Before my big trip last month, I hosted a little mini-meeting for our chapter of the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL). The goal of these gatherings is simple but so important: for the moms to meet and connect without the boys before we serve together throughout the year.
There are a variety of mini-meeting formats to choose from, and I decided to host a Favorite Things Party! It was a very simplified version of one I’ve done before.
After a simple snack and some chatting, we gathered in my den and went around the room sharing our items and why we love them. It was so much fun, and I walked away with some fantastic new ideas. It’s purely informational – nobody is trading items.
But I digress… what I really wanted to share today, though, was the simple snack I put together on a small budget. The beautiful thing about both of these recipes is that they can be completely prepared in advance, which makes hosting so much easier.
Whipped Goat Cheese
This one I’ve made many times, and it’s always a hit. It’s creamy, flavorful, and truly just delicious.
Autumn Sangria
I pulled this one straight from Ina Garten and oh my goodness, it was divine! I followed the recipe exactly, and I have a feeling I’ll be making it on repeat all fall long. I’ve shared it below for you to try. Make sure you read through it as you need to start the cinnamon syrup early!
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 – 3″ whole cinnamon sticks
- 1 – 750 ml bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1.5 cups apple cider
- 1/4 cup plus 2T apple brandy
- 1/4 cup plus 2T pear brandy
- 1 small Gala or Fuji apple, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 Granny Smith apple, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 small red Bartlett pear, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 orange, halved through the stem end and thinly sliced crosswise
- For the cinnamon syrup, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 3 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely. Cool. Transfer to a container, add the cinnamon sticks, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours or for up to 48 hours.
- In a large 2 quart pitcher, combine the wine, cider, brandy, 1/2 cup cinnamon syrup, and all of the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 72 hours.
Note: I only had brandy on hand so I used 1/2 cup of that in lieu of apple and pear brandies.
As for the pumpkin dispenser I served the sangria in… let’s just say it looked adorable but was completely impractical. I bought it at Walmart a couple of years ago after seeing someone rave about it on Instagram. It’s huge to store, and the spout is positioned so high that you can barely get any liquid out of it. Truth be told, I think this was the first time I ever actually dispensed anything from it myself! Needless to say, it went straight to the Goodwill pile the next day. Ha!
Happy Friday, friends! We made it to the weekend!
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