Fall Dinner Party

Happy Monday! It's hailing here in NYC this morning but I have a giant coffee and some scrambled eggs with toast to keep me company while getting through this gloomy morning. This past weekend, in addition to indulging during the Giants and Jets game, Shaun and I hosted our first official dinner party in our new abode! With lots of help from my mom, we decked the place out with fall flair in preparation for the party. Oh and did I mention that the food was abundant and delicious to boot?

This week I'll be wrapping up some specifics for you, but today let's start with the menu. My mom and I wanted a sort of Americana theme so we dished up some comfort classics. Here's the breakdown:

Hors d’Oeuvres
Shrimp Cocktail
Buffalo Chicken Dip (Shaun’s specialty)
Cheese Board
Smoked Salmon with cream cheese & capers (more on that here)

Dinner
Mixed Greens with Beets & Pomegranates
Pulled Pork & Shredded Turkey
Macaroni & Cheese
Stuffed Peppers

Dessert
Maple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Apple Pie
Molten Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookies

If it seems like a lot, well...it was! Needless to say that with all of this delicious food, Shaun and I are sittin' pretty with lots of leftovers to get us through the week. In fact, yesterday was so full of lounging, recovering and eating that my breakfast consisted of a cupcake and a healthy dose of Teavana's Earl Grey Creme.

Is there anything more comforting on a lazy Sunday morning while catching up on Barefoot Contessa eps? Anyhow, for today's tidbit, I'm showing you how to pull together a quick and easy cheese board. I simply picked up a few of my favorite cheeses, including Blue, Aged Cheddar, Garlic and Herb Goat, and a giant wheel of Brie. I spread them out on a large cutting board and created tiny flag labels out of scrapbook paper, toothpicks and tape so that all the guests would know exactly which variety of cheese they were about to get down with. 

I also included a small bowl of honey which is absolute heaven when drizzled on a wedge of blue cheese atop a multigrain cracker. The sweet and savory combination is to die for! I could eat this all day every day...and sometimes do. I served a plate of crackers and melba toast to complement the cheese and the smoked salmon platter. Any cracker of your choice will do!

So there you have it. A sneak peek into our first dinner party in our new home. Stay tuned for more recipe roundups this week. So what I want to know is: What is your favorite hors d'oeuvres? Is it a creamy dip? A basic cheeseboard? Dish in the comments!