I may have mentioned that I like to entertain, and cook.  {I guess it wouldn’t be a very fun party if food wasn’t involved}  The problem is this, I really, really like simple recipes and preferably recipes that can be made in advance when I entertain.

{Jenny Steffens Hobick}

Fall entertaining is especially fun and I enjoy some of the ideas I have stolen borrowed from very creative people across blog land. Jenny Steffens Hobick is one of my favorite sites for entertaining menus and table settings.  She and her family recently moved, and with a baby, her recipes are practical and simple but her presentation is always beautiful and many can be made ahead of time.  As you can see from the table setting above, simple but stylish tablescapes are the standard with her.  If you’re interested in cooking, visit Jenny.

Another favorite site for delicious and healthy recipes is Marina over at Yummy Mummy Kitchen.  Marina makes every dish she serves look appetizing and pretty on the plate, and her recipes are almost always lean towards healthy, although you’d never suspect it by the fabulous flavors each recipe provides.  One more creative blog site to visit and borrow from when planning a menu for family and friends.  I’ve you’ve never visited Yummy Mummy Kitchen I urge you to have a look.

{Yummy Mummy Kitchen}

Autumn table settings appeal to me partly because you can use natures bounty from the farm, {wish I lived on one}, the surrounding outdoors, or your market.  Pomegranates, apples, leaves, acorns, nuts, gourds, mums and the ever-traditional pumpkin can all be arranged in any combination to create a beautiful and festive table.

~ Recipes from Yummy Mummy Kitchen and Jenny Steffens Hobick will be featured in an upcoming post ~

If you are planning a party that requires an invitation there are a variety of papers you can purchase that can be printed on a home laser jet printer.  We have the good fortune of living near a Paper Source store, where there are more options than I can think of ideas for, but it’s sure fun to mix and match the various papers with inserts and envelopes.This is an invitation I made when a few years back I hosted my friend, Cayley’s birthday luncheon.  She enjoys an autumn birthday, so brown tones seemed fitting.

{Victoria Magazine}

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If you are planning a Halloween extravaganza, wouldn’t it be fun to have Hubby or a friend dress up like a butler and serve beverages for guests?

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The table setting below is interesting and doesn’t follow the typical fall standards, bust out and try some of the new colored vegetables with your flowers and candles the next time you entertain.  It’s fun to think outside the box sometimes (the rule-follower, ‘fraidy cat said).

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So, on to a great recipe…

Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for a “Quick Easy and Yummy Apple Tart”  What’s not to love about this, right?  But since I insist usually test recipes that I offer, I tried it.  It is beyond really simple and it turns out {and tastes} as good as Ree’s picture looks, without stress or strain in the making.  Rather than make you copy and paste the recipe, since I can’t figure out how to create a “printable copy” on my blog, I’ve given you the link, PW not only makes printing this recipe easy, she gives you a step by step pictorial tutorial on how to make this yummy dessert.

{Pioneer Woman Cooks}

If your weather hasn’t changed yet, or  like a few of my blog friends, you live where it is just changing seasons to spring, you may want to move your party outdoors.

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Even the birds are into the season!

I hope Autumn will bring you plenty of fun meals with family and friends. 

♥ Karen