Permission to Party

My Friday night was spent with friends, who all came to my house for an Origami Owl party.  I don't host the shopping parties often, but this one was fun.  The jewelry was all about creating a special necklace that represents yourself or a special person in your life, and of course we needs some special food to go along with.

Our treats began with Apple Cider Sangria.  I pinned this recipe last fall, but hadn't gotten around to making it yet.  I love the idea of sangria with fall fruit.  I didn't find any ginger brandy (admittedly I didn't look very hard), so I left that out.  I chose to use Chardonnay instead of pinot grigio.  Next time I would follow the instructions I think.  The flavors were just okay from me, because I couldn't ignore the "bite" of the Chardonnay, but I found the color beautiful and festive.

Next we had this Gorgonzola & Cranberry Cheeseball.  I absolutely love Gorgonzola, but since the others who live in my household don't enjoy it, I don't get many opportunities to make dishes that use it.  It was awesome.  So good.  I could almost sit and eat it with a fork, no crackers or anything.

And then for something sweet, more fall flavors.  These Peanut Butter Cookie Cups were so cute and perfect for autumn.  The recipe is big--I made a lot of the little cookie cups as well as some regular sized cookies, so if you make them, have a plan for how to use all of them!

I was going to leave the desserts at just the cookies, but this recipe for Toffee Caramel Apple Cake sounded so good, I couldn't recipe.  It was totally delicious.  I think it definitely needs a whipped cream topper to keep the sweetness under control, but whipped cream is never wrong in my book.

We had way too much food to eat, but it was fun to try all the new dishes.  Plus, there are so many fall recipes I want to try, I couldn't stop at just one.