Fall Dinner Party Ideas

I'm totally drinking the fall Kool-Aid, you guys.  I can't help myself.  I'm just so darn excited about the leaves exploding with color, crisp nights, Halloween (my favorite holiday EVER), and of course, all of the fun food items that come into season this time of year!  Even though I currently have no reason to throw a fall-themed dinner party, I thought that I would share some of the amazing dishes and treats that other talented food bloggers have been making, photographing, and sharing with the world!

When putting together my faves for these categories, I tried to choose things that were relatively simple and not too terribly time consuming, yet would still display beautifully on an autumn table.  I totally understand that serving typical fall ingredients, like pumpkin or apple, for every single course would be a little overwhelming, so this list is simply to give you several ideas that you can mix and match either with the other categories or with your own recipes.

I've included photo credits for pictures and links to the source recipes for each of the awesome bloggers that posted these great noms, so please click through to their posts and be sure to leave them comments!  Enjoy our round-up of easy dinner party menu ideas!

Pre-Dinner Drinks

1. Fig Bubbly by Valley & Co. Lifestyle - Nick and Aleah Valley have paired champagne (or prosecco) with fig in two different ways.  Figs are in season in the early summer and early fall, so if you can get your hands on these juicy little darlings, they're a nice unexpected addition to a fall spread.

2. Apple Pumpkintini by Eat. Drink. Love - This one looks so smooth and flavorful.  Stephanie had decided to use pumpkin puree in a lovely martini bursting with other fall flavors like apple and cinnamon.  I can definitely see sipping on this one slowly while waiting for dinner to be ready!

3. Slow Cooker Hot Spiced Apple Cider by Kitchen Treaty - Karen Troughton demonstrates a super simple hot apple cider that can be made in your slow cooker.  Leave out the rum for a non-alcoholic version and you'll still have a tasty, comforting beverage for those cooler nights!

4. Sparkling Fall Sangria by Dinners Dishes & Desserts - I love a well made Sangria, and Erin S. adds some fizz to this one with Sprite!  A very simple and pretty drink.

Salads

1. Harvest Apple Salad by Anecdotes & Applecores - Monet has put together a delicious sliced apple salad using all kinds of interesting things, dried apricots and pistachios being the ones that caught my attention.  There's also some crumbled blue cheese to add a good bite (I have it on good authority that blue cheese with apples is a taste combo not to be missed) and the whole thing is topped with a honey cinnamon vinaigrette.  Be still my heart.

2. Fall Spinach Salad by TasteFood blog - Lynda Balslev has a winner here using my very favorite salad greens - baby spinach!  She has combined goat cheese with dried cranberries, walnuts, and crispy prosciutto tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette for an impressive yet simple first course.  There's a lot of flavor there!

3. Chopped Fall Salad by One Lovely Life - I love the chunky texture of this one!  Emily has combined big hearty pieces of apples and pears with chopped romaine lettuce.  Things get extra intriguing with the addition of cashews, chopped bacon, and a crumbly cheese like feta or cojita.

4. Fig and Arugula Salad by love.life.eat - Won't you look fancy serving up ripe quartered figs in your salad?  Felicia shows us a simple combination of figs and arugula tossed with a fresh honey lime vinaigrette.  Yummy yum yum.

Main Course

1. Ratatouille with Italian Chicken Sausage and Creamy Polenta by Half Baked Harvest - Ratatouille is a fantastic choice for that September transition period between the last dregs of summer into full blown fall.  This is a hearty mixture of tomatoes and gourd vegetables cooked in lots of herbs and spices.  Tieghan adds some Italian chicken sausage to the mix and serves this over a creamy, cheesy polenta.  No need for a side dish with this offering!

2. Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes by Foodie Crush - This dish from Heidi juuuust hints at the holiday season around the corner with the use of roasted grapes and cheesy sage filling in the pork chops.  I love bits of sweetness in pork dishes, and this one has all kinds of interesting flavors going on with a tasty-sounding brine that includes allspice and thyme.  Sign me up.

3. Rosemary Roasted Salmon by The Slender Student - Want to lighten things up a bit for the main course?  Claire shows us how to prepare a simple roasted salmon that is served over a bed of cooked kale and quinoa with chickpeas and dried cranberries!  I love everything about this dish, and it's easy on the waistline as well.  Always a plus.

4. Pumpkin Sausage Rotini by What's Cooking with Ruthie - This is such an interesting dish and looks SO flippin' easy to make!  A thick sauce consisting of sweet turkey sausage and pumpkin puree is seasoned up, cooked for a total of about 10 minutes, and then served over cooked rotini noodles.  That's IT!  Delish.

 Dessert

1. Caramel Apple Dumplings with Ice Cream by Everyday Occasions - Jenny shares this scrumptious treat that is deceitfully simple to make, and would be a seasonal and gorgeous addition to end any harvest party dinner.

2. Caramel Spiced Pumpkin Parfait by Donna Elick - Four layers of absolute sin.  This parfait starts with a buttery graham cracker layer followed by spiced pumpkin mousse.  If that's not enough, it then gets a generous helping of brown sugar whipped cream and is topped off with a caramel drizzle.  Beautifully presented in individual glasses, your guests will think you slaved for hours over these puppies (you really didn't, but they don't have to know that).

3. No-Bake Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie by Love of Family and Home - If you're really pressed for time but still want to have a dessert that incorporates fall flavors and looks lovely on the plate, Tonya will show you how to whip together this delectable pie that takes 10 minutes from start to finish!

4. Caramel Latte Bundt Cake by The Baker Chick - I adore bundt cakes.  They look pretty straight out of the pan with no extra embellishments, but add some drizzles or a glaze and you have a presentation on par with a fancy layer cake, but with half the time investment.  Audra shows us how to make this beauty of a cake infused with the flavors of espresso (with an optional addition of chocolate chips), then topped with a beautiful double drizzle that results in a dessert that looks totally profesh.