Fall Party

Finally, the temperatures in the Sonoran Desert have dropped below 90 degrees Fahrenheit!

Excuse me while I break into a fit of dance and attempts at cartwheels. (I never figured out how to do a cartwheel)

My girlfriends Michelle, Heather, and I decided to co-host a fall-themed party. We co-hosted the "White Party" right before Labor day, and loved entertaining together so much - that we decided to do it again. All 3 of us love parties, love cooking, and we just work together so well.

Menu theme: Chili bar. Heather made a traditional chili with ground beef and beans. Michelle made a chili with beef tenderloin. And Ryan and I made a Green Pork Chili with tomatillo and roasted chiles. (I have to give Ryan credit since we came up with the recipe together)

We had a bar of various "chili toppings" (chives, black olives, cheese, tomatoes)

For the desert we had s'mores. There was a bon fire, and Michelle made miniature mason jars filled with s'more fixings (grahams, chocolate bar, marshmallows, and oreo cookies). It was adorable. But I was having too much fun to remember to take a picture!!

For libations, I made a Bourbon Apple Cider and a Cranberry Vodka Punch. Delicious.

And our friends brought a variety of comfort foods such as queso dip, crock pot apple crisp, butternut squash pudding, sweet potato cheese cake, jalapeno popper dip, Ina Garten's cornbread.....There is never a lack of abundance of food & drink at parties with our friends!

This was such a fun gathering before the holiday craziness begins.

My face still hurts from all the laughter.

Here are a few photos we got of the night:

 Serrano Cheddar Cornbread Muffins I made. They were the perfect combo of sweet (from the honey) and spicy (from the serranos). And the cheddar cheese made them chewy and delicious!

Over the years, we have become rather fond of hosting parties. And I have found the best party is one where the food can be pre-made. We had the chili slow-cooking by 1pm. That way 2 hours before your guests are to arrive, you can sit on your patio with a book...:)

This was a shot taken of the girls at the end of the night, before we sat down for a feisty "match" of Cards Against Humanity. The guys weren't as thrilled about taking group photos.

But we did sneak one of these 2.  :)

 

Me with my lovely co-hosts Michelle and Heather. We absolutely did NOT plan on wearing flannel shirts. We are just that awesome that we coordinated naturally. When we saw each other, we were laughing hysterically.

 

I absolutely adore these 2 women. We plan these parties during our "Book Club". Which is really just an excuse to get together and drink wine and catch up on life. We still read the same books - but we aren't very good about actually discussing it (besides via text while we are reading at night). This is the kind of friendship that is just comes easy! Thank God for girlfriends.