Harvest Dinner Party & a Happy Heart

There is almost nothing I enjoy more than playing host to family & friends in my home. Right now, home is my beautiful, quirky one-bedroom apartment in Lincoln Park.  No matter the season, this place brims with a charm that makes my heart happy day in & day out.  Today, much of the Midwest will see snow for the first time in months, but I don't mind a bit because that means I get to fire up my wood-burning fireplace & cozy up under a big cable-knit blanket to write or watch a movie.  Talk about my happy place.  Having this quaint spot mostly to myself for the past two years has no doubt spoiled me, but I love to share the good vibes of my little bungalow by having people over for dinner, drinks or weekend visits in hopes that they leave with their hearts feeling a bit happier too.

photos of my grandparents & great grandfather in my bedroom

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of hosting seven girlfriends for a fall/harvest dinner party at my place, and it was a smashing success.  I must say, I have some pretty awesome ladies in my life who are not only genuine, fun, smart and funny as hell, but each one of them knows how to prepare a mean fall dish, as evidenced by our menu that night.

Planning a dinner party is one of my absolute favorite things to do for some very specific reasons; I obviously adore the hosting aspect, but it's the idea of bringing people together to break bread, connect face-to-face & forge or strengthen a sense of community that I love the most.  We're all busy, we all have conflicting schedules, but if we can somehow carve out the time to commit to sitting down with one another to reconnect and share a meal, it doesn't just fill our stomachs - it feeds our souls. 

Table set & ready

Getting their spiked cider on

This cider made my entire apartment smell heavenly

Goodness simmering in my kitchen

Goat cheese, fig & caramelized onion crostinis!

Homemade hummus dip & fresh veggies

Look at those smiles - I heart my friends

Table of plenty

Halloween cookies, decorated by Cindy!

After dinner we broke out dessert (Halloween cookies, pumpkin bars & pumpkin macaroons!) and a few more bottles of wine.  Eventually the Maker's Mark made an appearance alongside the bottle of Owl's Brew that was sent to me as a gift - I must say the two went together quite well.  The post-dinner music switched from Band of Horses, Beta Radio and Shovels & Rope to YouTube video requests for songs from our high school days and hilarious SNL clips.

We also spent the next few hours playing a game that you download on your cell phone called Heads Up. It's sort of like Pictionary & Catch Phrase combined.  Look it up & download it for your next party or family get together - trust me, you won't be disappointed!  Our favorite categories had us acting out clues or humming them - I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time.  At one point I stepped away from the game to snap some photos of this perfect evening - happily buzzed on spiked cider & wine, full of delicious food and completely content, loving each other's company - none of us wanted to be anywhere else.  It was immediately decided that this was going to be a tradition, the next one to be held in December.  

Heart = Happy - oh so Happy.

Games begin

Laughter ensues

These girls are awesome

Maker's + Owl's Brew

The last ones to leave the party - I laugh til I cry with these two

The next morning - dinner party success!

This guy looked lonely - luckily he joined the others in my tummy a short while later :)

We did good

There were so many amazing dishes prepared that night: spiced rum-spiked apple cider with cinnamon sticks; homemade hummus dip & veggies; fig, goat cheese & caramelized onion crostinis; pumpkin & goat cheese empanadas; creamy butternut squash soup; a pear, goat cheese & candied walnut mixed greens salad with maple balsamic dressing; Maker's Mark & cider glazed turkey and pork meatballs with rosemary & sage; Gorgonzola, pear & walnut flat bread pizzas; and homemade pumpkin bars, Halloween cookies & pumpkin macaroons for dessert.  We ate extremely well thanks to every one's hard work & creativity.

I leave you now with my recipe for the meatballs I made - these were the perfect touch to compliment the butternut squash soup, meatless pizzas & other dishes.  And they couldn't have been much easier either!  I hope you enjoy :)

Maker's Mark & Apple Cider Glazed Turkey + Pork Meatballs
*adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground turkey, thawed
- 1/2 - 1 lb ground pork sausage, thawed
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1/4 tsp coarsely ground sea salt
- 1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
- 1 egg, whisked

Glaze:
- 1/2 c Maker's Mark Bourbon (or similar bourbon of your choice)
- 1 1/2 c apple cider
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- sprig of fresh rosemary to simmer in pot

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cover a large cookie sheet with a layer of foil and spray with cooking spray - set aside.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients for the meatballs.  Roll into 1.5 inch balls and place on the cookie sheet in rows - they can be close together.  (You will have between 20-30 meatballs depending on the size you roll them).  Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Add all glaze ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until combined.  Add to a small saucepan and cook on medium-high for about 10 mins, or until glaze starts to appear thicker and shiny.  Add the cooked meatballs to the glaze & stir to coat evenly.  Simmer on low heat until ready to serve (careful not to simmer for too long so glaze evaporates.  I recommend not simmering for longer than 45 mins on very low heat).

Serve with a big spoon for plating or with toothpicks - enjoy!

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