Our Fall Harvest Party...

My goodness, October was a jam-packed month for our family with wonderful celebrations. We traveled and celebrated my father-in-law’s 60th, our daughter’s 3rd, and my own 30th birthday. In addition, Ben and I celebrated 5 YEARS MARRIED! A month of incredible milestones and grateful beyond belief for everyone’s well-wishes and love!

Because we were on the road and finishing up the final parts of our book tour, we waited until the beginning of November to throw a little party at our home for our sweet little squirrel. For me personally, growing up [every year], my mother took great joy and pride in throwing me a fall-themed birthday - with pumpkin painting, apple-filled treats, and loads of orange hues coloring the celebration. This year, in her honor, we did the same.

Now it may seem like this is a newsletter about throwing a 3-year-old a party, but indeed it is actually about how to throw a party for people of all ages, in chilly weather, outside. It is indeed time-sensitive, as I believe we only have about two weeks left to hang outdoors before the leaves fully drop and the wind begins to howl all too loud.

Let’s Party! [Outside, while we can…]

Throwing a party can be overwhelming (cuts to me ordering things from Amazon two nights before the party - in panic), so I’ve found that if I break it down by category, things are much easier and far more clear to navigate.

I broke my organizational tasks into four sections:

1. Food & Drinks

2. Seating & Logistics

3. Activities (in this case, kids’ activities)

4. Special Things (this is where the magic lives, the little details that put the right touch on the party)

Food & Drinks

Ben and I really wanted to keep things simple food-wise. We are known for our extravagant feast tables amongst our clients, but the truth is, 3 or 4 REALLY delicious things go really far. So no need to overdo it. Considering we wanted the party to be outside, we also wanted the mess to stay out of our kitchen the day of the party, so we could be with our guests. We knew that it would be chilly and people would want something hot and warm to keep them cozy. Ben really wanted to make pizza for the kids, and I thought soup would be an excellent warming option and super delicious on the side.

Knowing that we were serving pizza, adding our Middle Eastern Caesar [from Eat Small Plates] to the menu seemed like the best idea. It is handheld, crunchy, and super refreshing between slices and slurps of soup. We opted for two soups because, well, Ben and I both wanted to make one. We made a big batch of Zikki’s Chicken Soup and a super yummy velvety Tomato Bisque loaded with fresh basil and loads of garlic confit!

Alongside our big salad plate, I made one massive seasonal Rainbow Fruit Platter for the adults, and on the kids’ table, I added another Rainbow Fruit Platter [divided by section] and a big bowl of crunchy Persian cucumber spears. I built the kids’ fruit platter on a tower to give height to the kids’ table and to make them feel like they were eating something really, really special.

So how did we decide upon this menu? We wanted a menu that we could prep several days in advance, but that could be “finished” the day of the event. It was important to us that the food was interactive and part of the party experience. There is nothing more fun than ordering a pizza on the spot with all your favorite toppings and watching it be made from really, really good ingredients. It was also important to us that the kids had something nutritious and FUN to eat. I really am not throwing any shade, but it is rough nuggies when your child comes back from a birthday party hyped up on sugar and crashes hardcore. We really wanted to avoid that moment - we were going for longevity.

The Menu:

• Pizza 

  • 20 doughs made the night before, proofing in the fridge overnight

  • Toppings made and organized into containers (the day before)

• Zikki’s Chicken Soup

  • Made the day before, and deboned

• Tomato Bisque

  • Made the day before and put in quart containers for easy access

• Middle Eastern Caesar

  • Dressing made the day before, plated into a big bowl for dipping & spooning the morning of

  • Boston Lettuce quartered the morning of & assembled

  • Also added cucumber spears, celery, and radish to the plate for texture and color

  • Didn’t season the salad, to prevent wilting - served dressing on the side

• Rainbow Fruit Platters

• Apple Cider Donuts (Farm bought, and brought by a friend #hostingtipfromESP)

• Chocolate Birthday Cake (made by Ben)

The Drinks

The night before, I had Ben fill our cooler with loads of Spindrift - versatile and delicious. The morning of the party, I took two gallons of apple cider and added them to one huge pot. I added ten cinnamon sticks and half a teaspoon of Tahinian Vanilla extract. I let it simmer for an hour before putting it on a burner outside to be served warm alongside a bottle of Bullet Bourbon (for any adults in the crowd that needed a little extra cozy-ing).

Seating and Logistics

This one is IMPORTANT. The space flow needs to make sense. As this was a kids/adult party (one in the same), it was imperative that the adults and kids both had their headquarters. For the adults, the feast table and pizza station were a fun place to hang out, but we also added a fire pit, with lots of seating around it and blankets on each chair for anyone who was chilly! The most important part of this section is to intentionally build areas where people can huddle and socialize, with conversation starters all around them, giving people who don’t know each other a reason to connect.

Activities (focused on the tiny humans)

This was a party for people ranging from the ages of 3-75, with a focus on the 3-10 age group. I really wanted to make use of our backyard and wanted to avoid renting or ordering any unnecessary entertainment. So I decided on a couple of holistic crafts that kept the kids engaged for hours!

1. Gathering leaves, sticks, and acorns for fall wreath making in their sweet little woven baskets. Each child got a basket for gathering foliage. In the basket were some sweet little fall-themed bows and some glue!

2. Making the fall wreaths: My prep included sourcing glue, orange ribbon, and cutting 30 wreaths out of craft paper. The kids LOVED this.

3. Pumpkin painting: Because who doesn’t love this? Prep included sourcing pumpkins, ordering kids’ smocks, paintbrushes, and washable paint.

4. Indoor Option: Our backyard opens into our playroom, so I removed all the toys that anyone could destroy and left out only the really fun teamwork-based toys like: hills, magnet tiles, tons of Legos, and a chalkboard!

The Special Things

This is my favorite section. Because this is the 5% of the party that makes it memorable and truly wonderful. These things are easy to do, but also easy NOT to do. For little effort, it makes a world of difference. There is a small gap between good and great. For me, the special things about this party were the following:

1. The Woven Baskets: I bought ten baskets, and they were a little bit of an investment, but I am so happy I did it. The kids felt so special, it was a piece of the party that they could take home and wouldn’t end up in the garbage immediately. They could reuse it, and honestly, it was too cute to pass up!

2. Apple Cider: Taking a gallon of apple cider from the fridge and adding some spices and heat felt like the ultimate treat. Being able to serve hot apple cider to friends with the option to add a good Bourbon felt naughty in a way. Like a little inside secret of pure fun!

3. The Burners: Ben and I made two soups and cider. We got three butane burners, and everything was outside on a flame, kept hot and wonderful. People kept going back to the hot things.

4. Apple Cider Donuts: I called my best friend the day before and asked if there were any farms around her that sold INCREDIBLE apple cider donuts. She understood the mission immediately, and came bearing 30 fantastic donuts the morning of - those of which we served on bagel towels to the center of the feast table. (In case you want to make your own - the recipe is HERE)

5. Fruit Tower for the kids: Serving the fruit on a tower for the kids gave them a sense that they were eating something special. And they all kept coming back for more!

6. Blankets: Just in case the fire pit wasn’t getting you cozy enough.

7. Smocks: I wanted the kids to be able to paint without stressing out the parents. The smocks gave the kids free range, and the parents peace of mind!

And just like that - October is behind us and November is ahead! Big weekend cooking from Eat Small Plates for one of our clients. Prep starts tomorrow. Excited for the upcoming Friendsgivings and Thanksgivings. Enjoy the cooling weather and hold your loved ones tight!

All our love,

Ben and Zikki