When thinking of the perfect place for a fall dinner party, I’m sure your thoughts don’t go straight to a desert venue. But they should. After the bloom of spring and summer, you are left with gorgeous surroundings in muted colors, minus the high temps. I don’t call many things magical, but dusk in the desert easily lives up to the description.

We decided to head out as a team and create a dinner party on the edge of Joshua Tree. Inspired by the natural color palette, we set the table in the same tones. Black accents popped against the tans and creams used. Unique glassware added to the interest of the table while still letting our cocktail shine. We also incorporated dried flowers from our location to make the table blend in with it’s surroundings.

While it may not be the most practical of locations, you can easily adapt these ideas to your backyard, your dining room, or just about anywhere that works for you this fall.

When deciding on a recipe for our party, I wanted something simple, with clean, seasonal ingredients, that could be good served either hot or cold. Luckily, we came across this farro salad in a fall issue.

Take advantage of the season and use your favorite fruits and veggies while you can. You can swap in any of your favorites here, as the farro, greens and dressing will work as a base with most seasonal flavors.

farro bowl w/ pomegranate vinaigrette

The Ingredients

• 1.5 cups uncooked farro

• 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4” chunks

• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided

• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

• 1 cup refrigerated pomegranate juice

• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp. dijon mustard

• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 2 cups baby spinach

• 1 medium fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced, plus chopped fronds for garnish

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

The recipe

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Stir in farro and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.

• While farro cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add sweet potato, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and sweet potato is tender and browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl with farro.

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pomegranate juice; cook, stirring occasionally, until reduce to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in vinegar, mustard, pepper, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat and gradually whisk remaining 1/2 cup oil into dressing.

• Add 3/4 cup dressing to farro mixture and toss to coat. Add spinach and fennel; toss gently. Divide among four bowls and drizzle with remaining dressing. Top with cheese and garnish with fennel fronds.

via Real Simple Magazine - November 2019

spiced Prosecco

This recipe was inspired by our Thyme-Infused Plum Prosecco from the Go-To Cocktails post. That drink was beyond yummy, and this one just might be even better.

The ingredients

• 1 pear, chopped

• Cinnamon

• Nutmeg

• Sugar

• Prosecco

• Rosemary

The recipe

• To make infused simple syrup - combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 dashes of each nutmeg and cinnamon, and chopped pear and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir and let cool. Chill until ready to use.

• Remove chopped pear from simple syrup.

• Combine infused simple syrup and Prosecco.

• Garnish with rosemary.

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You can definitely keep it simple for dinner parties (we do most of the time), but sometimes it’s fun to get a piece of snail mail inviting you to an event. We created an invite inspired by the desert palette we infused into our table. Tucked into an extra large kraft envelope, it set the tone perfectly before guests ever arrived.

We hope that this can inspire your very own fall dinner party,
or even be a starting point for your holiday get togethers!

Will you be entertaining this season? Do you like to go all out or keep it simple?

Images by Kimi Domino.

Location: Sommer Ranch on Airbnb