaves embroidered into them. The centerpiece was 4 candles in jars filled a quarter of the way with candy corn (they were my favorite-they were so pretty all lit up). I used small white pumpkins with orange card stock tied to the stem with green paper ribbon for the place cards. The menu included baked brie with a maple syrup and walnut sauce and gorgonzola  and pear crostinis with a balsamic port glaze for the appetizers. The main dish was a pork tenderloin with cranapple stuffing, onion casserole (a delicious recipe from my Aunt) and rosemary potatoes. We finished the night with a warm apple crisp.  I of course took lots of pictures (none of any people), here are some below.

The table all set

Pumpkin place card

Baked brie with maple syrup & walnut sauce

                                                               

Gorgonzola & pear crostinis with a balsamic port glaze

Appetizer table

Pork tenderloin with cranapple stuffing

Rosemary potatoes

Cranapple stuffing

                                                            

Onion casserole

                                                                            

Sides!

Centerpiece all lit up

Happy Fall!
XOXO
Crystal, Jamie & Bandit

                                                                                                                               



 



All Things Fall

This past weekend brought in the fall weather here in Tampa, and by fall weather I do mean 75 degrees and sunny. According to many Floridians, fall is the best time to be here and I can see why they say that. There has been no humidity in the air but it is still warm enough to head to the pool or the beach on the weekend. We have shut off our AC and opened the windows and have spent a lot of time on our deck enjoying the cooler weather.

Other than the beautiful weather Jamie and I have a lot to look forward to over the next couple months. One of these is the entertaining we have planned through October and November. Next week I am having my team from work over for a small dinner party and Jamie is having his team over for a Mexican Fiesta a few weeks later. Then at the end of November Jamie and I will be hosting our first Thanksgiving! Jamie's family will be coming to Tampa to celebrate the holiday with us. With that I have begun to get things together to make sure the apartment is properly decorated. In an effort to save a little money I have been trying to find things that will last me from Halloween to Thanksgiving, I have been staying away from purchasing ghosts and turkeys and trying to stay more holiday neutral with pumpkins and all things fall.

Last night I ventured out to Home Goods and found a few things I could cross off my entertaining wish list including these cute cocktail napkins and cheese spreaders.

My next great find included this pumpkin centerpiece for our coffee table. I already had some ideas as to what I'll use as a centerpiece on the dining room table but this pumpkin was perfect for the living room. I wanted something simple but festive and this is it! I placed ember scented candles in the votive holders and it looks and smells awesome in our living room! My picture of the centerpiece isn't very good so I also included a picture of a similar centerpiece I also saw.

Hope everyone is enjoying the fall too!