I’d be lying if I said the cool, crisp change in the air doesn’t affect me. It actually gives me all the feels and totally has me embracing sweater weather, woodsy scents, and cinnamon-spiced anything. This weather also makes me want to hide in the warm, cozy kitchen baking and cooking away. The struggle is making all that yummy food and stopping myself from eating it all. What’s the secret to baking your little heart away and not eating an entire pan of goodies? It’s to share! Fall is the perfect time to host a dinner party and an easy one at that. With all of the amazing fall food available this season, you create a cozy little harvest party full of all things fall.
Tips for Hosting a Fall Harvest Party
1. Shop and cook seasonally. Fall is so bountiful think; pumpkin, apples, squash (butternut, acorn, buttercup, spaghetti).
2.Stay inspired and on-theme by cozying up your house with a comforting oil blend, balsam incense, throw blankets, and even open your windows for that cool fall breeze.
3.Warming meals. Think one-pot oven meals, spicy fall options (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, anise).
4.Set your table with fall-inspired decor. These velvet gold leaf place mats paired with this white birch place setting (above) brings in the magic of the woods. A little real greenery and fresh flowers give us that summer-turning-to-fall kind of look we all love to see.
- 15 drops of orange essential oil
- 10 drops of vanilla essential oil
- 5 drops of cedarwood essential oil
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil
- 3 drops of cinnamon essential oil
- 3 drops of clove essential oil
- 2 drops frankincense essential oil
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Pour into your diffuser full of water, and diffuse!
Coq au Cidre
This chicken recipe is so perfectly fall. It’s a twist on classic White Coq au Vin where instead of white wine we use apple cider. Paired with butternut squash, apples, carrots and spices like fresh ginger, allspice and cardamom; this chicken screams comfort food. And to make this comfort food a little healthier, I served it over “swoodles” (sweet potato noodles) I spiralized with this little beauty. You can also serve this over rice or even pasta if you’re feeling more carbs are the answer here.
YIELDS: 1 Serving Default (1 Serving)
Double (2 Servings)
Triple (3 Servings)
- 1 Whole Chicken cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 cup Bacon diced
- 3 Cloves of Garlic chopped
- 2 Shallots diced
- 2 cups Butternut Squash diced
- 1 Apple diced
- 2 Carrots sliced
- 1 cup Button Mushrooms cleaned
- 2 tsp Ginger grated
- 2 tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Cardomom
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Cans of Apple Cider with alcohol
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 6 Pearl Onions
- ½ cup Cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 pinch Saffron
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Can of Coconut milk regular, not light
- 6 Sweet Potatoes
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
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Heat oven to 350 F.
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On the stove, in a dutch oven or cast iron pan, brown the chicken in the olive oil.
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Remove chicken from pan.
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On medium-high add in bacon, garlic, shallots, butternut squash, apple, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, allspice, cardamom, and dijon. Stir and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
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Add cider and Chicken Broth, stir. Add pearl onions, cranberries and saffron. Stir to combine.
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Add pieces of chicken back in, pushing it down into the broth so it is covered.
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Place lid on the dutch oven and move to the oven.
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Cook for 2 hours, stirring every so often.
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When your chicken looks like it's beginning to get really tender (like fall off the bone tender) remove the lid and turn the oven up to 450°.
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Pour in can of coconut milk (or you can replace with 1 cup of heavy cream). Stir to combine. Cook with the lid off until the broth starts to thicken and become bubbly and the chicken browns. (if your chicken is still buried under the broth, you can pull it up to the top with a pair of tongs)
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While your chicken broth is thickening, spiralize your sweet potatoes.
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Remove chicken from the oven.
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Over high heat, add sweet potatoes to a pan with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté briefly, no longer than 2 minutes.
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Spoon chicken and sauce over your "swoodles" (sweet potato noodles) and enjoy!
Lastly, this Pumpkin Butter Puff Pastry with Apple-Cranberry filling is going to change your life. Maybe not, but it is a super simple recipe and it tastes like fall. The pastry is so flaky and extra buttery that it literally does melt in your mouth. Get the recipe here.
Oh and after dinner, serve this hot mulled cider with frothed rum cream for a boozy treat. Plus you slow cook this cider all day, making your house smell like heaven. Get the recipe here.
Donʼt forget to share your photos and tag @stokesstores & @botanicaandbloom