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October 3, 2010

How to Host an Awesome Dinner Party

Fish + Seafood Soups + Chili
86 comments
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1) Invite awesome people.

My date, Matt:

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And our guests, my high school friend Amy and her husband, Patrick:

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2) Convince said awesome guests to let us use their (unopened until now) wedding china for the dinner. Yes, you read that right. We used their wedding china.

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Isn’t it pretty?

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Actually, it was Amy’s idea to use their china when she heard the dinner party was supposed to be “luxury” per the Foodbuzz Project Food Blog Challenge #3 instructions 🙂 They were excited to use it for the first time! Heh

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3) Serve the first course, Apple Cider Pumpkin Soup, in little mini pumpkins. If you don’t think this is the cutest thing ever, you are probably dead.

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I heart pumpkins. They just scream fall!

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To serve soup in a pumpkin, just clean out the pumpkins like you would before carving them 🙂

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4) Prepare said soup and pumpkin bowls (and any other possible courses) beforehand so you can spend the dinner party enjoying your guests (and the food) instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

I also prepared my Herbed Cranberry Quinoa beforehand:

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And the Beet, Goat Cheese, and Mixed Greens Salad: 

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5) Make a pretty menu, and build your courses around a central theme (mine is autumn!):

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6) Pick a pretty location and decorate the table. We decided to move our dining room table out onto our porch for the dinner since the weather was so beautiful!

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7) Serve fun, creative, and delicious food (and wine)! I built my menu around embracing the arrival of fall, my favorite season 🙂

~ First Course ~

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Apple Cider Pumpkin Soup

served in mini pumpkin bowls

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Yum! To make the soup, I followed this recipe. I should probably serve all of my meals inside pumpkins.

~ Second Course ~

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Beet, Goat Cheese, and Mixed Greens Salad

with balsamic vinaigrette

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Deeeeelish. Recipe is already on my blog: Goat Cheese and Beet Salad — the only change is I left out the cucumbers!

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~ Main Course ~

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Toasted Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Tilapia

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This was soooo yummy. I adapted it from one of my favorite recipes on my blog — my Almond Encrusted Tilapia! I followed the recipe exactly, except that I swapped out the almonds for pumpkin seeds to embrace fall and mix things up. It came out awesome! Even Matt loved it, and he claims to not like fish 😉

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Herbed Cranberry Quinoa

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Yum! This was also great — it was the perfect light side to the tilapia. I used this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, but I added in some dried cranberries for a little extra interest. They made the dish!

Orange Scented Garlic String Beans

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These string beans were delish and another big favorite! I used my Lemon Garlic String Beans recipe, but instead of using lemon juice and zest, I used orange juice and zest! It was AMAZING.

~ Dessert ~

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Poached Autumn Pears

with cinnamon ice cream

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This was incredible! One of my new favorite desserts — sweet and delicious, but also light and somewhat healthy 🙂

Making poached pears was easier than I thought it would be, too!

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I followed this recipe from The Food Network, but instead of using red wine, I used POM Wonderful! Yum 🙂

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The cinnamon and cloves in the pot made the room smell AMAZING, and the pears ended up soft, flavorful, and juicy.

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I didn’t cool the pears in the fridge, instead deciding to serve them warm. It was a good call — warm fruit is the best 🙂 Especially when served with ice cream! (p.s. Not gonna lie — I couldn’t find cinnamon ice cream and I don’t have an ice cream maker, so I may or may not have just bought vanilla ice cream and topped it with ground cinnamon. Heh. Don’t judge. It was still tasty!)

~ Wine Pairing ~

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Amy was kind enough to bring this wine to go along with the tilapia — it was perfect — sweet but not too sweet, and light enough to not overpower the fish.

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And now, for the final way to host an awesome dinner party:

8 ) Wash and dry the mini pumpkins everyone ate their soup course in, and carve them with your guests!

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Lol — Amy looks pumped, Patrick looks scared for his life:

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We carved the pumpkins in an interlude between the main course and dessert (while the pears simmered inside, smelling delicious). It was SO much fun!!

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Masterpieces in the making…

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And then, success! Everyone made really different looking pumpkins 🙂

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Aren’t they cute? They served as our ambiance for the the dessert course 😉

Here’s mine — evil!!

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Matt’s — heh love the tongue!

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Amy’s — their dog, Miles! 🙂 (p.s. I need a tripod to get still night pictures! Matt’s shoulder wasn’t cutting it…)

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And Patrick’s! We decided his pumpkin was “emo” or possibly Justin Bieber, lol. The sideswept hair is the best!

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All together now!

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So much fun 🙂 We sent Amy and Patrick home with their pumpkin creations as a parting gift! 133

Here Matt and I are with our pumpkins — first, normal:

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And then imitating our pumpkins 🙂 Although I look more deranged than evil, lol.

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And with that, our dinner party was over! What a fun night 🙂 I hope you all enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed hosting it!

Voting will be open tomorrow for this round of Project Food Blog and if you liked this post, please vote for me! 🙂

- anne
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86 comments
  • BethT
    October 3, 2010 · 9:30AM:
    This is great, Anne! Well done!
    Reply
  • Morgan @ Life After Bagels
    October 3, 2010 · 9:30AM:
    AMAZING! This is the first one I've read so all other entries I read today will have to live up to it ;) Voting for sure
    Reply
  • Allison @ Girl In Her Kitchen October 3, 2010 · 9:35AM:
    Everything looks great! I love the pumpkin idea both as functional with the soup and as a fun craft with the carving! And, I am going to have to make that tilapia and quinoa with the cranberries. Yum!
    Reply
  • Liz October 3, 2010 · 9:49AM:
    You should win simply for the pumpkin bowls! OMG they were so cute and love that you carved them later.
    Reply
  • Heather @ Side of Sneakers
    October 3, 2010 · 9:49AM:
    This is awesome!!! What a fun idea for a dinner party- and all the recipes sound divine!
    Reply
  • Debbie
    October 3, 2010 · 9:52AM:
    Love it!! So much fun which is what dinner parties are supposed to be! :) You got my vote :)
    Reply
  • Lee
    October 3, 2010 · 9:54AM:
    This is great. I love how you carved the pumpkins after you ate the soup out of them.
    Reply
  • Evan Thomas
    October 3, 2010 · 9:59AM:
    I hope you make it! This was awesome.
    Reply
  • Becca
    October 3, 2010 · 10:27AM:
    What a fun dinner party! Hmm... Our dinner party on Friday consisted of my favourite staple - Delia Smith Chicken Basque - and a bought dessert, followed by chilling on the sofa as our friends' 2-year-old daughter wanted to watch Lazytown. I will definitely have to give the quinoa recipe a try - I haven't found a way in which I like it yet, so I'm up for anything new!
    Reply
  • Angela (Oh She Glows)
    October 3, 2010 · 10:30AM:
    Great job girlfriend!!! "If you don’t think this is the cutest thing ever, you are probably dead." LMAO!
    Reply
  • ashleigh
    October 3, 2010 · 10:37AM:
    Wow you did an awesome job! Everything looks so good and it's very creative! Love that you guys even decorated your pumpkins.. too cute!
    Reply
  • Aimee October 3, 2010 · 11:11AM:
    Everything looks amazing. I seriously want to eat the screen. What a creative idea for a dinner party, especially the pumpkins. Good luck to you. Fantastic job.
    Reply
  • Janna
    October 3, 2010 · 11:45AM:
    This was quite the gorgeous little dinner party you had! I am wanting that pumpkin soup in the pumpkin so badly...actually I want everything on that menu! Can I come over for dinner? :)
    Reply
  • Shannon, Tropical Eats
    October 3, 2010 · 11:46AM:
    LOL i lolled at the "cutest thing ever -- you are probably dead" comment too :) great dinner party!! very VERY impressed!
    Reply
  • Natalia - a side of simple
    October 3, 2010 · 11:51AM:
    Oh-Em-Gee. Your dinner party is so great! So creative and in touch with the season. Way to go!
    Reply
  • Jennifer@ knackfornutrition
    October 3, 2010 · 12:41PM:
    Your dinner party is gorgeous! I will be voting for you to enter the next round. I can only imagine the time and effort you must have put into creating the whole thing. It looks beautiful!
    Reply
  • Maria @ Oh Healthy Day
    October 3, 2010 · 12:45PM:
    I now fully believe that pumpkin soup should always be served in a pumpkin - if not, I will be disappointed. Fantastic and fun dinner party! You have my vote!
    Reply
  • Jocelyn @ Enthusiastic Runner
    October 3, 2010 · 12:57PM:
    This looks Magical!!
    Reply
  • Kris S October 3, 2010 · 1:13PM:
    Wow, impressive! LOVE the pumpkin bowl idea :) ps giada de laurentiis is my italian homegirl ;)
    Reply
  • DHP October 3, 2010 · 1:45PM:
    An awesome post for an awesome dinner. Wow! Really creative, fun, and tasty sounding. Well done!
    Reply
  • Krista (kristastes)
    October 3, 2010 · 1:47PM:
    How FUN! Pulling out nice china always makes a dinner luxurious no matter what's on the plate :) I am not a fan of tilapia but I would try yours...I love fish when it's encrusted with nuts/seeds! You made me want to go carve a pumpkin today!
    Reply
  • sian
    October 3, 2010 · 1:48PM:
    wow...I have never been to a dinner party like this! Can I come next time??
    Reply
  • sippitysup
    October 3, 2010 · 2:14PM:
    This is so original. I bet you are the only contestant who thought of this GREG job. GREG
    Reply
  • Kennedy @ Running After Balance
    October 3, 2010 · 2:20PM:
    I love this!!! Everything looks incredible, I can practically smell it. Extra points for creativity with the pumpkins :) Very well done!
    Reply
  • Renie October 3, 2010 · 2:22PM:
    What an original idea. I am not much of a fish eater myself, but I think I could go for this one. Loved your post and I will be voting for you first thing tomorrow.
    Reply
  • Runeatrepeat
    October 3, 2010 · 2:33PM:
    I love Fall and completely love your presentation! Great job :)
    Reply
  • Cathy/ShowFoodChef
    October 3, 2010 · 2:36PM:
    Oh, I love your fun post and beautiful food. I'm slaving away on mine, waiting for pics to download and enjoying reading and getting to know new blogs/people :D Great job!
    Reply
  • Matthew October 3, 2010 · 2:38PM:
    This looks like it must have been sooo much fun :)
    Reply
  • Hunter October 3, 2010 · 2:48PM:
    Best line of the blog: "If you don't think this is the cutest thing ever, you are probably dead." Hahaha! I am ready to fly down to NC to have a dinner party with you- the pics are amazing! I think we need to carve a Kitty pumpkin and have a photo with it :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      October 3, 2010 · 7:35PM:
      OMG - a kitty pumpkin would be sooo awesome. Heh. Miss you!
      Reply
  • Liz
    October 3, 2010 · 3:37PM:
    I love it, from the wedding china to the pumpkin bowls. Wonderful!
    Reply
  • Andrea @ Run, Eat, Date, Sleep October 3, 2010 · 4:00PM:
    You are so creative! Everything looks amazing and delicious!
    Reply
  • emily
    October 3, 2010 · 4:35PM:
    Totally awesome! I would LOVED to been there! Great dinner part!
    Reply
  • Doty October 3, 2010 · 7:10PM:
    Well done- loved the menus and the soup in the pumpkins. Everything looked delicious.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      October 3, 2010 · 7:36PM:
      The pumpkin bowls were inspired by a certain Thanksgiving dinner at your house a few years back! :)
      Reply
  • Robyn @ Wannabe Writer Runner
    October 3, 2010 · 7:14PM:
    Wow I have never seen soup served in a pumkpin. Such a great idea, although I'll probably never do it haha, but looks awesome!
    Reply
  • Annie@stronghealthyfit
    October 3, 2010 · 8:32PM:
    Cute dinner party! I love that there was an activity involved and that it was pumpkin carving!
    Reply
  • Megan @ Averymeggirl.com
    October 3, 2010 · 9:00PM:
    Love it!! Such a cute idea! Very fun!
    Reply
  • Jean@RoastedRootsandPumpkinSpice
    October 3, 2010 · 9:38PM:
    This looks so much fun! I think I'm going to need to carve a pumpkin soon. That pear dessert looks amazing, by the way.
    Reply
  • Maren
    October 3, 2010 · 10:27PM:
    This is such a cool idea for dessert, I'll probably be trying it out this fall. I love your dinner party how to's. The pumpkin bowls are amazing!
    Reply
  • Katie @ Healthy Heddleston
    October 3, 2010 · 11:12PM:
    I love that you served soup in the pumpkins and then carved them between courses! So fun!
    Reply
  • sassy molassy
    October 4, 2010 · 12:45AM:
    The dessert is so creative, yet simple! Love that idea.
    Reply
  • Kristy
    October 4, 2010 · 7:42AM:
    Wow! You def win my vote! Very creative and festive!
    Reply
  • rachael
    October 4, 2010 · 7:49AM:
    What a perfect fall menu! And I love your friend's china pattern!
    Reply
  • Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
    October 4, 2010 · 8:15AM:
    Love the pumpkin carving fun!! And the menu looks delicious.
    Reply
  • MegaNerd
    October 4, 2010 · 8:17AM:
    I'm kind of sad that I didn't get invited to this dinner party. ;) It looks like you had a great time, great company, and amazing food! I love the idea of eating soup out of the pumpkins. I did a similar thing with an acorn squash once. You have my vote, girl!
    Reply
  • Lisa Orgler
    October 4, 2010 · 10:22AM:
    What fun!! I love the pumpkins and sense of humor!!
    Reply
  • Dorry
    October 4, 2010 · 10:26AM:
    Oh my goodness! I want to attend your dinner party, plleeeeeeeeeease?! This is perfection. I'm so behind on blog reading but really glad I came across this post. Wonderful fall recipes, Anne! xoxo
    Reply
  • Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries
    October 4, 2010 · 10:33AM:
    "If you don't think this is the cutest thing ever, you're probably dead." L.O.V.E. it. Awesome job!
    Reply
  • Joan Nova
    October 4, 2010 · 10:47AM:
    The pumpkin carving added such a fun element to the party. I loved it.
    Reply
  • Linda - a Canadian RD October 4, 2010 · 11:54AM:
    Wow! Everything was beautiful, the food looked delicious and it looked like fun! I love that you did it outdoors on a beautiful evening!
    Reply
  • Sonya October 4, 2010 · 12:20PM:
    Love it, love it, love it! I absolutely love your ideas, you def have my vote :)
    Reply
  • Jacob's Kitchen
    October 4, 2010 · 12:21PM:
    Really lovely! And the food looks/sounds amazing. I am always on baord for serving things in pumpkins. And I love that you finished the night off carving them. Genius. Sounds like a lot of fun. I voted for you! =) Good luck! Fingers crossed that we both make it through to round 4!!!
    Reply
  • Meseidy
    October 4, 2010 · 12:37PM:
    This is super cute! I thought of making pumpkin bowls for soup but I had 12 guest and didn't feel like carving 12 mini pumpkins. Instead I did a pumpkin drink cooler. Great post you got my vote! Hope to see you in the next round!
    Reply
  • Jenni
    October 4, 2010 · 1:10PM:
    Love this--especially the pumpkin-carving! Glad you guys had a wonderful time, and I'm glad that your friends finally got to use their wedding china:) You have one of my votes!
    Reply
  • Heather Johnson
    October 4, 2010 · 1:31PM:
    Love that you carved the pumpkins too - great blog!
    Reply
  • Whit @ Amuse Bouche
    October 4, 2010 · 2:21PM:
    A) love the arts and crafts aspect to your dinner party, love that they got involved! and B) we need to be friends. obviously you and i both like to fill pumpkins with things and that means we need to throw a "fill the pumpkin" party. THe end :) Whit
    Reply
    • Anne P
      October 4, 2010 · 6:21PM:
      Fill a pumpkin party or bust!! Heh. Love that you put ice cream in yours! :)
      Reply
  • Ashley
    October 4, 2010 · 2:29PM:
    Great party!! Love both uses of the pumpkins! I want the dessert!! :) Great job...you've got my vote!
    Reply
  • Stay-At-Home-Chef
    October 4, 2010 · 3:57PM:
    Great post! Your menu reflected the fall season beautifully. Loved the pumpkin carving element! Good luck and hope to join you in round four :)
    Reply
  • Lisa (bakebikeblog)
    October 4, 2010 · 5:11PM:
    Oh Anne - everything looks stunning! Great job!
    Reply
  • emily (a nutritionist eats)
    October 4, 2010 · 5:16PM:
    You've got my vote! I love that you served soup from the pumpkins and then carved them so they didn't just go to waste!
    Reply
  • The Duo Dishes
    October 4, 2010 · 5:51PM:
    It's very possible that we used those same place mats for our dinner party table setting too! :) Isn't it great to have fall on our side now? We also wanted to highlight all the great flavors of the season. Love your menu! And definitely voting.
    Reply
  • Amykinz
    October 4, 2010 · 7:14PM:
    What a great event! I added most of your recipes to my meals for next week! You've definitely got my vote... and my subscription to your RSS feed! ;)
    Reply
  • Gwyn October 4, 2010 · 9:42PM:
    Amazing!! One of the best entries I've seen so far. You have my vote!! And the china was gorgeous!!
    Reply
  • Liz
    October 4, 2010 · 10:26PM:
    Congrats on making it through to round 3!! I love, love, LOVE the idea of using the mini pumpkins as not only a serving container but also a mid-meal activity! So creative :) Looks like you guys had fun, and the menu sounds delicious. Good luck!
    Reply
  • lindsey@FreshAirFreshFood October 5, 2010 · 12:25AM:
    Your menu sounds delicious! I love that you carved pumpkins:-) Hope to see you in Round 4!
    Reply
  • Anne @ Food Loving Polar Bear
    October 5, 2010 · 4:06AM:
    Lovely autumn meal and BEAUTIFUL dishes!
    Reply
  • Becky
    October 5, 2010 · 7:47AM:
    I love the pumpkin theme. I have a beef stew recipe that you cook in the pumpkin in the oven, and scoop out spoonfuls of pumpkin, along with the stew. your individual mini pumkins are so cute!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      October 5, 2010 · 7:48AM:
      Mmmm - that sounds divine!! Love that you actually cook the pumpkin, too.
      Reply
  • Suzy
    October 5, 2010 · 1:24PM:
    Perfect way to celebrate fall! I love your dinner party tips, your inspiration to add dried cranberries to the quinoa (great idea!) and your use of the pumpkins as mid-course entertainment...it looks like you had a great time! You've got my vote...good luck!
    Reply
  • Jacquelyn
    October 5, 2010 · 3:19PM:
    Loved the menu, loved the photos, loved the theme, loved your friend's china!, love the blog! I'm voting for you!
    Reply
  • @lickmyspoon
    October 5, 2010 · 3:35PM:
    I like the seasonal theme, mostly because it leads to seasonal ingredients that complement one another. Also, props on the snacktivity (pumpkin carving). What's that thing about playing with your food? You're supposed to do it? You've got a vote of ours, hope to see you next week! Lick My Spoon
    Reply
  • serena @bigapplenosh
    October 5, 2010 · 7:00PM:
    I love the focus on fresh seasonal produce! You've got my vote! http://www.foodbuzz.comwww.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/3/view/1069
    Reply
  • Lisa
    October 5, 2010 · 9:15PM:
    Anyone who can get their friends to crack open the unused wedding china has a vote from me. And this takes nothing away from your party- the food looked seriously fabulous. Lisa.
    Reply
  • Jessica
    October 5, 2010 · 10:37PM:
    Everything looks fabulous! We both did pumpkin bowls! Hope we both make it to the next round! :-) You have my vote!
    Reply
  • Deborah Dowd
    October 5, 2010 · 10:39PM:
    What a lovely dinner party and how fun you carved the little pumpkins!
    Reply
  • whitney
    October 5, 2010 · 11:45PM:
    such a great idea with the pumpkins. You rocked the dinner party and made it fun as well! I want to try the pear recipe it looks delicious.
    Reply
  • Megan
    October 6, 2010 · 7:25AM:
    Since my birthday is Halloween.. I am a sucker for pumpkins.....looks like some amazing fun!
    Reply
  • Megan
    October 6, 2010 · 7:26AM:
    P.S.... you have my vote!
    Reply
  • Veronica (lifewithnature)
    October 6, 2010 · 9:01AM:
    Great to see someone else creating a healthy menu for a diner party. I love the mini pumpkins!
    Reply
  • Sara @ Fro Yo Foodie
    October 6, 2010 · 10:22AM:
    LOVE THIS!! Such a cute idea--especially the pumpkin carving! The Justin Bieber look-alike with sideswept hair made me laugh out loud. :-p You have my vote!
    Reply
  • Stephanie October 7, 2010 · 12:48AM:
    I really loved your dinner party. What a great idea with the pumpkins. I might have to steal your idea, in fact I might have to steal your whole menu, it looked delicious. Good luck in the contest!
    Reply
  • CookEatLove
    October 7, 2010 · 4:02AM:
    The whole thing looks fantastic. Yes, fall is definitely here!
    Reply
  • Nancy October 10, 2010 · 12:32PM:
    What you did shows that parties can be fun not boring with people sitting around drinking or watching a ball game. You paced the eating with a great physical activity and you tantalized the senses with smells. Your pacing probably allowed you to interact with your guests while preparing the dessert. Good ideas!
    Reply
  • Rita
    October 11, 2010 · 8:48AM:
    I LOVE your dinner party! What a tremendous dinner with friends!! Way to go on making it delicious and healthy!! I learned how to make cinnamon ice cream this summer. I actually read it in a cookbook written by a lady who ran a tea room in our city for many years. She used it to compliment apple desserts. Our local ice cream company used to make cinnamon ice cream . When they stopped she made her own by combining store bought vanilla with cinnamon. I did it and it works! Duh! Why didn't I think of that? Loved your blog!!
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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